Live Your Best Lives
Time flies, and before we know it, we've arrived at the season of falling leaves, bidding farewell to the scorching summer heat and ushering in the coolness of autumn. With the gentle autumn breeze, it's time to go out and experience it. In the southwestern mountainous areas of China, there is a thousand-year-old village where you can enjoy ginkgo trees less frequently. Its reputation as the "Hometown of Ancient Ginkgo" is well-deserved.
The ginkgo tree, a plant that lived between 300 million and 170 million years ago, from the Permian to the Triassic Jurassic periods of the Mesozoic era, survived the Quaternary glacial period, remaining in small numbers in Shandong and Guizhou provinces of my country. It is a Class II rare plant and is known as the "Madam's Sun Tree" and a "living fossil." Its unique shape and delicate leaves give it distinct four seasons, from verdant in spring to golden in autumn. Its fruit, known as ginkgo nuts, is used as medicine, making it a rare ornamental tree.
In Tuole Village, Shiqiao Town, there are over 1,450 ancient ginkgo trees growing in a continuous forest. The oldest tree is over 1,600 years old, with an average age of over 300 years. These trees are tall, with diameters at breast height ranging from 1 to 2 meters and canopies 15 to 30 meters high. The Ginkgo King, a tree over 1,000 years old and revered as a sacred tree by villagers, stands in the center of Tuole Village. Its trunk requires five or six people to encircle, a testament to Tuole Village's centuries-long history.
The ancient ginkgo trees, known as "female," "male," "sister," "husband and wife," and "king of trees," add a wealth of cultural significance to Tuole Ginkgo Village. The meticulously arranged ancient ginkgo trees and the ancient village houses blend seamlessly into a harmonious and beautiful home. The poetic landscape of flowing water and ancient trees invites lingering reflections. The village's ancient post road bears witness to the rich history and vicissitudes of time. Xilai Temple, nestled beneath the golden ginkgo trees, adds a lingering sense of Zen to the village.
Tuole Ancient Ginkgo Village is located in Tuole Village, Shiqiao Town, Pan County, Liupanshui City, known as the "Cool Capital of China." It is 25 kilometers from Hongguo, the new town of Panzhou City, and covers an area of ​​approximately 146 square kilometers. It is a National AAAA-level scenic spot and is known as the "World's Living Fossil Base." Pan County, situated at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces, is the western gateway to Guizhou. With its unique location, transportation, resources, and concentration of large enterprises, it is known as the "Key to Yunnan and Guizhou" and is the first and only county in Guizhou Province to be recognized as one of the top 100 in China.
Ginkgo trees are an integral part of the village, boasting dozens of famous attractions, including the Thousand-Tree Ancient Ginkgo Forest, Biyun Cave, Danxia Mountain, the Huopu Rhododendron Forest, and the Yunnan-Guizhou Ancient Post Road. The village's streams, stone bridges, and even the plains are all covered in golden ginkgo leaves, and the simple folk customs add a touch of charm to the tranquility. Tuole Ancient Village, with its concentration of ancient ginkgo trees and harmonious coexistence between man and nature, is a rare sight worldwide, earning it the reputation of "The World's Hometown of Ancient Ginkgo Trees."
Humanities and History
According to research, Tuole Village was once a settlement of the Yi ethnic group over 600 years ago. Due to the early Ming Dynasty's military garrison in the southwest, it became a mixed community of Yi and Han people. To escape the war in the late Ming Dynasty, members of the imperial family from Nanjing migrated here with their families. Upon seeing the picturesque scenery and pleasant climate, they happily declared, "This is it, this is it." While the residents of Tuole Village have evolved over time, their culture of "people and trees living together" remains unchanged.
Tuole Village has 401 farmhouses, nearly 100 of which are nestled among a ginkgo grove, each housing an exquisitely designed structure. The Tuole village rises from a valley, its farmhouses linked by ginkgo tree trunks, creating a friendly atmosphere. However, the farmhouses undulating on the slopes all face west and east.
