One River, Two Provinces, Through Seasons, Still Graceful: Pingyao Ancient City, Wang Family Compound, Yucha Grand Canyon, Wave Valley, Hukou Waterfall, Qiankun Bay

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Stunned by photos of Shaanxi's Wave Valley and Yucha Grand Canyon, I traced the images and decided to go. Visiting Yan'an alone was costly, and I had barely set foot in Shanxi and Shaanxi except for Xi'an, so to share costs, I first planned a Shanxi-Shaanxi loop route. It is said the best time to view Hukou Waterfall is April–May or September–November, so I set off in mid-May to catch the spring melt, hoping to witness the miracle of the Jade Pass Nine Turns Pouring into a Pot. Eventually, to reduce difficulty, I cut most of the Shanxi sights, leaving a longing for next time when I travel to the Taihang Mountains in southern Shanxi and include Datong.

After all, it is one of the Four Great Ancient Cities. Despite the commercialization, it still exudes a profound historical heritage, standing out from the countless ancient towns and cities.

Only after returning and checking materials did I realize that I entered the "turtle shell" from the left front claw (Taibe Gate, the Upper East Gate) and stayed in the turtle's belly (north end of Ming-Qing Street), then only entered and exited through the head (South Yingxun Gate) and tail (North Gongji Gate).

The restaurants, bars, and guesthouses in the ancient city knew how to play the influencer game; every photo captured golden quotes. A bar singer performed "Slow Slow Song" with a Shanxi opera accent, like a sip of aged vinegar—sour and exhilarating.

The light show at Yingxun Gate in the evening was crowded with content. Since visitors were not restricted from entering and exiting through Yingxun Gate, and there was too much clutter in front of the gate, the part using the gate tower as a backdrop was limited. Personally, I found the visual effect average. I should have used my drone to film it—easier and with a full view.

A grand courtyard, a small city; a great family, a small nation.

The Wang Family Compound was built along the mountain slope, rising layer by layer, with carved beams and painted rafters, and overlapping doors and courtyards. Wandering inside, I deeply felt the orderly, symmetrical, coherent, and grand scale of Shanxi merchant architecture, starkly different from the graceful Jiangnan gardens, combining rough grandeur with exquisite carving, embodying the long-standing architectural characteristics of Shanxi.

As I looked, I pondered: the Wang family or Shanxi merchants were truly wealthy. So many generations living together in a clan truly reflects the deep-rooted family culture. In modern Chinese history, Shanxi suffered heavily from bandits and warfare, otherwise there would have been no need for such deep moats and high walls, like an independent kingdom.

Not staying overnight at the "Tiger" fortress—Chongning Fortress—for a deep experience was the biggest regret of this trip. I was also puzzled by the larger building complex to the west visible from the Hongmen Fortress wall. What a pity—I didn't do my homework well enough. Self-reflection.

Finally, as a record, I visited the "Dragon" fortress—Shilü Fortress—and the "Phoenix" fortress—Hengzhen Fortress.

"Above-ground cultural relics look to Shanxi." Besides Buddha statues, Shanxi's relics are ancient buildings. There was so much to see but limited time, so I decided to get a glimpse through several museums.

The main building of the museum is square and regular, with each layer slanting outward like a battle-axe or a tripod; the interior mimics the pagoda structure of Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, with an octagonal skylight that appears white and translucent like jade under sunlight. The overall design reflects the concepts and characteristics of ancient Chinese architecture.

As usual, a group photo of the national treasures.

Shanxi truly deserves to be called the land of the Nine Provinces; the number of cultural relics is not inferior to Shaanxi or Henan. Personally, I feel that in terms of the number of bronze artifacts on display, it might be the highest in China. In Taiyuan, any museum can have a few bronzes as its treasures.

The museum "consists of five elliptical cones arranged in a line, with the cone tops rooted in the ground and rising upward; the two groups of cones have different colors, one Chinese red and the other bronze." It is said the design was inspired by Chinese red lanterns?

