A Detailed Three-Day Tour of Yuncheng

Shanxi Province has the most ancient buildings in China. No other province comes close! Yet they are often overlooked precisely because there are so many. Driving through the counties and villages, you'll see centuries-old relics everywhere. Many are poorly preserved, or at best, maintained half-heartedly. Xiezhou Guandi Temple is the highest-ranking place of worship for Lord Guan in the country, with inscribed plaques left by three emperors. Even more merchants from South Asia come to offer incense. It is also the best-preserved site we visited on this trip to Yuncheng.

Day 1, October 3, Thu (24°C, cloudy). 6:30am: Bike to Line 13, transfer to Line 10. 70 minutes to Fengtai Railway Station. 8:13am high-speed train (G623), arrive Yuncheng North Station 1:30pm, 5 hours.

14:00: Pick up rental car at station: eHi, 2 days 1 hour, 837 yuan.

14:20: Drive to museum, 20 mins. Yuncheng Museum. Stone coffin from Xue Jing's tomb (Tang Dynasty), Yangshao painted pottery jar, Qianzhuang square ding. 15:00–16:30, stop 1.5 hours.

16:30: Go to hotel. 5 km, 13 mins. Orange Hotel.

Alternatively, drive to Colorful Salt Lake, 5 km, 15 mins.

17:30: Drive to Colorful Salt Lake, 9 km, 15 mins. Colorful Salt Lake Scenic Area. Just view the lake without entering the scenic area—free. Take the path next to Shanxi Damao Engineering Machinery Co., Ltd., walk 1.5 km along the plastic track to the salt lake. Do not go through the main entrance. Guard against mosquito bites. Good photo spots from north and southeast. Entrance at Shenchi Temple East Salt Lake Avenue.

18:00: Drive west 11 km, 30 mins. Yellow River Night Market: bean paste cake, egg pancake, Yongji-style fried dough twists, fried cakes, Wanrong Tonghua cold jelly noodles.

19:30: Drive southeast 3 km, 12 mins back to hotel. Meilun Meiyue Hotel, 1st Floor, Shanxi-Shaanxi-Henan Center, 239 Renmin North Road.

Day 2, October 4, Fri (25°C, cloudy). 7:30am: Drive to Jiangxian (95 km northeast, 1.5 hours). Jiangxian Confucian Temple complex. Dacheng Hall (Yuan Dynasty features, named by a Song emperor), with upturned eaves and corners. 9:00–10:00, stop 1 hour.

Breakfast in Jiangxian: meatball soup with flatbread, and buckwheat noodles.

10:10am: From the Confucian Temple, drive 9 km east to Taiyin Temple. Founded in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Main Hall has Jin Dynasty murals. 10:25–11:00, stop 45 mins.

11:10: Drive north 10 km, 16 mins to Nanliu Taishan Temple. Nanliu Taishan Temple (National Treasure). Built in the Yuan Dynasty, an ancient complex preserving features of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. 11:30–12:10, stop 40 mins.

12:30: Drive north 9 km, 15 mins to Nanfan Stone Archway (Li’s Chastity Archway). Nanfan Stone Archway (small parking lot). Built in 1804, so extravagant it’s considered a show-off piece. 12:50–13:30, stop 40 mins.

Drive southwest 34 km to see Qiaosi Stele Pavilion in Hengshui Town. Qiaosi Stele Pavilion (Zhou Wanzhong’s merit stele), China’s number one honorific archway structure. Built in 1837, a national treasure-level archway (brick imitating wood, 17 m x 2.6 m). A lotus pond lies behind it.

Day 3, October 5, Sat. 7:30am: Breakfast at Donghu Morning Market (4 km east).

8:30: Go to Fanzhou Chanshi Pagoda, south 15 km, 20 mins. Fanzhou Chanshi Pagoda, built in 793 AD. It is the only surviving single-story circular brick pagoda from the Tang Dynasty in China. 9:00–9:50, stop 50 mins.

10:00: Go to Xiezhou Guandi Temple, southwest 21 km, 40 mins. Guandi Temple, a 1,400-year-old structure. The highest-ranking imperial-style architectural complex in China. Emperors Yongzheng, Kangxi, and Empress Dowager Cixi all left inscribed plaques. 10:50–11:50, stop 1 hour.

12:00: Lunch 3 km west, Wang Jian’s Lamb Paomo, 30 mins.

12:40: Return car at Yuncheng North Station. 30 km, 70 mins. Arrive at North Station by 1:50pm.

17:17: Train (G628) back to Beijing, 307 yuan. Arrive at Beijing Fengtai Station 22:59.

Notes:

1. Beijing to Yuncheng is 800 km. Don't drive yourself during holidays—the journey takes too long. The bullet train from Beijing to Yuncheng arrives at 1:30pm; renting a car locally saves more time.

2. The Yuncheng Museum’s exhibition layout is confusing.

3. The Yellow River Night Market seemed messy and chaotic.