This old ginkgo tree located at Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple, in Zhongnan Mountain region of China. The temple was built in Tang dynasty in 628, with more than 1,400 years history. It’s said this ginkgo tree is planted by Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong himself.
Ginkgos would probably be totally extinct if it weren’t for human cultivation starting about 4000 years ago in China. They are the last remnant of the species that covered the entire planet during the last part of the dinosaur era and were cultivated from rare refugia in the Himalayas for religious reasons.
Each year, during late autumn, this 1,400-year-old Gingko tree sheds its leaves, forming a thick carpet of vibrant yellow around the temple grounds, attracting tourists and photographers from around the world. The juxtaposition of the tree’s golden leaves against the historic architecture of the temple makes it a magical sight.
Ginkgos would probably be totally extinct if it weren’t for human cultivation starting about 4000 years ago in China. They are the last remnant of the species that covered the entire planet during the last part of the dinosaur era and were cultivated from rare refugia in the Himalayas for religious reasons.
Reverence for the ginkgo passed from earliest periods first from unknown origin into early hermitic movements (anachronistically known as “Daoism”) and then into Buddhism. The species living today, Ginkgo biloba, is functionally identical to fossils dating back 270 million years although clearly some genetic changes did happen over time.
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