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Shanxi Province 山西省; Shanxi province holds some of China’s most fantastic sights: from Buddhist grottoes and sacred mountains to ancient towns , unspoilt villages and stunning castles.
Two days In Pingyao December 2014
The Shanxi Museum (Chinese: 山西博物院; pinyin: Shanxi Bówùyuàn)
The miniature opera dolls (Shage Xiren (纱阁戏人)are unique not only in Pingyao but also all of China.
We first visited Pingyao 平遥in the late summer of 2001
Zhangbi cun 张壁村 is a tiny, beautiful, bucolic village in rural Shanxi Province.
The Buddhist Haihui temple 海会寺 is near the magnificant Mr Chen’s Castle
Photo of the week presents:
Join the crowds and pig out on great snacks at Taiyuan’s Food Street 太原食品街
Passing through Taiyuan for a night or two? Taiyuan’s food street 太原食品街 is a great way to spend the evening. Great snacks, cheap beer and tasty desserts await the adventurous.
You won’t have it all to yourself; most of Taiyuan’s population will be there with you.
Our favorite: Grilled Squid in a spicy chili sauce.
To drink: Cold draft beer by the litre.
Zhangbi cun 张壁村 is a tiny, beautiful, bucolic village in rural Shanxi Province. The village is famous for its underground castle, Zhangbi Gubao张壁古堡, a labyrinth of tunnels dating back to the Tang Dynasty (more than 1400 years).
Here are a few of the photos we took. There will be more on Zhangbi Village and its underground castle in the coming weeks.
Zhangbi Village can be easily visited on a day trip from the ancient walled city of Pingyao 平遥.
The best way to get to Zhangbi Village is to hire a car and driver. You can also take in the Wang family courtyard 王家大院 on the same excursion. It all makes for a great day out from Pingyao. We paid 400 yuan and which also included stopping at Shuanglin Temple 双林寺 8 kilometers outside Pingyao。
‘ Adam asks the monk if he can take a picture of the statues, the monk gives a long speech, at the end of which we understand: “Yes you can, if you pay your respects to the Buddha”. Adam takes this to mean that he has to ‘kow-tow’ and starts doing so – accompanied by the sound of the monk hitting the alms bowl. He donates 10 yuan. He`ll do anything for a good picture’.
The Jinge temple 金阁寺 is a riot of colours, a kind of Buddhist Disneyland, in which the most outrageous arhats or luohan 罗汉 – in Buddhism, a perfected person, one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved nirvana (spiritual enlightenment) – we have ever seen are cavorting!
One of our favorites is a luohan in a colorful patchwork robe who is doing the splits in the air – with his feet on two rocks – while joining his hand in prayer Another swings on a tree trunk. There are luohans swinging off the ceiling by one hand, a luohan that looks like a cross between Santa Claus (face and white beard) and Spiderman (red and blue outfit).
Continue reading “Praying Didn’t Improve My Photos”
Xiangyu Castle Shanxi Province is an extraordinary fortified complex situated on the banks of the Qin River with a moat in front of it. Xiangyu Castle is Hidden away in a remote corner of Shanxi Province and it makes for a great day trip from Jincheng 晋城.
Our driver had to ask for directions to get to Xiangyu Castle 湘峪古堡. He seemed a bit lost, due to the fact that there was a new road and he had only ever been there on the bad old one. As we were getting close, he stopped to ask a young woman waiting by the roadside for final directions.
She confirmed that he was nearly there and then, with a cheeky grin, asked for a lift to the village and hopped in. When we got there, she jumped out of the car and, in good English, bade us ‘goodbye auntie’ and ‘goodbye uncles’.
In front of us, as we got out of the car, was the extremely impressive castle of Xiangyu Castle 湘峪古堡.
From the outside, the castle looks like an impregnable fortress with its crenelated walls and dozens of enormous watchtowers. The river that flows in front of the walls and the hills in the background, only add to the castle’s splendor.
It really makes for quite a spectacular sight. Yet, at the same time, the view is somewhat deceptive, because Xiangyu is actually a large, fortified village, rather than a castle.
Continue reading “Xiangyu Castle Shanxi Province”
Haihui Temple Shanxi Province: The Buddhist Haihui temple 海会寺 where Minister Chen studied is just a short ride away from the castle and Guoyu village. However, our driver – even though he’s a local – has never been there and isn’t sure what it’s all about.
As we approach the complex, along a mostly empty road, and stop at a grand but rather abandoned-looking entrance area, neither are we. Should we fork out another 30 Yuan each, just to see two pagodas? Fortunately, we decide to go for it.
As the two pagodas come into view, at the back of a landscaped garden, we can see that they are truly magnificent. The shorter one, the 20-metre high and 1100-year-old Sheli Ta 舍利塔, is a harmonious, but simple construction.
Continue reading “Haihui Temple Shanxi Province”
The Ancient Town of Guo Yu 郭峪古城 (Guoyucun 郭峪村 )is Just a ten minute stroll from the magnificent Minister Chen’s Castle. This peaceful, ancient, walled village is the epitome of that elusive old China you have been looking for, but of which you have only caught the odd glimpse.
Even these days, Guoyu is still dominated by its enormous and forbidding watchtower; so much so that nearly all the narrow flagstone alleys and secluded courtyards fall under its all-pervasive shadow. The fortified city walls and secret underground passage leading out from the watchtower point to a more turbulent past.
In more recent history, Guoyu also played an important part. It was used as a base for the 8th route army of the Chinese communists in the war against Japan and there is a memorial square to celebrate this fact.
