Where does the Millennium Ginkgo tree in Lu Yi belong?

The Millennium Baiguoshu, a famous scenic spot in Luyi County, is located 9 kilometers northeast of Luyi County, east of Sun Ying Village in Wobei Town, facing Huiji River in the north, and Xu Bo Expressway passes through the territory.

It is said that this tree was planted by Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and it is still flourishing. The tree is 50 meters high, 9.5 meters in circumference and 60 square meters in shade. Only five adults can hold the tree tightly with their hands. This ancient tree is very famous in eastern Henan and northern Anhui, and it is really the king of trees.

Ginkgo tree, formerly known as Ginkgo tree, belongs to deciduous trees of Ginkgo family. Because of its long age, people also call it "Gongsun" tree, which is known as a living fossil. All parts of ginkgo tree are of great use, which has aroused great concern of scientists. Ginkgo biloba leaves and fruits can be made into ideal high-grade health nutrition, which can be used to treat intractable diseases such as arteriosclerosis, brain dysfunction and mental decline.

Why should ginkgo trees be planted on the bank of Huiji River in Wobei Town? According to relevant historical data and folklore, in the second year of Wang Mang's usurpation of the Western Han regime, Liu Xiu led his troops to fight against Wang Mang's army in Jiyang (now northeast of Lankao, Henan Province), and was expelled from Lai Ling by Wang Mang's army because he was outnumbered (when Wang Mang was in power, he changed his bitter county to Lai Ling, that is, Luyi County, which belonged to the State of Chen in Yuzhou). Just when Liu Xiu was desperate, it was already dark, and the storm followed. He couldn't see his fingers. After a while, the wind was crisp, the sky was clear and it was dark. Now an old man takes Liu Xiu and his stragglers to a small village (the ginkgo tree on the bank of Huiji River) to rest. The mang army regarded Liu Xiujun as a defeated army and left. Liu Xiu still had doubts about the Mang Army, thinking that it was not easy to stay here for a long time, so he changed his direction and went to Nanton County (now Nanton Town) through Chen Guo (Huaiyang) to find an uncle who was a county magistrate to make peace.

At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, King Huaiyang defeated Wang Mang in AD 23, ending Wang Mang's usurpation of power in AD 17. Liu Xiu, Guangwu Emperor, proclaimed himself emperor in AD 25, and was known as the Eastern Han Dynasty in history. After Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor, he never forgot the place where he was saved, so he planted an auspicious ginkgo tree to show his gratitude.

Today, despite more than two thousand years of wind, frost and rain, ginkgo trees are still full of vitality. Laozi's hometown, the source of Taoism, the ancestral home of Taoism and the root of Li's surname, this thousand-year-old tree has now become a famous tourist attraction. Next to this thousand-year-old tree, the people raised funds to rebuild a Xuanyuan Huangdi Temple, and the incense was very strong.

Source of information: Luyi County People's Government Network