Guangxi's First Tree: Over 1,450 Years Old, Takes Ten People to Encircle, Revered as a Sacred Tree by the Dong People

When traveling, you always encounter many surprises—novel things, people with stories, an ancient building, or an astonishing ancient tree, like the one we saw today at Chankou Village in Sanjiang County, Guangxi: a giant banyan tree.

In the first three days of our self-drive trip to Sanjiang, we had already visited Danzhou Ancient Town, Chengyang Eight Villages, Buyang Immortal Mountain, Guandong Dong Village, and other attractions. Today, we originally planned to only explore urban sights in Sanjiang county town, such as the Grand Dong Village, Yuye Dong Village, and the Dong Museum. But by the afternoon, as the weather cleared, we couldn't resist the urge to go to a nearby Dong village. So we pulled out our phones and searched.

In the end, we set our destination on Chankou Dong Village, not far from the county town. It wasn't because this village was particularly old or its buildings majestic, but because it was home to a towering ancient tree.

The location of Chankou Village is a confluence of three rivers, at the junction of the Meng River and the Duliu River. Even before entering the village, the first thing we saw was a tall banyan tree standing at the village entrance. As the breeze blew, the leaves rustled like waves, strikingly eye-catching.

According to the local villagers, this ancient banyan tree is over 1,450 years old—the oldest tree in Liuzhou and even in Guangxi. Hence, it enjoys titles like "Guangxi's First Tree" and "China's Tree King," and is revered by the local Dong people as a sacred tree protecting their village.

When we arrived, several villagers from Chankou were resting under the banyan tree. An elderly man told us that the tree is nearly 40 meters tall, with a canopy covering over 2,000 square meters. Its trunk is gnarled and intertwined, and its branches spread horizontally in all directions, lush and leafy—a perfect place for the locals to relax, entertain, and gather.

1,450 years ago, Chinese society was still in the Southern Dynasties period. Since then, human society has passed through more than ten dynasties and dozens of generations. This tree has weathered the winds of the High Tang, the rains of the Song, the sun of the Yuan, and witnessed the Qing's decline from prosperity to decay and the gradual rise of modern times. It is truly one of the oldest living organisms on Earth.

Although this banyan tree is "advanced in age," its twisted branches stretching down to the riverbank and its verdant crown still exude the wise, immortal air of an elder. After a millennium of growth, it is hard to distinguish which branch is the main trunk. It takes about ten adults with arms outstretched to encircle the entire group of trunks.

For the Dong people of Chankou and the surrounding Dong villages, this ancient banyan tree has a spirit. They believe it is the guardian spirit of the village. Whenever important events occur in a Dong family, they like to burn incense and pray under the tree, or tie red cloth strips with written wishes, to ask for happiness, peace, health, and joy for their families.

A 1,450-year-old banyan tree is a wonder—truly enormous. It is no exaggeration to call it a single tree forming a forest. It has sheltered generations of Dong people from wind and rain, and now it has become an internet-famous ancient tree. Tourists like us come from afar to check in, and some even travel thousands of miles specifically to pray here. It is said that sincere wishes come true, which many firmly believe. It is truly amazing. Have you ever seen such an ancient and enormous tree?