Nowadays, however, all is peace and quiet. You can find plenty of Ming and Qing dynasty houses still occupied by local residents. Bow-legged elderly residents still hobble up and down the streets, carrying their shopping baskets or stopping to chat with a neighbor, while the youngsters seem to prefer quiet, electric mopeds.
Continue reading “The Ancient Town of Guo Yu”Prime Minister Chen’s Castle: Huangcheng Xiangfu: 皇城相府 is one of the best preserved in all of China. It’s almost an entire city within the castle’s walls.
The southern Shanxi city of Jincheng 晋城 will never win any prizes for beauty or charm. It’s a typical medium sized Chinese City, dominated by the ubiquitous white tiled buildings, interspersed with an occasional glitzy glass tower. The only attraction in town is a recently built temple complex with a Ming Dynasty pagoda.
So why go there? Well, if you like unspoilt Chinese towns where time seems to have stood still, incredible vernacular architecture, walled castles and ancient pagodas, then Jincheng is the perfect base from which to explore them. Jincheng also has a fantastic Huoguo restaurant, a decent hotel and friendly cab drivers.
We spent two nights in Jincheng; it was enough to see what we had planned to visit. However, there are a lot more sights to visit than appear in any guidebook.
Ask anybody if they have ever heard of Prime Minister Chen’s Castle and you’ll probably get a shrug of the shoulders and a look of ‘what are you on about?’ However, in China, this is a so-called five star tourist attraction, receiving thousands of visitors everyday day and with a hefty entry ticket of 120 yuan. It is also an amazing example of ancient Chinese fortress architecture and is absolutely stunning. If you plan your visit well, it is easy to avoid the crowds and have the place to yourself for an hour or so.
Continue reading “Prime Minister Chen’s Castle”Lijiashan 李家山窑洞村 Cave Village is probably one of the best examples of Northern China’s cave dwelling architecture 窑洞风格. Situated in a steep valley above the Yellow river 黄河, it exudes bucolic charm. However, if you are not going to stay the night or go off hiking, an hour or two is enough to see everything and have a cold beer.
The driver, who had taken us to Qikou 碛口 from Lüliang Lishi 吕梁离石, has convinced us that Lijiashan village is much too far too walk. For another 30 Yuan he’ll drive us, wait and take us back. But first we can have a beer and something to eat. As we fancy the home-made noodles which have to be ordered for three, our driver joins us for lunch. We have cucumber salad, aubergine with beans, plus the delicious noodles with a simple fresh tomato, coriander and chive sauce.
The ride to Lijiashan is not far (5kms), but the road is windy and at times exceedingly steep. It’s also a scorching day and there’s little or no shade from the merciless sun, so we are pleased we took the lazy option. The village is really tiny, much smaller than I’d expected. Our guidebook had written a whole column about it. The setting is nonetheless lovely: the village is surrounded by green hills, some of them terraced, and there are lots of fruit trees and plants.
There are cave-dwellings, mostly abandoned, as well as more elaborate complexes, set around courtyards with cave-rooms at the back. Most buildings are dilapidated, though some have been partially restored. There is some new building work going on as well.
Continue reading “Lijiashan 李家山窑洞村 Cave Village”
Qikou Yellow River Town is an ancient historic riverine town on the banks of the Yellow River in a remote part of Shanxi Province. Even though Qikou is virtually unknown to western tourists, Chinese domestic tourists are beginning to arrive in ever increasing numbers.
We arrived in Qikou after one of those frustrating and often terrifying China back road trips that make you swear to yourself “never again” but you always return for more. On arrival we were rewarded with grand vistas of the mighty Yellow River and seduced by an enchanting classic Chinese ancient town, as yet not converted into a tourist theme park.
It had been a frustrating ride because of a huge, infernal traffic jam, caused by one of the thousands of overloaded coal trucks that ply the Shanxi roads, which had rolled over and blocked the narrow, mountainous and potholed road. Terrifying, because our tiny car, dwarfed by the lurching trucks, kept having to dodge them as they overtook each other on blind corners.
However, as we opened the first of many cold beers on the grand terrace of the Qikou Guesthouse, any nasty lingering memories of the trip were soon dispelled.
Qikou is an ancient port on the Yellow River (see our previous article on The Qikou Inn for more information). Nowadays there is scarcely any river traffic; a few sad, rusting boats tied up along the river bank are all that remains of a once thriving commercial town.
Continue reading “Qikou Yellow River Town”
Qikou Kezhan (Inn): This must be one of China’s most charismatic hotels! It may not win any prizes for luxury, but its location and ambience are unbeatable.
The Inn or hotel, reportedly built some 300 years ago, is set right on the banks of the Yellow River 黄河, just before one of the river’s huge, sweeping bends. On the other side, the dry and barren hills of Shaanxi 陕西省 province stretch as far as the eye can see.
For centuries, Qikou town 碛口古城was an isolated but significant outpost as, for kilometer after kilometer, along either bank of the Yellow River, there were no other towns in sight. In its heyday, it served as an important trading port between the provinces of Shanxi 山西省 and Shaanxi 陕西省, with hundreds of boats docking at its wharf. Today, standing on the few remaining, rickety wooden boards and overlooking the placid brown waters, all this activity is hard to imagine.
The Inn has had an equally colorful history, first as home to the various merchants who plied their wares along the Yellow River and later as a base for the Red Army during the War of Resistance against Japan.
It’s a handsome, two storey, grey-brick building with two courtyards, a small tower and a lovely, covered terrace overlooking the river. Rooms are cave- like, with huge, rounded, latticed windows and bamboo screens hanging in front of the sturdy wooden doors. The beds are Kang-style, large and comfortable.
Continue reading “Qikou Kezhan (Inn)”