Day 1 → → → → → Yuncheng gathering day
All day
The whole day is [Yuncheng] gathering day
Tourists from all over the world can choose their own transportation and arrive at the designated hotel in Yuncheng to check in. Please report "China-Travel Note + Name" at the hotel front desk to check in. Check-in is after 14:00. During free time, please keep your belongings safe and pay attention to safety.
You can freely visit Yuncheng Salt Lake, Hedong Night Market, etc. to feel the atmosphere of Yuncheng's fireworks.
Beixiang mutton and carrot, Wenxi boiled pancakes, Jishan fried dough twist, and Jiezhou mutton soup steamed bun are all local delicacies that you can't miss.
Day 2 Yuncheng Museum → Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda → Jiezhou Guandi Temple → Chishen Temple → Stay in Yuncheng
All day
After breakfast, go to Yuncheng Museum to see the historical changes of the east of the river
As the "Cradle of Chinese Civilization," Yuncheng Museum carries a rich history and brilliant culture. Its primary exhibition, themed "East of the Great River," features six historical exhibitions: Roots of China, Museum Treasures, The History of Yanyan, Auspicious Land and Outstanding People, Splendor of Civil Engineering, and The History of Tiaoshan Mountain. Four special exhibitions focus on Yuncheng's agriculture, industry, urban construction, and culture. In this museum, you can hear the verses of Hedong poets and witness the prosperity of this ancient nation.
Then go to [Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda] National No. 5, the only example of a single-story circular brick Tang Dynasty pagoda in my country
The Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda, built in the second year of the Changqing reign of the Tang Dynasty (822), is one of my country's most famous pavilion-style pagodas, and a rare example of a single-story, circular brick pagoda constructed in the Tang Dynasty. The Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda is a single-story, circular brick pagoda, approximately 10 meters high and 5.7 meters in diameter. With the exception of the main body and roof, which have some stone, the rest of the structure is entirely brick. Its plan is a perfect circle, with the elevation consisting of the roof, main body, and base. The Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda, from its carved doors and windows to its finials, has survived for over 1,100 years and remains largely intact, providing reliable material for the study of ancient Chinese pagoda forms and carvings. It lacks dazzling brilliance or dazzling jewels. The beauty of the Fanzhou Zen Master Pagoda is austere and elegant, as solemn and serene as the wind beneath pine trees, rising high and slowly drifting.
Then go to [Jiezhou Guandi Temple] National Level 3, Shanxi Province, where the only rotating chrysanthemum caisson in the country is hidden.
Built during the Sui Dynasty, 1,400 years ago, the Guandi Temple is China's oldest, largest, most elevated, and best-preserved Guandi Temple. Its mortise and tenon structure, exquisite wood carvings, century-old timber, and brick archway carvings all imbue the temple with cultural value, earning it the nickname "the ancestor of Guandi Temples." Its rustic beauty is breathtaking, and along the way, you'll spot a massive statue of Guan Gong nestled in the middle of the mountain. Look up! Be captivated by the sight of our ancestors for 20 seconds! Here, too, lies a truly breathtaking aesthetic: the chrysanthemum caisson ceiling: 408 brackets in 204 pairs create a protruding ceiling resembling a blooming chrysanthemum, swaying beautifully in the breeze. Secured to prevent wear, this vibrant beauty is preserved forever.
