First Trip After the Pandemic: A Cultural Tour of Shanxi and Hebei During the National Day Holiday

Day 1: Tianjin–Taiyuan (540 km)

In 2020, the pandemic kept me from traveling anywhere, and I was honestly going crazy. Finally, with the virus under control and an eight-day holiday coming up, I couldn't waste it — it would be a waste of holidays and life itself. My workplace required special approval for leaving Tianjin, so after jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops, getting my itinerary ready, I was off to have some fun. It had been a while since my last long drive, so I didn't want to go too far. Public transport didn't appeal, and a self-drive trip it was. Within a 500-km radius, Shanxi was always the top pick — at least it never gets badly jammed on holidays. Tianjin to Taiyuan is just over 500 km, perfect for a road trip. I've done this route many times; once you leave Hebei and enter Shanxi, traffic jams are rare. With a hard-earned break, I didn't want to waste a single day, so on the first morning of the holiday I hit the road at 6 a.m. Taiyuan, here I am again — yes, yet again! My plan was that if there was no traffic, I'd visit Donghu Vinegar Park in the afternoon and pick up some vinegar. If stuck in a jam, I'd just wander around the Fen River near the hotel, find a bite, and get some early rest. As it turned out, Hebei was indeed packed with cars — but at least we could crawl along. After Shijiazhuang, entering Yangquan, the roads cleared just as expected. I finally arrived in Taiyuan around 4 p.m. The hotel booking was a huge fail — impossible to find. I thought since it was just one night in Taiyuan, I'd picked a highly-rated one on Ctrip near the Fen River. But it was unbelievably hard to locate, hidden in a residential compound with no sign, and not cheap. It was worse than a basic chain like Home Inn or Hanting; how on earth it got such high ratings was beyond me. Breakfast was so pitiful that I was dying mentally to go out for a bowl of knife-cut noodles. I never name hotels in my travelogues unless I really can't stand them. Everyone knows there was a scenic-spot fire in Taiyuan over the holiday that killed many tourists — that gave me the chills. The hotel's corridors were so narrow that, in a fire, no one would escape. It was essentially a daily rental disguised as a big hotel, yet charging big-hotel prices. Worse, when I checked online after checking in, the price had dropped, and even during the peak holiday it wasn't fully booked. The hotel's name: Taiyuan Boman Hotel! On the second day, a 120-yuan hotel in Yu County, Yangquan, was far better. This was the absolute biggest rip-off in all my travels across China!

Once settled in, it was already late. I found some food nearby, then walked to the Fen River — not far from Changfeng Bridge. I strolled along the riverbank, enjoying the night view, though honestly it paled compared to the Haihe River night scene back home in Tianjin. And Shanxi is cold — once the sun went down, it got freezing, so I hurried back to the hotel, washed up, and went to sleep.

Day 2: Shanxi Geological Museum, Donghu Vinegar Park (stay in Yu County, 105 km)

Day 2 finally brought sightseeing. I planned the Geological Museum and Donghu Vinegar Park — two small attractions that wouldn't eat up too much time. After that, I'd drive to Yu County for the night, so as to be ready for Zang Mountain the next day. The Geological Museum showcases Shanxi's landscapes and all kinds of peculiar rocks, including its star exhibit, the Shanxi Shanxisaurus (a fossil crocodile). Whenever I travel, I always enjoy visiting a museum to soak up local flavor. I'd been to the Shanxi Museum the year before but hadn't had time to explore it fully, so I saved it for now. Then off to Donghu to buy vinegar and learn a bit about how it's made — a great little stop!

Day 3: Zang Mountain Scenic Area, 20 km (stay in Shijiazhuang, 160 km)

This is probably Yangquan's most famous spot, known as the hiding place of the "Zhao Orphan" story. The scenic area is beautifully developed, with not-too-strenuous hiking, a glass skywalk, and a glass slide. Though it was the National Day holiday, it wasn't mobbed like the mega mountains where you can barely move. I played there from about 10:30 a.m. until nearly 4 p.m.

Day 4: Hebei Museum

My hotel was right next to the Hebei Museum — the whole reason I'd booked it, so I could visit the museum the next day. The location was superb: I could see people feeding pigeons in the square from my window, and I could easily join them. Ha!

Day 5: Zhengding Ancient City Wall, Longxing Temple (15 km)

A day trip to Zhengding, just about 15 km from downtown Shijiazhuang. This was the best-weather day of the whole trip — blue skies and white clouds made the ancient city walls and temples exceptionally beautiful. Zhengding is a place where President Xi once worked, and it's a well-preserved ancient town; the tourist areas are superbly maintained. I spent a full day exploring. By evening, there were even more visitors than during the day, all coming to see the night views. I'd been out all day and headed back; I'll save the night scenery for next time — after all, it's not far from Tianjin.

Day 6: Mancheng Han Tombs, 155 km (stay in Baoding, 20 km)

This was a lesser-known site I stopped at on the way back — no overwhelming crowds. History buffs will enjoy it. Although the real treasures are in the Hebei Museum, you can climb the hill, take in the whole county from the highest point, and marvel at how people carved out tombs in a mountain over 2,000 years ago. Ancient wisdom is no small thing.

Day 7: Shengfang Ancient Town, 130 km (home, 70 km further)

An even more off-the-beaten-path spot, with no signage or promotion, miles away from the polish of Zhengding. But it still has some history, and it's very close to Tianjin. A nice little detour before heading home.

I had a great time during this National Day break. There were occasional minor jams, but nothing too bad. Driving on highways means obeying traffic rules and not driving recklessly — jams are usually caused by accidents. One crash and nobody moves. So don't force your way or get angry; if someone is pushy, just let them go. That way, no one gets into trouble. Yielding doesn't mean you're a bad driver — it's for your own safety and your family's, and to avoid making things worse for everyone else, right?!