- Gordon Dumoulin
China is turning into gold !
Autumn in China has already been in full swing for quite some time but the grand golden autumn finale is now happening, Ginkgo trees are bathing China in a golden shine.
Ginkgo biloba, commonly known as ginkgo tree or maidenhair tree, is the only living species in the botanical division Ginkgophyta, all others being extinct. It is found in fossils dating back 270 million years. Native to China and southern Japan, the tree is widely cultivated, and was cultivated since early in human history.
It has various unique uses in traditional medicine and as a source of food. Ginkgo leaves are turning gold from the end of October to the middle of November, dazzling many parks, roads and forests with a golden shine.
Probably the most famous ginkgo tree in China is located within the walls of the Gu Guanyin Buddhist Temple in the Zhongnan Mountains in Shaanxi province. It's been reported that the tree was planted about 1,400 years ago by Emperor Taizong of Tang, the second emperor of the Tang dynasty.
