Nearly 100,000 visitors seek roots in north China county

A record number of visitors flooded to Hongdong County in north China's Shanxi province seeking their roots at the base of the Grand Scholar Tree during the week-long holiday, said local authorities on Monday, Xinhua reported on Oct 6.

The number of National Day visitors to the famous tourist attraction grew by 14.7 percent compared with last year, with the site accommodating nearly 100,000 people in the first five days.

The Grand Scholar Tree is one of the oldest pagoda trees in Hongdong county and each year it sees thousands of visitors seeking to connect to their family's past.

"This is not just a tourist attraction," one visitor from Taiwan, surnamed Lo, said.

For him, the visit to the Hongdong tourist site was a way to pay homage to his ancestral home, he said.

"The ancestors of many Chinese once lived here. It means a lot to me to come back and have a look," he said.

As the site enjoys more tourists, visitors are coming from further afield.

"In previous years most visitors were from central, eastern and northern China, but this year, we have seen more tourists from the northwestern provinces and regions, as well as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan," he said.

Hongdong is home to one of the biggest immigrations in the history. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), about one million people were relocated officially to what is now more than 10 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Gansu and Hubei.

The immigration was aimed at opening up unused lands and boosting agriculture. History records show a pagoda tree much like the Grand Scholar Tree was an important gathering point for those relocated.

It has even inspired a well-known saying: "if you ask where my ancestors from, the Grand Scholar Tree in Hongdong they come."

The original tree used as a gathering point was planted in the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). It was destroyed in a flood in 1652, with the current tree taking its place nearly 400 years ago.