The Taiyuan Museum and the Shanxi Bronze Museum share the same venue. My personal favorite was the digital bronze exhibition, which was interactive. The Jiguang Fanghua exhibition had many knowledge points of interest to me; I took photos for later study.

This glass cup came from a tomb of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is larger and older than the two glass bottles/jars (Sui Dynasty) in the Forbidden City, and should definitely be a prohibited export item. Unfortunately, when I turned it around, I saw it was a fragment. Pity.

An unexpected gain on this trip was the Shanxi Merchant Museum.

This site was originally the temple of Duke Wen of Jin, Chong'er. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, it was the mansion of Pan Mei; in the Yuan, it was the Secretariat; in the Ming and Qing, it was the Governor's Office; in modern times, it was the Shanxi Governor's Mansion. So many events past and present, all turned into laughter.

The museum combines ancient architecture, collections, and gardens. A rough visit took three hours, exceeding the original plan.

The central hall not only displayed many relics related to the history of Shanxi merchants but also many important artifacts from the three Jin regions. Especially the Yifang Li and a set of imitation chime bells. Striking the bells with a wooden mallet, the clear and melodious sound instantly filled the entire building. If there had been a set of chime stones as well, the bells and stones could have sounded together.

The West Garden has pavilions, terraces, ponds, and winding corridors. The five gardens of Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing showcase the beauty of Shanxi's ancient architecture and intangible cultural heritage. The northern part features a Gothic-style bell tower and Meishan Garden, with a shape and color scheme completely different from other areas, standing out prominently. Yan Xishan really knew how to enjoy life; the Governor's Mansion combined northern and southern garden features, a blend of Chinese and Western styles, truly worthy of the title "King of Shanxi."

It was far from the city center, but an hour's bus ride was still good value. I lingered a bit long at the Duke Wen of Jin Temple, and a sudden downpour came, so I only covered about half of the Jinci Park.

The good thing was that everyone took shelter from the rain, so I could take a photo of the empty main gate.

Although the rain stopped, the sky remained gloomy, and the willow wind still felt cold. Early summer actually felt like deep autumn. Inside the ancient city, it was quiet and empty; only after dark when the lights came on did the scene change, giving it the vibe of an influencer hotspot, finally living up to the hype from BGL.

The Fen River runs through the "Dragon City" like a living dragon from north to south. As the sun set, I crossed the river from east to west over a bridge, strolling along the riverside path with a gentle breeze on my face—so pleasant.

Food Street and Bell Tower Street

Probably every city has a few food streets or pedestrian streets. Although the food is largely similar, it's nice to feel the local atmosphere and see the popular colors.

The first half of this trip in Shanxi came to a temporary end. A brief glimpse of the three Jin landscapes—I will be back.

From Taiyuan to Yan'an, surprisingly there was no high-speed train, which felt odd for a moment. Looking at the green train (slow train), a 6.5-hour journey, although no overnight stay was needed, the memories of hard seats and hard sleepers made me resist. Fortunately, this train had soft sleeper compartments; it was my first time trying soft sleeper.

Every new exploration brings new gains:

1. I analyzed in detail the actual release rules for soft sleeper tickets on green trains, the price differences among platforms, and how to buy tickets in the same compartment, preparing for a possible future two-night train journey. Good news: 12306 has started piloting the option to choose upper or lower bunks for sleeper tickets; travel will be more convenient in the future.

2. Green trains also require ID card scanning for entry and boarding. Having been used to C/D/G trains, I wasn't sure about the rules for other trains.

3. At the hub station, there is a dedicated waiting room for soft sleeper passengers, with an attendant escorting them to the platform, separate ticket checking, and a special passage to board. Although it only lasted about three minutes, not having to queue for ticket checking, walking through an empty underpass, and enjoying this small privilege gave me a slight thrill. After all, not every soft sleeper passenger knows about this.

Shanxi really has many mountains. The train kept passing through tunnels, so I just lay on the bunk, forgetting to look out when crossing the Yellow River.

Had to take a red photo.

Small complaint: The bus stop signs for K601 were incorrect; only the navigation app had the correct information. I wonder how locals ride the bus.

