Located by the west bank of Jinbao River in the Moon Hill scenic area, about 7 km south of Yangshuo, it was a major tourist attraction in Yangshuo County.
When I first heard about this Big Banyan Tree, I was like, what? We are going to travel all the way to look at a tree? Are you kidding me?
But it was no ordinary tree! Take a look!
Standing at about 17 metres high and measuring about 7 metres in diameter around the trunk, the tree was an amazing sight! Can you see those beautifully twisted roots and thick, gnarled branches?
I walked round the huge tree to take photos. Did you know that the whole tree covered an amazing 1,000 square metres?
First planted during the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), the tree had survived wind and rain for over 1,400 years! Looking closely, I could see the stems and branches were very old and I could not imagine it had endured the ravages of nature for centuries!
I found that the tree provided a good shelter from the hot weather and the burning sun. With its thick branches and lush leaves stretching out, the sun could hardly penetrate through. It felt really good standing under the tree!
This Big Banyan Tree became a major tourist attraction after a scene from the famous old movie "The Third Sister Liu" (or "Liu Sanjie" in Mandarin) was filmed here. I have to admit I have not seen the movie before so I did not know the exact spot where the title character Liu Sanjie expressed her affection to her lover.
But I did see the very famous "Impression Liu Sanjie" live show during our stay in Yangshuo and I can tell you it was almost as amazing as the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony! I shall blog about this show in future!
Besides the Big Banyan Tree, I took some photos of the surrounding area. It was actually quite beautiful, with a lot of hills all around.
But there were also quite a lot of tourists!
Along the Jinbao River, there were people rafting.
I felt like crossing the river to the opposite side to explore the cave-like structure, but it was not on our tour's itinerary and with limited time, we had to move on.
Coming up next : Moon Hill and Dragon Pool
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Amazing tree! I can't comprehend how it was able to survive 1,400 years and still looks great!
That is an amazing tree, Foong. Wonders never cease.
That last picture is very interesting.
Thanks for the sharing.
eh... you didn't mention whether we can climb up that tree? hehe now you remind me about my childhood :D
i love climbing tree!
hmm, i wish i can visit china soon! not sure can make it to bali or bangkok for this year as bali is kinda risky at the moment and bangkok will have a celebration there. heard people die every year? lol.
dat dat dat dat dat Marnelle.. became ur FC effortlessly!! not fair! hahahahahahaha...
anyway, i so love that big banyan tree.. i wanna go there too! I love trees! the older the better.. (luckily same does not applies to my taste for guys!;p)
That tree does look amazing!
like a huge octopus.. aha.. =D
kenwooi.com
wow wow wow amazing!!!
a great bayan tree there
wow..that's one large tree with long extended branches...provides a nice shade huh? :)
OMG, that tree is just so amazing!! it's huge, and 1400 years old, unbelievable!!
I love going to China, always got lots of story and history to listen.
Waiting for your next post .... heh heh
Wonder if that tree is haunted or not
I'm sure you can be a good tour guide after all these details!
You know, many people recommend us to visit China. Based on your photos, no doubt China is beautiful.
The trees? YEs, I will wonder too if people want me to see trees. But like u said, the trees are really beutiful. Furthermore they live longer than us.
Nice sharing.
i love the greenery!
Thanks for sharing! It's awesome!
Can we find this tree in Malaysia?
wah.. that tree is pretty leh...!!!
one of the amazing stuff on earth --> I said one..
hahah..
darn...the tree is so huge ler. thanks for sharing with us with ur trip pics.
btw, HP is quite stable compare to Dell....so far no major issues.
WOW! so nice the place. really hope can visit there one day. ur blog make me can't wait anymore...LOL. :)
Big Banyan tree? Yeah! Indeed it doesn't look ordinary in any way. It looks like the tree grow....everywhere it likes? Extending here and there. LOL :D
one word - amazing....:)
ya..unique tree..
Yeah! I can see the beautiful roots! Amazing. How on earth this could happen?
Wow covering 1000SM? War...that is indeed huge huh!
Wow, foong your blog is fast becoming a photo blog! So many photos. Honestly I like your photos as they are crisp, clear and maybe unedited? I wish I was there to experience the place - clearly photos aren't enough to do justice to the place.
If there's anything I'd recommend you, it'll be to use IntenseDebate to manage your comments. Since you have sooooooo many comments xD. Last time I would have recommended Echo/JSK but now they charge for installing. Besides you won't believe this - ID is so ridiculously easy to install I was simply surprised! Honest - and I don't get paid for doing this. XD
WHAT???? 1,400 years old? OMG! Serious? OMG! I could have reincarnated like...20 times? Unbelievable!
