Tongliang Great Banyan / 通樑古榕 (Slideshow / 幻燈片), Penghu / Pescadores Islands / 澎湖

In front of the Baoan Temple in Tongliang Village, there is an old Banyan dated over 300 years, it is the oldest and largest tree in Penghu, with a total of 95 aerial feet, circling a square for people to rest under its shadow in front of the temple; if you do not look closely, you can hardly tell that they are all from the same trunk.

One legend has it that between 1662 – 1722, a merchant vessel passed the waters around Tongliang when it encountered a shipwreck, and the only thing that survived was a sapling floating on the sea; residents of Tongliang picked it up and planted it in front of the temple; judging by this legend, the Tongliang Great Banyan could possibly be over 300 hundred years old.

Another legend has it that the Tongliang Great Banyan is probably only two hundred years old; according to Chinese planting customs, trees are usually only planted after a temple is built, so, judging by the history of Baoan Temple, which is established over two hundred years ago, which means, the Tongliang Great Banyan could be 100 years younger than the first legend.