Across the river from Tuole Village, on the eastern slope of a hill, stands a unique building facing west. This is Tuole's legendary Xilai Temple. Built north of the village during the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty and renovated during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, Tuole once became a sacred place for worship in ancient Panzhou.
Tips:
Reference fare: 40 yuan
Best viewing season: Autumn (October to the end of November)
Detailed address: Tuole Village, Shiqiao Town, Pan County, Liupanshui City
Accommodation in the scenic area: ordinary farmhouses, hotels
There is a residential house in Tuole Ancient Village that has stood there for hundreds of years. The quaint carved doors and windows and the stilt wooden pillars under the eaves have been listed as cultural relics for protection by the local government.
The ancient village's bluestone paths were once a vital transportation route, traversed daily by countless people and horses, a journey that has endured for six hundred years. This has earned the thousand ginkgo trees of Tuole Village in Shiqiao Town fame and acclaim. Perhaps in the future, they will even reach the world, becoming a haven for weary souls, drawing admiration from the world.
A small stone bridge spans a stream. Two ginkgo trees stand at the wide end, their canopies shading the bridge surface, creating a unique tree-bridge landscape. On a late autumn morning, a shepherd boy riding a cow, or an elderly farmer carrying grass and pulling an ox, stepping on a ground covered with golden fallen leaves, walks through the ancient ginkgo forest in the morning mist to the bridge. The shepherd boy and the cow are reflected in the water below. Perhaps a few girls washing clothes on the sandbank are playing in the water. Most astonishing are the tangled roots of the old ginkgo trees, which extend through the bridge and across the riverbank, creating a unique landscape.
Xilai Temple is an ancient temple, as renowned as the Huguo Temple on Danxia Mountain in Pan County. It was once known as "Danxia above, Xilai below." Legend has it that long ago, an old Taoist priest visited the temple at night, built it overnight, and then left. While this story, heavily influenced by mythology, is difficult to believe today, it demonstrates the reverence people hold for Xilai Temple.
Legend has it that the temple was built by members of the five major clans: Gu, Wang, Lu, Bu, and Jiang. However, the exact date of construction remains unknown. Today, only a stone stele, left behind during the Qianlong reign by members of the five clans, bears witness to its construction. The inscription is blurred, with only the four large characters "forever and everlasting" visible.
To reach Xilai Temple, one must walk along a small path through the fields, cross a mountain stream, and climb a hill called "Niujiaoying." An ancient osmanthus tree stands in front of the temple. Nestled between the hillside and the water, its towering presence can be seen from afar. The Dragon King in the reservoir beneath Danxia Mountain had a broken horn, which was then replaced with wood. Later, a reservoir was built outside Longtan, known as the Mulong Reservoir.
About 100 steps up from the right side of Xilai Temple, you'll find a lush bamboo forest of remarkable beauty. Twenty steps parallel to the back of the bamboo forest offer a panoramic view of Tuole Village. This is a prime vantage point for photographers and painters, and a viewing platform modeled after the Xijiang Miao Village in southeastern Guizhou could be built there in the future.
The steps formed by tree roots offer a glimpse into the reason why ginkgo trees have stood so majestically for thousands of years, undeterred by wind and rain. This place was once featured on CCTV and given the name "Entangled Roots." I hope everyone will remember it.
I've also heard many people say this is a tree for marriage and childbearing. Ginkgo trees are dioecious, with only five male trees in the entire Tuole area. The male trees have branches that spread upward, while the female trees have branches that spread out horizontally and have more lush leaves.
Two hundred steps up the main village road from the right side of the village gate is where the legendary King Ginkgo Tree is located. It is said that this earliest King Ginkgo Tree was planted during the Liao Dynasty, about 1,100 years ago. The tree is now old and dead, looking bony and weathered, but new branches are still growing from its body and feet.
