The King of Chinese Banyans

　　The King of Chinese Banyans is situated in the subtropical rainforest near Laodaolong Village by Tongbiguan in Yingjiang County, around 30 kilometers from the county town. The tree is about 40 meters tall, with over 100 new trunks formed by its hanging aerial roots, and more than 10 new aerial roots continue to grow each year. Its canopy covers an area of 5.5 mu (approximately 0.37 hectares), and from afar, it looks like a small grove—hence it’s also called the “Forest of One Tree.”

　　The people of Dehong refer to the banyan as the "Daqing Tree," while the Dai ethnic group regards it as a sacred tree. The Daqing Tree is one of the distinctive features of Dehong’s scenery. Countless lush and uniquely shaped Daqing Trees are spread across the entire prefecture. Among them, the Daqing Tree near Laodaolong Village in Tongbiguan, Yingjiang, stands out from the rest and is honored as the “King of Banyans.”

　　According to expert calculations and research, this tree has a canopy covering 55 mu, with 108 new trunks grown from aerial roots that have taken root in the ground. It is nearly 300 years old and is considered a marvel of the “Forest of One Tree,” a unique spectacle in Dehong Prefecture. Its trunk is extraordinarily large—so big that dozens of people can’t encircle it together.