Pagoda Hill Light Show

Probably starts around 7:30 PM, every half hour? I mainly wanted to capture the Pagoda Hill with the Yanhe Bridge in the foreground at night.

Next came the highlight of the trip.

The scenic area is located in Yucha Village, Ganquan County. The official name is Ganquan Grand Canyon, but I always prefer the name Yucha. Today, the two open sections were Huashu Gully and Longba Gully, at the head and tail.

In the valley, it felt like entering another dimension. Born from the fissures of the earth's tremors, the master of time used water and wind as brushes, and the colorful sandstone walls as canvas, drawing the freeze-frame of time's passage. Under the light from different angles at the top of the valley, it showed magnificent colors—golden like amber, vermilion like sand—ethereal and dreamlike.

The scenic area is located in Jingbian County, Yulin City, also in northern Shaanxi.

Amidst the vast loess plateau, this surging red wave allowed me to wander among the crests and troughs.

After entering, there was a 3D glass suspension bridge.

The Fire Danxia section was the wave crest.

The Red Cliff Danxia section entered the wave trough.

Walking along the Liusha River.

After a tunnel, I reached the Earth Core Danxia.

Passing through Yanzhaizi Gorge, this stretch of blue water was quite rare.

The One Line Sky had the characteristics of the Yucha Grand Canyon, but the narrowest part required not just sideways passage but twisting the body into an S shape to imprint the mark of Wave Valley.

Then I climbed the stairs, up to the wave crest again to look back at the wave trough.

Passing by the former residence of Beijing educated youth.

Here the Yellow River channel suddenly narrows to one-tenth of its original width. The yellow torrent pours into the pot, with nine twists making the waves majestic.

The eight scenic spots have simple and straightforward descriptions, self-evident from the names.

"Rising smoke from the pot bottom"—I wanted to fly the drone low, but the water mist was too high, afraid of crashing.

"Drizzle in clear sky"—you must be prepared to get wet to take photos.

"Rainbow playing with water"—I didn't capture it in photos, but fortunately, I saw a rainbow hanging without rain on the bank in the drone footage.

"Ten-mile dragon trough"—could you pole-vault across to Shanxi?

"Thunder in dry weather"—the water flow wasn't strong enough to produce a loud roar.

"Mountains flying and seas standing"—only in the rainy season can you see the flying dragon in the sky from the low side of Shanxi.

"Ice peaks hanging upside down"—probably in winter.

"Ships traveling on dry land"—go back and look at paintings.

I think scenic spots 1, 2, and 3 are best in spring and autumn when the water level is moderate (half a pot); spots 5 and 6 are most spectacular in summer with abundant rain (full pot); spot 7 requires freezing winter (a heart of ice in a jade pot).

The river water wasn't yellow enough, and the flow wasn't as large as expected. I'll find an opportunity when the upstream adjusts the water level to view from the Shanxi side again, the spectacle of ten thousand islands lining up and a thousand thunders shaking the ground.

Actually, it's a series of attractions in the Yellow River Snake Bend National Geopark on the Shaanxi side. A river divides two provinces; Qin and Jin are adjacent but have no land border. The Yellow River bends again and again in the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon, leaving countless bends. The two provinces develop attractions along the river separately—same place with different names, or same name for different places—across the river, you're never in your own province. To some extent, it's a wonder.

The drone didn't fly high enough to capture the S-shaped river course and reveal the Tai Chi diagram.

Yan'an (northern Shaanxi) four attractions, personal rating: Wave Valley > Hukou Waterfall > Yucha Grand Canyon > Qiankun Bay. Hukou Waterfall changes with the seasons; one visit can't capture its full beauty. Yucha Grand Canyon heavily depends on weather; sunlight makes a world of difference. There are many similar spots to Qiankun Bay, so it seems unnecessary to go out of the way. I would revisit Hukou Waterfall.

Travelogue Directory:

1. First stop: Pingyao Ancient City.

2. Second stop: Wang Family Compound.

3. Third stop: Taiyuan.

4. Fourth stop: Yan'an.