Climb the stairs from the main road to Tuole Village, pass Mashanwa, and walk a few hundred meters to the left on a slight slope. Above the well stands a strangely shaped, rugged hawthorn tree, completely shading the well like a giant umbrella. This ancient hawthorn tree has likely been growing for hundreds of years, and the well beneath it never dries up, providing a lifeline for two or three surrounding villages during droughts. In gratitude for its kindness, the locals have erected a stone stele dedicated to the mountain god beneath the tree, where they pray for peace and prosperity during festivals.
This ancient stele was built in 1933, the year of the Guiyou Emperor in the Republic of China. It serves as the ancestral tomb of the local Zhang family and boasts a history of only about eighty years. However, the artistic level of its carvings is truly unique and holds considerable artistic value. The numerous animals, figures, and patterns carved on it are all clearly and distinctively depicted. The carvings include the Eight Immortals, legendary figures, and the twelve zodiac animals. It is said that to construct this stele, highly skilled craftsmen were hired from other places, and outstanding local scholars were invited to compile and write the inscription. This monument embodies a high degree of integration between culture and art, and represents a tangible and representative relic of the local cultural heritage.
There's an ancient legend about this place. The ruins of the Immortal Temple are located atop a mountain near Tuole Village. Due to its age, only the rubble and foundations of the temple's collapsed walls remain. There's also the Zen teachings of Xilai Temple, the folk music of Fengyu Tower, the bonfire parties of ASEAN Street, and the tent campground and musical fountain of Xianma Lake.
ASEAN International Hotel
ASEAN International Hotel consists of 10 villa-type hotels, each villa has 9 guest rooms, and the hotel has a total of 90 guest rooms.
The villas have different styles and are decorated and embellished with cultural and customary elements from ten ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Golden Home Hotel
Pan County Golden Garden Hotel consists of a main building and eight villas. It is located at the entrance of Tuole Village, halfway up the mountain, offering panoramic views of Ginkgo Village. The hotel is equipped with a large conference room, KTV, entertainment room, tea room, and other facilities.
Address: Tuole Village, Shiqiao Town, Pan County (within the Tuole Ancient Ginkgo Scenic Area), near Xianma Lake.
Drive directly from Panzhou (Hongguo) via the Weihong Highway through Lemin Town to Shiqiao Town, then go north along Shiqiao Town Street for 2.8 km to reach Tuole (the entire journey is 35 km and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes).
From Hongguo Railway Station to Lupan Station (about 3.5km to the scenic area), after getting off the train, you can reach the new tourist reception center of the scenic area through the wooden plank road in 5 minutes.
Take bus No. 12 or No. 13 from Panzhou High-speed Railway Station and get off at Hongguo Bus Station;
Take the Hongguo-Shanlanliangjiao Express at Hongguo Bus Station and get off at the gate of Tuole Scenic Area (about 45 minutes). Then transfer to a local shuttle bus or walk to the scenic area (about 2 km from the get-off point). Ticket price: 20 yuan.
Tuole Village is China's leading producer of ancient ginkgo trees. Ginkgo trees grow slowly and have an extremely long lifespan, taking over 20 years from planting to fruiting, and 40 years before they bear fruit in large quantities. However, villagers consistently adhere to the ancient tradition that "a female tree is like a mother; many children bring hardship to the mother; pollination and fruiting should be left to nature, not artificially." Selling ginkgo nuts is also a major source of income for many villagers.
You can try local specialties made with ginkgo nuts: stewed chicken with thousand-year-old ginkgo nuts, stir-fried ginkgo nuts, and grilled ginkgo nuts on skewers.
Other recommended delicacies: lotus leaf glutinous rice chicken, wind pork, rolled rice noodles, pan-fried pot, Panxian ham, etc.
Deep in the mountains of southwest China, I encountered this ancient village, polished by millennia of time. In late autumn, the ginkgo trees gradually turn yellow, scattered on rooftops, ridges, and ancient paths, like a fairytale ocean, waiting to be explored.
