Beijing City Walk Station 14: Autumn in the Mountains, Dajue Temple.

Visit Dajue Temple in the golden autumn to admire the "King of Ginkgo Trees." The oldest ginkgo tree in Beijing is the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree at Dajue Temple in the Western Hills. Dajue Temple, built in the Liao Dynasty, is home to many ancient trees, including two ginkgo trees planted in front of the Hall of Infinite Life Buddha, one female and one male. The male tree is over a thousand years old and is known as the "King of Ginkgo Trees." The tree is over 30 meters tall, far exceeding the top of the hall, and its dense shade covers more than half of the courtyard. The trunk is so thick that it takes six or seven adults holding hands to encircle it. The branches are tall and straight, reaching into the sky like a giant golden umbrella. When the wind blows, the leaves fall, and the platform and ground in front of the hall are covered with what looks like broken gold, shining brightly.