Then go to [Chishen Temple] National Seven, a pool of Hedong salt, half of the history of China
Salt carries the glory and genes of Yuncheng's development. At the foot of the Zhongtiao Mountains in southern Yuncheng, a narrow lake running northeast and southwest is the Yuncheng Salt Lake, one of the world's three largest inland sodium sulfate lakes. The rare character "盬 (gǔ)" (盬) in dictionaries actually refers specifically to the salt produced in Yuncheng Salt Lake. Historical records indicate that during the Song Dynasty, salt taxes from Yuncheng Salt City accounted for one-sixth of the national fiscal revenue. Such capable and honest officials as Bao Zheng and Ouyang Xiu served as acting salt administrators here. The Chishen Temple was first built in the 12th year of the Dali reign of the Tang Dynasty to commemorate the divine gift of salt. Throughout the dynasties, the Chishen was bestowed with various honors, and the main building still standing is from the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty. The temple enshrines three natural deities: the Salt Lake God in the Central Hall, the Sun God in the East Hall, and the Wind God in the West Hall. Behind the temple stands the Zouyan Tower, one of the few remaining Yuan Dynasty opera stages in China. From here, you can see a corner of the Yuncheng Salt Lake. On a clear day, watching the sunset from here is a fantastic option! We will take you to the streetlights on Salt Lake Highway No. 006 to see Yuncheng from the perspective of internet celebrities.
After having fun, check in to Yuncheng to rest.
Day 3: Feiyun Tower → Wanrong Jiwang Temple → Yellow River Datizi Cliff → Houtu Temple → Accommodation in Yongji City
All day
After breakfast, go to Feiyun Tower, National No. 3, which is known as the "South Tower and North Tower" together with the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda.
Feiyun Tower, located within the Dongyue Temple in Wanrong County, Shanxi Province, boasts a pure wooden structure with mortise and tenon joints, large and small, jutting into the same space as the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. It is known as "China's No. 1 Wooden Tower." Built in the Yuan and Ming Dynasty styles, the tower stands 23.19 meters tall and features densely decorated brackets. It appears three stories from the outside, but actually has five floors inside, totaling approximately 23 meters. Feiyun Tower is a representative example of the architectural complex within the Jiedian Dongyue Temple. A local proverb evokes the saying, "Wanrong boasts a Jiedian Tower, half of which is stuck in the sky."
Then go to Wanrong Jiwang Temple, the fifth national temple, Liang Sicheng's rare example of a Song Dynasty hip-and-gable palace
According to legend, Hou Ji first taught the people farming here, hence the name Jishen Mountain, and a temple was built in his honor. Only the main hall and stage on the central axis remain of the Wanrong Jiwang Temple. Despite reconstruction, it retains architectural features from the Jin and Yuan dynasties. Entering the main hall, the entire building resembles an open umbrella, five bays wide and six rafters deep, devoid of any supporting beams. The Wanrong Jiwang Temple's main hall is the only surviving Northern Song Dynasty wooden structure with a hip roof. Early discoveries of the building were mistakenly dated to the Jin Dynasty. Later, a Peking University archaeological team discovered an inscription on the front eaves of the main hall, dating to the first year of the Tiansheng era, confirming the assumption that it dates to the early Northern Song Dynasty.
Then go to the Yellow River Ladder Cliff, the top 1 cliff-hanging ladder on the Yellow River.
The Yellow River, a thousand-mile river, flows relentlessly, carving a majestic "J-shaped bend" across the vast Chinese landscape. Yuncheng, located in the southernmost tip of Shanxi Province, lies at the final bend of the Yellow River as it flows from south to east. The river's surging waters carry silt and transform the land into fertile fields. The Yellow River's Great Ladder Cliff, located in the Longmen Grand Canyon of the Yellow River, is adjacent to the Longmen Gate of the Yellow River. Here, a man-made ladder carved from the Northern Wei Dynasty, known as the place where one ascends the ladder to heaven and leaps over the Dragon Gate, is said to have been the site of a legendary leap. Climbing this cliff face, carved 1,600 years ago by the Northern Wei Dynasty, as ancient as the Yungang Grottoes, one can gaze upon the confluence of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon at Longmen and search for the stele erected by Emperor Xiaowen. Truly, the scenery is breathtaking! Courageous tourists can also experience the thrilling "Flying Cloud Ladder" climb, a thrilling and adrenaline-pumping experience. The Peach Blossom Valley in the Seven-Li Gallery is at its most beautiful from March to April each year, when the mountain peach blossoms vie for attention in a dazzling display of beauty that is truly soul-cleansing!
