"Ask my ancestors where is the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi"

Introduction to the big locust tree in Hongdong

"Ask me where my ancestors are, the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi. What is the name of my ancestral home? The old stork builds its nest under the big locust tree." Hong Hong Dahuashu Root-seeking and Ancestor Worshiping Garden is an artificial scenic spot in my country with the theme of "root-seeking" and "ancestral worship". In the nearly 50 years from the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1370 AD) to the fifteenth year of Yongle (1417 AD), due to the immigration policy of the Ming government, Shanxi Hongdong County carried out a large-scale immigration of officials, mainly to Beijing, Hebei, and Migrated to Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places.

When immigrants left their homeland, they folded the leaves of the locust tree as souvenirs. After 600 years of migration and reproduction, Hu Aixiang's descendants have spread across 18 provinces and 500 cities and counties across the country, some as far away as some countries and regions in Southeast Asia. The locust tree in Hongdong is regarded as "home", called "ancestor" and regarded as "root". In recent years, the Hongdong Dadu Flower and Tree Root-seeking and Ancestor Worshiping Garden has been divided into three theme areas: the immigration heritage area, the ancestor worship activity area and the folk custom experience area. There are the ruins of the first-generation Dadu flower trees, teahouses, second-generation Dadu flower trees, third-generation Dadu flower trees, classic stone buildings, ancient post roads, root-carved gates, "root" screen walls, memorial halls, sacrificial squares, and ancestral halls.

Visiting the Big Sophora Tree Scenic Area is not complicated. You can just walk around. You can come to the iconic landscape of the scenic spot - the Chinese character shadow wall: the Li Ti big character "root" on the screen wall is vigorous, steady and solemn, full of deep affection and lingering nostalgia. You can also visit the "Migration Mural" in the scenic spot. The immigration pictures on the mural are drawn based on the historical records and folklore of immigrants in the Ming Dynasty, reflecting the tragic scene of immigrants at that time. The ancestral hall is the core of the entire scenic spot, imitating the architecture of the Ming Dynasty. The ancestral hall faces south, with a bronze tripod incense burner in front. There are 1,230 tablets of immigrant ancestors in the museum, which not only reflect traditional culture, but also highlight the theme of "ancestor worship." This is an ancestral hall with hundreds of surnames.

The leaves of the large locust tree in the Han Dynasty were picked off by immigrants to commemorate it, but it had been destroyed by natural disasters over the years. Now there is only one third-generation ancient locust tree left in the scenic area, with a thick trunk and many leaves. Beside the ancient locust tree, there is a newly built stele pavilion, which is small and exquisite. There is a stone tablet erected in the pavilion, with the words "At the Ancient Locust Tree" engraved on the front and a brief description of ancient immigration events on the back. Every Qingming Festival, the scenic spot also holds the Hongdong Big Locust Tree Cultural Festival, where tens of thousands of descendants of immigrants from home and abroad gather under the big locust tree to worship their ancestors. During the cultural festival, tourists also have the opportunity to enjoy local opera performances, and sometimes local snack food festivals are held outside the scenic spots, where tourists can taste authentic snacks from Hongdong County.

Transportation overview

Take the road travel route

1. Beijing, Tianjin (highway) - Shijiazhuang - Taiyuan - Hongdong County exit, highway - — Get off at the scenic spot;

2. Shaanxi (xian) take the expressway - Hejin, Linfen -, and exit Hongdong County on the expressway - the scenic area;

3. Shandong ( Jinan) Take the expressway - Shijiazhuang - Taiyuan -, take the Hongdong County exit to the expressway - scenic area;

4. In Inner Mongolia (Hohhot), take the Hohhot-Baotou Expressway - Datong to Dayun Expressway - Hongdongkou Expressway - Scenic Area;

5. Henan (Zhengzhou) Shanglianhuo Expressway - Sanmenxia to Dayun Expressway - Hongdongkou Expressway - Scenic Area.