Yuncheng, Shanxi – A Hidden Gem That Delivers Big Surprises

Yuncheng, Shanxi might be an unassuming little city, known mostly for the Stork Tower, one of China’s four great towers. Precisely because there aren’t many attractions, and you need to make a special trip to tick it off your list, the Stork Tower sees relatively few visitors. Yet for that very reason, we enjoyed an exceptional visit.

【Climbing the Stork Tower】

【A Side Note Along the Way】Fenglingdu lies at the eastward bend of the Yellow River – the elbow of its great U-shaped curve – a strategic crossroads for Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces, and a major ferry crossing on the river since ancient times.

The Stork Tower stands on the eastern bank of the Yellow River, west of the ancient city of Puzhou. Rising tall and imposing from the open plain, its summit commands a boundless view that has inspired countless poets. Among them, Wang Zhihuan’s “On the Stork Tower” remains an eternal masterpiece.

The sparse crowds only deepened the tower’s sense of age and weathered grandeur.

These two, by the way, are the legendary storks… though the sense of incongruity was off the charts…

Climbing one more floor, I gazed out at the Yellow River – truly, a thousand-mile vista…

There’s a drone aerial video service on the rooftop. For 50 yuan, they’ll film a clip of just under two minutes, a fair price that delivers angles and effects your camera or phone simply can’t match – well worth it.

【China’s “Dead Sea”】

While planning our Yuncheng itinerary, I stumbled upon another interesting spot beyond the Stork Tower – the Salt Lake.

With its high salt content and dense water, plus black mud rich in seven major elements and sixteen trace minerals, it offers more than scenery: wellness experiences like black mud therapy, floating in the “Dead Sea,” and more.

Red salt lake waters are separated from ordinary lake water by a single dyke, creating a natural giant “yin-yang hotpot.”

Unidentified birds, each a master of its own craft, skim across the surface as if performing “water-walking” martial arts.

Indoors, a well-designed circuit takes you through thermal spring therapy, saline floating, mineral salt treatments, salt mist lung cleansing, and finally black mud wellness. For first-timers, the whole process feels rich, novel, and delightfully unique.

At the mineral salt bed, you can bury yourself completely in a heap of salt.

There may not be many sights in Yuncheng, but the renowned Stork Tower is certainly worth seeing. Its towering, weathered strength and solitary, stark elegance are utterly striking, a feeling unlike any other tower – you have to stand there yourself to understand.

The Salt Lake is an optional add-on, but one worth trying.

Food in Yuncheng is mainly Shanxi cuisine. Having already been to Taiyuan and Datong, we skipped local home-style dishes and opted for the hotel buffet. With a price tag of 69 yuan per person, I honestly wasn’t expecting much – it was just for convenience. To our surprise, the variety was rich and the quality not low, the dining room quiet with few guests, and everything about it exceeded our expectations. A tightly planned, goal-oriented trip wrapped up perfectly.