Tang Locust Tree Park

Tang Locust Tree Park

Tang Locust Tree Park is located on Dicun Street in the southern part of Taiyuan City and consists of two sections — north and south — with a total planned area of 2.58 hectares. The currently open northern section, also known as the Hometown of Lord Di, is the birthplace of the renowned statesman Di Renjie from a thousand years ago. Covering an area of 6,600 square meters, the park features pavilions, corridors, stone inscriptions, murals, ancient trees, and rare flowers that create a pleasant scenery.

The architectural carvings in the park are designed to emulate the Tang Dynasty style. Whether it's the corridors or the stele pavilions, the dominant tones are muted red, and the structural lines are simple and clean. Compared to the ornate and luxurious architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties, with their carved beams and painted rafters, this gives a sense of solemnity and dignity, recreating the architectural artistry of the prosperous Tang era. Within the park, the statue of Di Renjie, the Hometown of Lord Diang Stele, the Tang Locust Tree Stele, the mural depicting the legendary tales of Di Renjie solving cases, and the stele inscribed by Northern Song’s Fan Zhongyan with calligraphy by Huang Tingjian all recount the extraordinary achievements of this famous Tang statesman. Moreover, the thousand-year-old locust tree planted by Lady Di, Di Renjie’s mother, has withstood over 1,300 years of wind and rain, yet still flourishes with new branches and lush foliage. When viewed at sunrise or sunset, from different angles, it presents scenes reminiscent of “a phoenix facing the rising sun” and “birds perched among swaying branches,” holding high academic and artistic value. It has been highly praised by many renowned ancient tree experts and landscape scholars in China, who have called it a “living cultural relic” and “the finest ancient locust tree.”

Di Renjie (630–700), courtesy name Huaiying, was a native of Yangqu County (now Dicun in the southern suburbs of Taiyuan City). He was a prominent official of the Tang Dynasty, serving as chancellor during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, and was an outstanding statesman.

Di Renjie’s grandfather, Xiaoxu, served as the Left Assistant Director of the Ministry of Personnel during the Zhenguan era. His father, Zhixun, was once the Prefectural Historian of Kuizhou. Di Renjie passed the imperial examination in the Classics and was appointed as a Judicial Assistant in Bianzhou. He gained the recognition of Yan Liben, the Inspector of Officials in Henan Circuit, who promoted him to be a Legal Official in the Bingzhou Regional Military Command. In the first year of Emperor Gaozong’s Yifeng era (676), Di Renjie became the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court and resolved a backlog of 17,000 cases within one year. From then on, he became renowned for his godlike ability to solve cases and expose corruption... More details about Di Renjie ++