Ouh...so it was involved in a movie before? I see. Perhaps we should search for the movie and watch it. :p
Wow! There are indeed a lot of beautiful scenery around the big banyan tree huh! By the way, how come there are so many beautiful scenery in China? Still well-protected aye! :)
Hopefully one day when I visit China all the beauty there are still intact. :p
People crossing the river using the raft huh! Very "cun" o. I won't there to do that. Well...unless if I were born there and have been doing it for well...decades.. :p
Anyway Thanks for sharing Foong! The last picture is amazing! :)
P.S. And Yeah! I have blogged about your gift! :p
Wow, that is one big and old banyan tree. Can film Kung fu movie under it! LOL!
Wow that tree is amazing, never seen one before Foong, thanks for sharing!
Reminds me of the enchanted forest in enid blyton story book last time!
Happy Monday! Dropping ec as usual hehehe...
that tree can be noted as magnificent! Imagine withstanding the forces of nature all throughout the years!
happy monday!!
i wonder why your pics take forever to load. i can't view some of your pics.
the tree is amazingly unique. i've not come across one before. thanks for the snippets.
it sure looks cooling and comforting to be standing under such giant tree.
I can't see some of your pics Foong! I don't know why..
wow the tree had survived for over 1,400 years?! I can't see the third pic pulak :-D
The big banyan tree looks great, but I still prefer the wishing tree in HK, LOL...
Wow! The tree is so old. :O
Oh the tree looks so grand! so gorgeous! I wonder why Malaysia got no such things!
The place look so kampung-ish :P.
But I am still in awe by the tree!
That tree is really awesome!
Oh, so there really IS a banyan tree! I saw Banyan Tree Resorts before and wondered how they got their name. LOL
Thanks for all your comments! Again too busy to reply to each comments! : (
Will try and reply when time permits! : )
psstt.. I was beginning to wonder when this celebrity-blogger status will take its toll..
Wow the tree is HUGE! Definitely worth the visit. And the cave... looks interesting from afar.
mArNeLLe, thanks! Added you in blog roll : )
beng gee, me neither! : )
happysurfer, it's an amazing tree indeed! : )
faisal, no we are not allowed to climb up the tree. In fact, we can't even get to touch the tree trunk. So are you going Bali or Bangkok? : )
merryn, haha! The older the better? And don't apply to guys? LOL!
gallivanter, it sure does! : )
kenwooi, huge octopus? Haha!
fufu, yes it's amazing! : )
mei teng, oh yes! Definitely a great place to shade myself from the hot sun! : )
SK, yes indeed at 1,400 years and still standing strong! : )
michi, I guess China is steeped in wonderful history! : )
borneo falcon, haunted? That's the last thing on my mind when I looked at the tree! But yeah, who knows? Spirits like to live in such old, ancient tree! : )
eiling, haha! Far from qualifying as a tour guide! : )
willie, yes China has so much beautiful scenery! So you should visit it! This banyan tree definitely has a much longer life than humans! : )
SJ, me too! : )
robo, I don't think we can find such a tree in Malaysia. But who knows, maybe somewhere deep in the rainforests of Malaysia waiting to be discovered? : )
dolly, I agree, indeed it's one of the amazing things on earth : )
vialentino, yes it's huge indeed! Really? HP better than Dell? Lucky I bought laptop from HP! : )
gabriel, wah, my blog that good? Can have the effect of making you want to visit China? Can't wait anymore? Then, wait no longer - Go now!! : )
tekkaus, yeah, so big right? The branches seem to extend all the way out far from its trunk!
manglish, amazing indeed! : )
wenn, yes it's unique indeed! : )
tekkaus, yes unbelievable it's 1,400 years old right? Yes you could have reincarnated more than 20 times! Haha!
Yes, should search for this old "Liu Sanjie" movie to watch! See how the big banyan tree looked like back then!
If I were to cross that river, I don't mind sitting on the raft provided someone help to steer it! haha!
And thanks for blogging about the mini mahjong set! Glad you received it! : )
JL, thanks! I don't think my blog has turned into a photo blog just yet! Haha!
Oh, now you switched camp and recommend Intense Debate instead? Where's your loyalty to JS Kit? haha! Just kidding!
I will use Intense Debate when I start another blog. For this blog, I will stick to this present system. Thanks for the recommendation!
pete, haha, definitely can : )
mariuca, enchanted forests in Enid Blyton's book? Haha! That's a good one! Thanks for dropping EC here! : )
ayie, happy monday, I mean tuesday to you! Yeah, it is a magnificent tree! : )
life ramblings, took forever to load? I don't know why! Sorry about that! Return next time to view the photos - I'm sure it'll be OK next time!
