Zhou Tie City God Temple in Yixing, a thousand-year-old tree, has a love story!

This thousand-year-old tree is located in the Old Town God Temple in Zhou Tie Town, Yixing, Wuxi, and its age has reached 1800 years. This tree is 23.7 meters high, with a root diameter of 1.44 meters and a canopy shading area of more than 500 square meters. According to historical records such as Records of the Three Kingdoms of Yixing Temple and Textual Research on Yang Xian's Wind and Light compiled by Zhou Department in Jin Dynasty, this tree was planted by the mother of Sun Quan, the Dongwu emperor, at the entrance of Taihu Lake, an ancient town, which was established as early as the second year of Xingping, the Han Emperor of Zhou Dynasty (A.D. 195). As the only surviving navigation symbol of Taihu Lake in China, despite repeated battles and defeats, it is still full of charm. With its unique wonders such as upside-down stalactites, aerial platforms, white snakes spitting fog, and children worshiping Buddha, it is praised as a "charming living fossil" by gardeners and a "biological miracle". This thousand-year-old tree also has a love story.

According to legend, during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a family named Li outside Yixing. His parents were young, leaving only a seven-year-old son. This child is smart and studious. 19 years old is already a scholar. But Li Xiucai's parents are early, and the family lives on their own. He didn't meet his marriage when he got married. One night, the local landlord in Yixing had a dream for him and told him that he would wander around the gate of Zhou Tie City God Temple for thousands of hours tomorrow morning.

At three o'clock the next morning, Li Xiucai arrived at the Millennium Ginkgo tree in front of Zhou Tie City God Temple on time, and turned clockwise for three times. As a result, she met a lady from a big family, turned counterclockwise twice and went to the Chenghuang Temple to see the ancient trees after incense. They fell in love at first sight. Li Xiucai married a lady from a big family and became an important official in the Ming Dynasty.

This love story has been circulated among the people for hundreds of years, and the official history can no longer be verified. However, the custom that men turn three times clockwise around the ancient ginkgo tree in front of Zhou Tie City God Temple and women turn two times counterclockwise around the ancient ginkgo tree in front of Zhou Tie City God Temple has been circulating for hundreds of years. Every day, tourists from all over the country come here to worship the tree for a happy marriage.