aeeble

Kowloon Banyan stands beneath the Zhuoshui River levee at Tiantou Village, Zhutang Township, Changhua County. Nurtured by Taiwan’s mother river—the Zhuoshui—a small banyan took root here; a century later it became the island’s broadest single tree, its canopy covering more than 3,000 ping, a true “forest of one.” Twisted trunks and massive aerial roots spread like dragon claws, soaring skyward in the shape of nine dragons, hence the name “Kowloon.” Before the Xiluo Bridge was built, villagers returning from crossing the river to buy daily supplies used the tree as their landmark. Beneath its branches, locals erected a shrine to the Three Sacred Buddhas; devotees come to pray and every plea is answered.