Then go to [Hou Tu Temple Qiu Feng Tower], the oldest temple dedicated to Hou Tu (Mother Earth) in China.
The Hou Tu Temple is a widely worshipped deity in China, the god of land. It is the most prestigious temple in China and the source of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, the temple was designated a national temple and used as a site for his tours. He performed six ceremonies of exceptional grandeur to Hou Tu, leaving behind his beloved and timeless poem, "Ode to the Autumn Wind."
After having fun, we will go to Yongji City to check in. You can have a good rest~
Day 4 Yongji → Puji Temple → Pujindu Ruins → Guanque Tower → Wangu Temple → Xihoudu Ruins → Fenglingdu → Stay in Ruicheng
All day
After breakfast, go to Puji Temple to watch the story of "Romance of the West Chamber".
Puji Temple, originally named Xiyongqingyuan, was built during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty. It is a Buddhist monastery. The love story of "Hongniang and Zhang Sheng's chance meeting with Cui Yingying" in Wang Shifu's "The Romance of the West Chamber" from the Yuan Dynasty, in which "Hongniang and Cui Yingying wait for the moon," takes place within Puji Temple. The Yingying Pagoda within the temple is not only magnificent in its ancient architecture, but also renowned for its unique structure and remarkable echo effect. This pagoda, along with the Echo Wall at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the Pagoda at Baolun Temple in Henan Province, and the "Stone Qin" at the Big Buddha Temple in Tongnan District, Chongqing, are considered one of China's four remaining echoing structures.
Then go to [Pujindu Ruins] the famous ancient ferry crossing on the Yellow River
The Pujin Ferry site, discovered by archaeologists, reveals the remains of a "fixed curved floating bridge connecting boats with iron chains," built in the 12th year of the Kaiyuan reign of the Tang Dynasty (724 AD). A Ming Dynasty stone stele and a 50-meter-long stone embankment have also been discovered nearby. Excavated remains of the Pujin Ferry include four iron oxen, each 3.3 meters long and 1.5 meters high, weighing approximately 50 to 70 tons. Each ox is flanked by an iron man, approximately 1.9 meters tall and weighing approximately 3 tons. Iron plates and pillars were also discovered beneath the southern oxen, and seven iron pillars shaped like seven stars stood at the oxen's tails. These four iron oxen are considered the "world's largest."
Then go to [Stork Tower] to see the world from a thousand miles away and climb to a higher level
The Stork Tower is a high-platform pavilion with a cross-shaped hip roof. The tower consists of a base and a main structure, reaching a total height of 73.9 meters. It is the tallest of the Four Great Towers and one of the most exquisite replicas of these buildings in China. The entire Stork Tower is painted with Tang Dynasty colored paintings, a technique lost in China. After extensive research, rescue, and redesign by experts from the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Stork Tower is the only Tang Dynasty building in China to have been restored using this technique.
Then go to [Wangu Temple] National Eight, the lost "First Zen Temple in Zhongtiao", and the oriental aesthetics under the dome
Wangu Temple, originally built during the Northern Wei Dynasty, was destroyed by fire and war. After restoration during the Sui Dynasty, it was renamed "Wangu Temple," meaning "eternally stable for eternity." It has been hailed by successive generations of eminent monks as the "First Zen Temple." Once larger than Mount Wutai, earthquakes and war destroyed many of the temple's buildings. Within its walls remain the Northern Wei Duobao Pagoda and the Ming Dynasty Medicine Master Cave (the Medicine Master Buddha statue within the cave is a Tang Dynasty iron statue, now re-gilded). Its beamless hall is one of only four remaining in China. Both the beamless hall and the masonry ceiling atop the pagoda were pioneering creations of the Ming Dynasty, inspiring awe at the ancient wisdom and ingenuity. Standing before the hall, one can almost hear echoes of history.
