The ginkgo tree in Tanzhe Temple is 1,400 years old.
The ginkgo tree in Tanzhe Temple has a history of 1,400 years. Tanzhe Temple is the oldest temple in Beijing, 800 years before the founding of Beijing. Tanzhe Temple was first built in the Western Jin Dynasty and was called Jiafu Temple at that time. It has a history of more than 1,700 years, so it is said that Tanzhe Temple came first and then the city of Beijing. The two ginkgo trees in the center of the Tanzhe Temple courtyard are called the Emperor Tree and the Peiwang Tree respectively.
This name was given by Emperor Qianlong, who specialized in naming people when traveling around. Both trees are thousands of years old, tall and majestic, more than thirty meters high. Ginkgo is a fast-growing and precious timber tree species. The sapwood is light yellow and the heartwood is light yellowish brown. It has a fine structure, is light and soft, elastic, easy to process, shiny, has a specific gravity of 0.45-0.48, is not easy to crack, and does not buckle. It is an excellent wood.
Tanzhe Temple
Beijing Tanzhe Temple is located in Mentougou District in western Beijing and is a national 4A-level scenic spot. The temple faces north and faces south, with Mount Everest at its back. The main buildings can be divided into three sections: middle, east and west. The main buildings on the middle road include the Shanmen, Tianwang Hall, Daxiong Hall, Zhaitang and Pilu Pavilion; on the east road there are the Abbot's Courtyard, Yanqing Pavilion, Xinggongyuan, Wanshou Palace and the Queen Mother's Palace; on the west road there are Jietai and Guanyin Hall.
The area in western Beijing where Tanzhe Temple is located is not only the earliest settlement of the ancestors of Yan, but also the birthplace of Beijing culture. The profound religious culture that has existed since the Liao Dynasty has nourished Tanzhe The temple and many surrounding temples.