In autumn, when yellow leaves fly in the air, Jiangdong Village in west Yunnan's Tengchong City becomes a golden fairytale. From spring to autumn, the sun is always on its way, so it does need a rest. And Jiangdong is the place where the sun has a rest every autumn.

Jiangdong Village is located 35 kilometres north of the government seat of Tengchong. The village has over 30,000 ginkgo trees, covering more than 667 ha. Among them, 1,000 are more than 100 years old. Legend has it that during the Hongwu Reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398), when the ancestors of the Jiangdong people came here from Sichuan to garrison the frontiers, they brought ginkgo trees and planted them around their houses to help them relieve homesickness. Over the years, the ginkgo trees proliferated and grew taller and taller. Thus, Jiangdong Village is now also referred to as Ginkgo Village.

Jiangdong people prefer to say “trees of health”, “trees of old age” and “trees of harmony” instead of ginkgo trees. They are called “trees of health” mainly because the ginkgo nuts are good for your health. The nuts can improve the respiratory system and quality of a person’s sleep. In addition, they are also used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

They are sometimes referred to “trees of old age” because Ginkgo nuts can bring in income, and when children are old enough to leave the family to set up their own family, the fruiting ginkgo trees are generally given to parents to support them in old age.