Spanning 300 million years of history! Uncovering the past and present of this yellow color in golden autumn!

Image source: Palace Museum

In China, ginkgo is the absolute center of the charming autumn colors! The forests are full of colors, and the downtown area is painted with colors. Unlike other colorful plants, ginkgo only uses one color, golden yellow, to render the romance of autumn to the extreme.

Ginkgo, known as the "living fossil of plants", is a precious tree species unique to China. Although it is a common visitor to the streets and alleys, how much do you know about its survival history of more than 300 million years and its graceful figure that can be seen all over China today?

Limited autumn colors are available online

Let's do it together

Start this golden time journey

Check in the autumn viewing guide across the country

01

The peak of the debut

In August 1945, the United States destroyed Hiroshima, Japan, with an atomic bomb, ending the tragedy of World War II. Afterwards, people investigated the trees near the center of the nuclear explosion and were surprised to find that the ginkgo tree was the first plant to sprout after the nuclear explosion , and it is still lush and green today.

Ginkgo trees at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

As the oldest gymnosperm left over from the Quaternary glacial movement, it had been growing on the primitive and wild land as early as 340 million years ago. The dinosaurs that became extinct 65 million years ago can only be regarded as its younger generations.

In the long time that followed, the dramatic climate changes and land and sea changes brought about by glacial movement made the once global ginkgo trees no longer glorious and almost extinct. Fortunately, China is located in the southeast of the Eurasian continent and is less affected by glacial erosion, so the ginkgo trees have survived .

The few remaining wild ginkgo trees in the world still exist in the Tianmu Mountain in Zhejiang Province, the Shennongjia region at the junction of Sichuan and Hubei, and the depths of the Dabie Mountains. Image source: PIE-Engine Server

Millions of years of earth history have passed in a flash, and the ginkgo biloba, which flourished at the same time as the dinosaurs, still lives on earth today. It has no close or distant relatives, and its only origin is China , so the task of establishing a genetic database for ginkgo biloba falls on the shoulders of Chinese scientists.

Ginkgo population dynamics history, Image source: Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Ancient ginkgo genes exist in three refuges in eastern, southwestern and southern China (based on PIE-Engine Studio mapping)

Ginkgo, the first choice of greening tree, can become a common sight in large-scale green belts in residential areas and parks, thanks to the reproduction method of cuttings to obtain seedlings , which is similar to cloning. But in the past when the technology was immature, seedlings were used for cultivation, and the growth cycle was as long as 20 years . It was truly a "grandfather-in-law tree" where the grandfather planted the tree and the grandson picked the fruit.

02

Chinese treasures shine

As one of the four major groups of gymnosperms, ginkgo also has the unique advantage of gymnosperms: long life . The world's oldest ginkgo is a tree in Dinglin Temple, Fulai Mountain, Ju County, Shandong Province. It has a history of more than 5,000 years, the same age as China. It is said to have been planted by Duke Zhou.

Scattered across China are numerous ginkgo trees that are hundreds or even thousands of years old.

"Internet celebrity" explosive tree: the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree in the Ancient Guanyin Temple in Xi'an, which is said to have been planted by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. Copyright image, no authorization for reprinting

Such strong adaptability and resistance to adversity made ginkgo trees popular in the Jiangnan area during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, and then widely planted throughout the country. In the 6th century, it was introduced to Japan along with Buddhism, and ginkgo trees were widely planted in shrines and temples there. In the 8th century, it was introduced to Korea, and ancient trees over 60 meters high can still be seen in Gangwon Province. At the end of the 17th century, ginkgo trees spread across mountains and seas throughout the northern hemisphere.

In the second half of the 18th century, ginkgo was introduced from Japan and South Korea to the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom and other European countries, and male plants were often used as street trees (based on PIE-Engine Studio map)

"If you have ginkgo at home, you will live to be a hundred years old" is a saying that has been around since ancient times. When the tenacious and long-lived ginkgo meets humans, especially the Chinese who are the best eaters, the sour and smelly ginkgo nuts (gingko nuts) can also become the best raw materials for the eight major cuisines.

Sichuan famous dish, chicken stewed with ginkgo nuts, one of the "four wonders of Mount Qingcheng". Copyrighted image, no permission to reprint

According to modern medical research, ginkgo does have the effects of improving brain function and delaying brain aging in the elderly . From edible to medicinal, ginkgo leaf extract has excellent prospects in the global pharmaceutical market.

The market size of ginkgo leaf extract in my country is expanding year by year. Source: QYResearch

China's ginkgo resources account for 70% of the world's total, with more than 1,000 tons of ginkgo leaves exported each year , and the world consumes about 6 million ginkgo leaf preparations every day. In South Korea, the ginkgo industry is second only to Korean ginseng, and Germany's ginkgo leaf preparations are included in its public medical system. This Chinese treasure is also shining overseas!

03

Brilliant Ginkgo Painting

Ginkgo biloba has upright branches and beautiful and peculiar leaves. It is green in spring, luxuriant in summer, golden in autumn and vicissitudes in winter, all of which make up its unique ornamental value . Why not seize the last opportunity to enjoy the autumn and wander in the golden ocean together!

Ginkgo Village, Tengchong, Yunnan

Gudong Town, Tengchong County, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province, Source: PIE-Engine Server

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

The 600-year-old village has more than 10,000 acres of contiguous ginkgo trees and more than 40,000 ginkgo trees, including more than 1,200 ginkgo trees over 100 years old. It has become the oldest, most concentrated and largest ancient ginkgo village on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It can be said that "one tree" ignited the "golden dream" of a city.

"Ginkgo Time Tunnel" in Pizhou, Jiangsu

Yaozhuang Village, Tiefu Town, Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, Source: PIE-Engine Server

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

This is a characteristic rural road in Tiefu Town, Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is backed by Ai Mountain in the west and bordered by Yi River in the east. It is a more than 3,000-meter-long Ginkgo Road naturally formed in the 300,000-acre ginkgo forest. The golden "time tunnel" is very charming.

Taixing National Ancient Ginkgo Park

Xuanbao Town, Taixing City, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, Source: PIE-Engine Server

Located in Taixing City, which was awarded the title of "Hometown of Ginkgo" by the State Council, it has 15 ancient ginkgo groups. It is a national-level ancient ginkgo park and also the country's largest, most numerous, oldest, most beautiful and best-protected ancient ginkgo group.

Badu Ridge Ginkgo Corridor

Badu Ridge Scenic Area, Changxing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Source: PIE-Engine Server

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

A 12.5-kilometer-long ancient ginkgo corridor is dotted with 30,000 native wild ginkgo trees, including more than 3,600 trees over 100 years old. Together with plants such as bamboo and azalea, they form a staggered and original ecological holy land. You can take a ride on the scenic sightseeing train to enjoy the "mountains covered with golden armor".

References:

[1] Guo Ying. Research on the environmental response mechanism of ginkgo distribution prediction and phenotypic traits under the background of climate change[D]. Nanjing Forestry University, 2021.

[2] Quan Cheng & Zhou Zhiyan. Oligocene Ginkgo macrofossils and their paleoclimate and phytogeographical significance[J]. Acta Paleontologica Sinica, 2010, 49(04):439-442.

[3] https://www.forestry.gov.cn/main/5462/20200703/093021386637641.html

[4] https://www.cas.cn/cm/201910/t20191008_4719296.shtml

[5] https://www.qyresearch.com.cn/news/ginkgo-biloba-leaf-extract-i01660.html

[6] https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_9929837

Source: PIE Engine Earth Science Exploration

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reproduction of image content is not authorized