Hougou Ancient Village｜A Time Gap in the Deep Mountains of Yuci (with Travel Guide)

Hidden Treasure Jinzhong Ancient Village with at Least 1,200 Years of History 📍Address: Dongzhao Township, Yuci District, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province 🎫Ticket: 60 RMB/person 🛏Accommodation: The scenic area has self-operated homestays (P18), about 260 RMB per night (affordable, and no extra ticket needed if you stay overnight) 📷Main Attractions: Guanyin Hall, Zhenwu Temple, Ancient Opera Stage, Cave Dwelling Residential Cluster, Agricultural Culture Museum 🚇Transportation: Self-driving is recommended; about 1 hour by car from downtown Taiyuan. Taxi fare is about 130 RMB one way including cross-district fee 🕐Suggested Visit Duration: 3-4 hours If Jinzhong land hides a key to history, then Hougou Ancient Village must be the gentlest tooth on that key. It quietly lies in the valley of Yuci, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with nine alleys and eighteen courtyards. The blue bricks and gray tiles gently bear the weight of hundreds of years—as if time chooses to slow down here. Entering the village entrance, you will find no noisy commercial stalls or crowds of tourists. Instead, you see elderly people sitting on small stools basking in the sun, smoke rising from the earthen rooftops, and dogs lazily rolling in the alleys. That feeling of “I, an outsider, have stepped into someone else’s daily life” instantly heals the soul. The cave dwellings with earthen kang beds are a highlight here. A real old kang bed is not for show; it’s a way of life to keep warm every winter. Sleeping on a kang bed, you will understand what it means to be “embraced by the warmth of the earth.” The ancient village is especially quiet at night; open the window, and the stars shine as if they don’t belong to the modern world. Walking around, you will encounter ancient ancestral halls, old opera stages, and wooden doors faded by the wind. You can feel the traces left by the Jin merchants’ era—a power that was once prosperous and now very tranquil. This place is especially suitable for: ✅People who want to escape the city for a day ✅Those who love old villages, stone-paved roads, and wooden window lattices ✅Those who want to experience cave kang beds and take vintage-style photos ✅Those who need to find some “quiet meaning” beyond everyday life If you also like places where “life doesn’t have to be fast,” Hougou Ancient Village will give you unexpectedly gentle warmth.