Then go to [Xihoudu Ruins] where the sacred fire of human civilization was ignited
The discovery of the Xihoudu site has pushed back the history of ancient Chinese fire use by 1.73 million years, dating back to the discovery of the Peking Man at Zhoukoudian 700,000 years ago. The Xihoudu site is not only one of the earliest Paleolithic remains discovered in China, but also the first human cultural site from the early Pleistocene epoch discovered in Asia. Some say it resembles a miniature Egypt, prompting a variety of wasteland-style and exotic photography on Xiaomoushu. On a clear day, the ochre color collides with the blue sky, creating a clean, pure, and ancient feel—much like the retreats of peerless masters in martial arts novels. It's a truly historic experience. From the elevated platform overlooking the Yellow River, every angle is photogenic, creating a stunning photo opportunity! Although the ancient ruins are gone, we can still journey back in time in a different way. We'll lead you on a fire-making adventure. Come and give it a try!
Afterwards, we went to Fengling Ferry and met for the first time. The first sight of Yang Guo ruined his life.
Legend has it that this is where Feng Hou, Huangdi's sage minister, invented the compass and defeated Chi You. After Feng Hou's death, Huangdi buried him at the site of his battle, which he named Fengling. Hence, the ferry crossing is known as Fengling Ferry. The Yellow River winds its way through the mountains to Tongguan, where it turns eastward due to the obstruction of Mount Hua. Fengling Ferry is situated right at the turning point, a crucial transportation hub for Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces, and the largest ferry crossing on the Yellow River. Fengling Ferry is particularly well-known thanks to Jin Yong's martial arts novel, The Return of the Condor Heroes. In the past, Guo Xiang, listening to a night talk at the ferry inn, met Yang Guo, and her life was marked by their fate. (BGM: Joy is joy, parting is bitter, and even among them are foolish children... You should have a word, Vast clouds stretch thousands of miles, snowy mountains at dusk, to whom does your lone figure go?) On a clear day, watching the sunset over the Yellow River from this spot is a truly special experience.
After having fun, we will go to Ruicheng City to check in at night. You can walk around and eat freely.
Day 5: Tianrui City → Yongle Palace → Guangren Temple → Disband in Yuncheng
All day
After breakfast, we will go to Yongle Palace, a representative work of ancient murals, a treasure of Chinese art, comparable to Dunhuang.
Yongle Palace was one of the three ancestral temples of Quanzhen Taoism in the Yuan Dynasty. The Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Three Pure Ones Hall, the Chunyang Hall and the Chongyang Hall still retain more than 800 square meters of Taoist murals from the Yuan Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty. They are magnificent in scale, exquisite and magnificent, and brilliant. It is a very important group of Taoist murals. It not only integrates the painting style of Tang and Song Dynasties of "Cao's clothes are like water, and Wu's Dao is in the wind", but also combines the painting characteristics of the Yuan Dynasty itself, reflecting the superb achievements of Yuan Dynasty mural art, which can be called a miracle in the history of Chinese painting.
Then go to Guangrenwang Temple, the only Taoist temple among the four existing Tang Dynasty wooden buildings in China, which is 26 years earlier than Foguang Temple.
Guangrenwang Temple is a particularly ancient Taoist temple building in China. It is also the only Taoist site among the only four remaining Tang Dynasty wooden structures in the country. Ruicheng is backed by Zhongtiao Mountain and faces the Yellow River. It has always been regarded as a treasure land by Taoists. There are many precious Taoist architectural relics in the area. Although it is also a Tang Dynasty building, Guangrenwang Temple is not very famous, but it also has its own unique features. Let's go and see it together.
The return trip is expected to start at 12:40 and arrive at Yuncheng Station around 14:10. It is recommended to buy a ticket after 15:00.
Arrive at Yuncheng North Station around 14:40. It is recommended to buy a train after 15:20.
Arrive at Yuncheng Airport around 15:00. It is recommended to buy a flight after 16:30.
Everyone bids farewell and ends the happy journey~
