Ancient gingko tree draws thousands to see its autumn splendor

A ginkgo tree with a history of more than 1,000 years attracted thousands of tourists recently in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, as the tree's leaves are turning golden yellow during the peak of autumn color.

Situated at the Ancient Guanyin Temple in Xi'an's Chang'an district, the old ginkgo tree has lived for more than 1,400 years, according to local staff. Every year around November, the ancient tree attracts many tourists from the province and abroad, with a maximum of 60,000 visitors a year.

To cope with the novel coronavirus pandemic control, the ancient temple had limited visitor flows to the temple this year, and appointments were required for visiting.

Starting on Nov 3, about 500 visitors per day were able to visit the ancient Guanyin Temple, with 1,000 people every day over weekends, according to the temple.