Took a 3-hour bus ride to see the 2,600-year-old ginkgo tree personally planted by Laozi

20251121 08:00 Dayan Pagoda North Square, Huanshan Line 1 08:40 Zhangba East Road Ziwu Avenue Intersection (bus stop) Line 8, Shanmengkou 09:27 Wildlife Park, only about 1/3 walked so far 10:17 Zhuque Forest Park, there’s a gas station nearby with restrooms 10:55 Louguantai, a 5-minute walk to the scenic area entrance Huanshan Lines 1 and 2 run on a fixed schedule, and you can find information on the map. Honestly, at Louguantai, only the Zongsheng Palace ruins at the northwest corner of the central axis are somewhat interesting; the rest are average. The ginkgo tree personally planted by Laozi is also here. I have to say, this tree’s shape is indeed a bit better. As for the downside, one side is too close to the courtyard wall. When they were marking the area, why didn’t they mark a bit more? That would have given more viewing angles. Many ginkgo leaves have already fallen; it would have been better to come a week earlier. There are so many Chinese arborvitae here, with at least five or six around 700 years old, very concentrated. The trip there was pretty fast, about three hours. On the way back, there was a minor accident on the road, plus rush hour traffic, so it took about 4 hours. There are only 24 hours in a day, and 7 of those were spent on the bus. I probably won’t come again next time; it’s too far. I used to come here when the annual travel pass included this place, but I haven’t been back since. A few days ago when it snowed, the Xiandu Archway at the main entrance and the Qinling Snow Mountains behind it looked really beautiful. The entire scenic area is old and neglected, with many remote paths overgrown with weeds. Besides a restroom next to a ticket checkpoint on the central axis, I didn’t find any restrooms inside the ticketed area. One of them was even locked and unusable. Homepage favorites and collections are categorized; feel free to search with keywords for surprises. Also welcome to follow, it’s worth it. Even more welcome to book a shoot. Equipment: Fujifilm X-T4 16-80