The King of Banyan Trees in China

The King of Banyan Trees in China

The King of Banyan Trees in China is located in the subtropical rainforest near Laodaolong Village at Tongbiguan in Yingjiang County, about 30 kilometers from the county seat. The tree stands approximately 40 meters tall, with over 100 new trunks formed by its hanging aerial roots, and more than 10 such roots continue to grow each year. Its canopy covers an area of 5.5 acres, and from a distance, it resembles a small grove of trees, hence it is also called the "Forest of One Tree."

The people of Dehong refer to the banyan tree as the "Daqing Tree," while the Dai ethnic group reveres it as a sacred tree. The Daqing Tree is one of the iconic landscapes of Dehong. Countless lush and uniquely shaped Daqing Trees are scattered across the entire prefecture. The one growing near Laodaolong Village in Tongbiguan, Yingjiang, stands out among all the Daqing Trees in the region and is revered as the "King of Banyan Trees."

According to expert estimates and research, this tree has a canopy covering an area of 55 acres, with as many as 108 new trunks grown from its aerial roots that have taken root in the ground. With an age of nearly 300 years, it is considered a marvel of the "Forest of One Tree" phenomenon and is a unique wonder of Dehong Prefecture. Its trunk is extraordinarily massive—so large that dozens of people cannot encircle it together.