One of the true iconic characters of the Yangshuo landscape, The Big Banyan tree stands as a testament to love and nature’s power over time. The tree was originally planted in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and has stood proud against the weather for over 1400 years.

The big Banyan tree can be found on the west bank of the Jimbao river, around 7km to the south of yangshuo town, near Chuayan Village. The tree has now grown to a huge 17 meters high, with the trunk circumference of around 7 meters, with the branches sprawling out in to local area covering around 1000 sq meters. The tree is in excellent health and the foliage at the top of the tree creates a canopy that almost blocks all light from reaching the ground below. This creates a beautifully cool resting place which is significantly cooler than the surrounding area

A tree of Love                          

Apart from it fame owing to its grand stature, The Big Banyan tree is also famous for its connection to the local legend of Liu San Jie. A famous young singer connected to the Zhuang Ethnic group. It was at the Big Banyan tree that she threw an embroidered ball to her lover Aniu, pledging her hand in marriage without her parent consent, and they subsequently sang folks songs together pledging there love. To this day it is considered good luck to walk around the tree three times and to pray for a happy relationship. Many young couple still come to sit under the tree and talk of their dreams and make wishes.

On Film      

The big banyan tree also found fame in the subsequent filming of ‘Third sister Liu’ in the 1960’s. Which was based on the local legend of Liu San Jie. And partly shot under the tree and the surrounding river. The film is renowned in china and was a huge success