Yuncheng: Ancient Capital

I recently stumbled upon a documentary about the relocation of Yongle Palace to Ruicheng in Yuncheng in the late 1950s, necessitated by a Yellow River water conservancy project. The stunning murals, over two meters tall, left a deep impression and inspired me to finally visit Yuncheng.

While planning my trip, I delved into research and realized that Yuncheng’s history embodies 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, from the ancient era of Yao and Shun through the Tang and Song dynasties. Yuncheng derives its name from ‘Salt Transport City’ and is often hailed as ‘the cradle of 5,000-year civilization.’ It’s a key birthplace of Chinese culture, where legends like Nüwa mending the sky, the Yellow Emperor fighting Chiyou, Shun tilling Mount Li, Yu carving Dragon Gate, Leizu raising silkworms, and Houji teaching agriculture are all set. Yuncheng is the hometown of numerous luminaries—Zhang Yi, Sima Qian, Guan Yu, Xue Rengui, Wang Bo, Wang Zhihuan, Wang Wei, Liu Zongyuan, Sima Guang, and more. It boasts over 1,600 cultural and tourist sites, including 90 nationally protected and 57 provincially protected heritage sites—more national key relics than any other prefecture-level city. For this trip, I selected about 20 of these national key sites to visit.

Transportation: Self-drive. The expressway from Beijing to Yuncheng is very convenient, and all counties and cities in Yuncheng are connected by expressways. Little advance preparation is needed.

Tips: 1. When driving locally, prefer expressways and provincial roads. While county and township roads might offer shorter distances and no tolls, many are in poor condition, limiting your speed to around 60 km/h, and roadworks often force detours through villages. 2. Carry minimal cash. Cash is almost unnecessary except for some highway tolls. WeChat Pay and Alipay are widely accepted, even in rural areas for meals, shopping, and attraction tickets.

Day 1: Beijing – Yuncheng, approximately 9 hours’ drive.

Day 2: Yuncheng – Ruicheng Yongle Palace – Guangrenwang Temple – Xihoudu Site – Yongji Pujiu Temple – Guanque Tower – Wangu Temple – Yuncheng.

Day 3: Yuncheng – Wanrong Houtu Temple – Feiyun Tower – Li Family Courtyard – Macun Brick Carving Tombs – Qinglong Temple – Jishan Giant Buddha – Yuncheng.

Day 4: Yuncheng – Haizhou Guandi Temple – Xiaxian Sima Guang Tomb – Shun Emperor Mausoleum – Salt Pond Temple – Fanzhou Chanshi Pagoda – Taiping Xingguo Temple Pagoda.

Day 5: Yuncheng – Longxing Temple – Jiangzhou Government Hall – Fusheng Temple – Pingyao.

Day 6: Pingyao – Beijing.