Visit the No. 1 City of National Treasures, Encounter Good Luck in the World's Lucky City – A Qingming Trip to Yuncheng, Shanxi
A Qingming trip to the city of national treasures and good fortune – Yuncheng, Shanxi.
Yuncheng, Shanxi is a place every descendant of the Chinese nation should visit – to see, to listen, and to broaden their knowledge.
With only one day, we chose Yuncheng Salt Lake, the Li Family Courtyard in Wanrong County, the Houtu Temple, and the Feiyun Tower.
We set off on a self-drive at 2 p.m. and arrived at the first stop – the “Chinese Dead Sea” and its colorful salt lake – by 6:30. We didn’t go all the way inside, but just standing on the open ground, enjoying the view and the sunset, felt fantastic, like being by the sea. The happiest part was taking photos. My boyfriend, a notorious photo killer, always makes me look short, fat, and ugly in his shots, but my daughter, the little fairy, has a real talent for photography – my looks instantly soared!
As night fell, we checked into the hotel. I have to praise Yuncheng’s prices – the value for money is amazing. The hotel was in the city center, surrounded by plenty of eateries. Only regret was that my stomach wasn't bigger. First, we went to try the famous Shi’s Fish Noodles – fresh fish combined with Yunnan chopped chili peppers, the flavors seeping into the chewy noodles. It was irresistible! The three of us shared a large portion. We saved room for Wadang Hot Pot. I’ve come to love these no-frills, street-stall-style, fly-infested joints where the decor is nothing special but there are crowds and long waiting lines. The owner just takes orders, and you find your own seat. It was truly affordable and delicious. It looked like a mixed stew hot pot, but the taste was something I’d never experienced – I can’t describe it, just really good. We ate until we were bursting.
The next day, we had breakfast at Er’nü’s Steamed Bun Sandwiches – just 4 yuan. Then we headed to the Li Family Courtyard in Wanrong County, one of the three great courtyard mansions of Shanxi, a luxurious home of a wealthy Jin merchant. It felt more spacious and comfortable than the Imperial City Manor of Minister Chen. We listened to the life story of Li Ziyong – he advocated for monogamy but ended up having five wives one after another.
Many “young mistresses” were having photo shoots there.
My daughter loved the courtyard the most, declaring she wants to come again next year to catch tadpoles – she was overjoyed.
After noon, we went to the Houtu Temple. Houtu is the Earth Goddess, and this was where emperors worshipped heaven and earth before the Temple of Heaven was built – it must be a very significant place.
The Spring and Autumn Tower bears the inscription by Emperor Wu of Han.
Around 3 p.m., we headed to Wanrong County town to see the Feiyun Tower, the “Number One Tower Under Heaven.” It’s a wooden tower from the Yuan Dynasty, built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joints, not a single nail. The site is quite small; we took a look, but couldn’t see it too clearly.
At a nearby eatery called Yibazhua, we had another meal of Yuncheng specialties: hukou lamb, clay pot lamb pao, and a cold dish of fried eggplant salad – all delicious!
At 5 p.m., we started our journey back.
Yuncheng has many attractions, but they’re quite spread out. We didn’t have time to visit many places – the Stork Tower, the Guan Gong Temple, the Yongle Palace... We’ll save them for next time. The most unforgettable part is the local food, which suits a Henan stomach perfectly.