It was definitely cooling standing under the giant tree. Once I stepped out of its shade, I started sweating! : )
monica, you too can't see some of the photos? I really don't know why! Sorry! Well, at least you managed to see the first photo of the tree right? I think that should be good enough! : )
khengsiong, I have not been to the wishing tree in HK. Hope to visit it one day! : )
lina, yeah, so ancient! Like Tekkaus said, he already reincarnated 20 times and the tree is still standing there! haha!
ladyviral, the place looked kampong-ish? Well, that's because we were not in the city! haha!
superman, awesome indeed! : )
iamthewitch, yes there's really a banyan tree but I think there are many banyan trees in the world, just that this one is called The Big Banyan Tree : )
Oh, Banyan Tree Resorts - I've heard about that resorts before!
happysurfer, what celebrity blogger status? I am far from reaching that status! Just a bit more busy these days ; )
che-cheh, yeah it's worth visiting! The cave sure looked interesting to me, but too bad didn't visit it!
you have one great blog! the banyan tree is humongous! and the river sure looks inviting, too bad it was not in your itenerary to explore the cave. however, i can tell you had fun travelling. nice photos!
foong, we haven't decided where to go yet with the current situation like h1n1 and controversy in indonesia.
Guilin cheap for air asia ma... I wanted to go le..
Oh, nice pictures and scenery. That bayan tree definely is unique.
aiyah, u wasted the chance to use that pole to guide yr 'boat' across the river leh. u'll realise that the little boat won't go where u wanted to
Bayan tree....never see in real life before....hopefully i got chance to do it soon~ =___="
How does it feel as compare to see it in picture? Syiokkk??!
wow...giant ol tree haha!
it looks like a tree which people would throw red string thingy on da tree for divination
watch too muchy tvb drama =.=
I saw a tree like this in Hawaii in Lanai in the middle of the town. I am still so intrigued with it and love all your pictures! You are the best to always share your adventures!
It's not a big banyan tree.
It's a Godzilla-gantic banyan tree!
haha..godzilla.. i almost forgotten that name..
yes, indeed the banyan tree is so so unique.. amazing.. so much so it becomes a tourist spot...
great sharing Foong!
the tree is huge. i wud have difficulty putting it all in one frame lol. glad u had great time there.
water rafting in such a nice place seems really fun! but none of them was wearing the vest...? hmmmm safe?
Those trees are unusual. The weather looks quite warm. Was it humid too?
almost surreal, looking at those branches, amidst the 'dance' around the trunk.
Well Foong! did you tie a yellow ribbon round the old banyan tree, it's been one thousand four hundred years and you still get to see?
Incredible, thanks for sharing, very interesting !!!
wow amazing, i wonder how old that tree was
The scenery is so beautiful and gives me a certain calmness and peace. Should retire here. :P
cher, thanks for dropping by! Yes the banyan tree is humongous and I had fun traveling! : )
faisal, I think better not go Indonesia at the moment. Maybe you should go Thailand : )
keeyit, yes very cheap! Quick! Book your flight! : )
molly, thanks! : )
johnny ong, it's OK, I am not into rafting : )
elaine tam, oh the experience of being there is totally different from seeing it in pictures. In fact, I don't think my photos can do justice to the real thing : )
annant, yes you are right! I know exactly what you are talking about cos I also watch a lot of TVB dramas! haha!
health nut wannabee mom, there's a tree like this in Hawaii? Interesting! I have yet to see this type of tree in my country Malaysia!
shingo T, godzilla-gantic banyan tree? haha! : )
reanaclaire, yes, it's a major tourist attraction in Yangshuo : )
lawstude, really? Surely not with your extremely advanced DSLR? Thanks for dropping by! : )
xin, I don't think they really care about safety there! All my water activities did not require us to wear life jackets! And I don't know how to swim!
ai shiang, yes rather unusual tree right? You don't normally see this kind of tree. The weather is hot and rather humid, but I think it's not as humid as Malaysia.
J2Kfm, yes almost surreal : )
bura, as a matter of fact, no I didn't! : )
mee moe, glad you find it interesting, thanks for dropping by! : )
bluedreamer27, it was about 1,400 years old! It's an ancient tree! : )
eastcoastlife, yes peaceful and calm but I don't think I will retire here. Nice place to go for a holiday but I prefer to retire in home sweet home Malaysia : )
oh interesting thanks for the info foong
bluedreamer27, you are welcome! : )