A male gingko tree was recently confirmed as old as around 1,300 years at the Yongxing Temple in Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, according to local forestry authorities.

The tree was dubbed the "tree king of northeast China" by the local people, as it is the oldest among the 10-odd 1,000-year-old trees registered in the province and is rare in the whole northeastern part of the country.

The gingko is 28.91 meters high, with a trunk diameter of 1.95 meters and a crown diameter of some 28.5 meters. About 100 meters from it there is a female gingko at residential housing, which is about 300 years of age. The local people call them "husband and wife."

Historical archives show that the ancient male gingko was planted in early Tang Dynasty (618-907), with a history of more than 1,300 years. And local folklore says the planter was the legendary general Yuchi Gong of the Dynasty.

Gingko, dioecious and deciduous, is a unique product of China. The nation has a long history of planting gingko. The Chinese people see the tree a symbol of happiness and good luck. Some have recently suggested that gingko should be named the national tree of China.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2004)