Walking Jinci in Taiyuan: halls, springs and the stories between
Follow Jinci from its theatre stage to the Sage Mother Hall, ancient trees, spring channels, pagoda and Tang stele, with local legends kept in their proper place.
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Shanxi
Ancient architecture, Buddhist heritage and dramatic highland landscapes.
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Cities in Shanxi
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Shanxi guides
Taiyuan's Table: Noodles, Buckwheat and Shanxi Vinegar
A practical guide to Taiyuan's noodles, buckwheat snacks, Jin dishes and breakfasts, with notes on vinegar, seabuckthorn and where to eat.
Jinci Temple in Taiyuan: A Guide to Shanxi's Founding Shrine
A guide to Jinci Temple in Taiyuan: Zhou-dynasty origins, a Northern Song Goddess Hall with life-size clay figures, ancient cypresses, springs and water-sharing legends.
Inside Pingyao's Escort Agency Museums
Pingyao's escort agencies once moved silver, grain and letters across difficult roads. The city's agency museums explain the rules, coded speech and calculated caution behind that trade.
Pingyao Ancient City: Walls, Courtyards and the Roots of Chinese Banking
Exchange houses, yamen courtyards, city-wall views, Jinzhong food and ticket advice for Pingyao's walled old town.
Pingyao County Yamen: A Guide to the Old Government Office
A guide to Pingyao's county yamen, from the main court and six offices to the jail, shrines and magistrate's quarters, with a route through the compound.
Mount Hengshan and Xuankong Temple: A Practical Guide from Datong
How Mount Hengshan and Xuankong Temple fit together, how to plan a visit from Datong, and what to know about trails, cable cars, timing and nearby sites.
Datong in Two Days: Temples, Grottoes and the Old City by Car
A two-day drive from Datong: Liao-Jin temples inside the Ming wall, the Yungang caves, Yingxian's wooden pagoda and the Hanging Monastery, with notes on timing, tickets and reconstruction.
Bronze, Bells and the Book of Songs at Datong Museum
A guide to Datong Museum's exhibition of bronze vessels named in the Book of Songs, with notes on the Buddhist and Daoist sculpture galleries in the same building.
Winter at Wutai Shan: Roads, Temples and Cold-Weather Basics
A practical guide to visiting Wutai Shan in winter: the southern approach, driving on ice, a downhill temple route, East Peak access, seasonal etiquette and the scams to sidestep.
Three Days on Wutai Shan: Temples in Taihuai and the Five Peaks
A three-day route through Taihuai's main monasteries and the five terrace peaks of Wutai Shan, with notes on road access, walking and the official peak shuttle.