High-Speed Rail Weekend Slow Travel: Jiexiu, Shanxi, the Dazzling Home of Glazed Pottery

I've taken my mom to many countries and cities before. I'll also release a video version, which will present a more detailed travel experience. Welcome everyone to stay tuned! 🥰Overall Impression: "Return from Jiexiu, see no more glazed pottery." Compared to Pingyao, Jiexiu, the "Glazed Pottery Capital of China," is less well-known, but it boasts the Aoshen Tower, one of the "Three Famous Towers of Shanxi," and the Houtu Temple, known as the "Museum of Glazed Pottery Art," both still vibrant after thousands of years. I recommend everyone to visit this colorful small city! Surprise! The Lingkong Tower has no stairs from the fourth floor upwards. You have to use both hands and feet to climb vertically up and down. I admire myself for climbing to the ninth floor! 📖Guide is here! 🚝Transportation: Train, Beijing Fengtai - Jiexiu East, 4 hrs 🏨Accommodation: Mehood Lestie Hotel near Beitan Middle Road 🍜Specialties: Lao Jiexiu Restaurant, Zuima Zhanpianze Daquan 🚕: Ride-hailing apps are available, but there are no private cars, only taxis, which are easy to hail. The drivers I met were all very nice. ❌This is not the case now! (Except for museums, other attractions are closed from 12:00-14:30) 🥰My Slow Travel Itinerary D1: Take the high-speed rail to Jiexiu East Station, take a taxi to the ancient city, check in, and have Jiexiu cuisine for dinner. D2: (Taxi) Taiheyan Archway → (Taxi back) Houtu Temple → (Walk) Wuyue Temple (currently closed) → (Walk) Jiexiu City God Temple → (Walk) Aoshen Tower → (Walk) Jiexiu Museum → Dinner D3: (Taxi) Lingkong Tower → (Taxi) Zhangbi Ancient Fortress → Take the high-speed rail back to Beijing in the afternoon ☺️Recommended One-Day Itinerary: (Taxi) Taiheyan Archway → (Taxi back) Houtu Temple → (Walk) Wuyue Temple (currently closed) → (Walk) Jiexiu City God Temple → (Walk) Aoshen Tower → (Walk) Jiexiu Museum → (Taxi) Lingkong Tower → (Taxi) Zhangbi Ancient Fortress 🎫Tickets: All free, ID registration required at the entrance. Zhangbi Ancient Fortress: 75 📍Taiheyan Archway Originally the front archway of the Zhenwu Temple (now destroyed), located in Beixinwu Village, Yian Town, Jiexiu City, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. Built in the 23rd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1897). The archway is richly decorated and is a typical masterpiece of Chinese glazed pottery art during its Ming and Qing Dynasty heyday. 📍Houtu Temple A Quanzhen Taoist temple, the original construction date is unknown, with written records dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is a rare gem of Ming and Qing Dynasty pavilion-style architecture and was listed as a fifth-batch national protected site in 2001. It is known as the "Museum of Glazed Pottery Art." 📍Aoshen Tower Originally built in the Northern Song Dynasty, it is the only remaining Zoroastrian building in China. It was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty and is known as one of the "Three Famous Towers of Shanxi" along with the Qiufeng Tower and Feiyun Tower in Wanrong County. It was listed as a fourth-batch national protected site in 1996. Zoroastrianism, also known as fire worship, is an ancient religion that has disappeared. This tower is said to have been built by the Confucian minister Wen Yanbo during the Northern Song Dynasty. 📍City God Temple Built during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, it is a well-preserved ancient wooden building and was listed as a seventh-batch national protected site in 2013. 📍Wuyue Temple Originally built in the Ming Dynasty, the roof ridges are decorated with glazed pottery, primarily in peacock blue. It was listed as a sixth-batch national protected site in 2006. Unfortunately, it was closed. 📍Lingkong Tower Also known as Gugu Shen Tower and Longfeng Tower, it is located near Longfeng Village. Nine stories high, stairs lead to the third floor. From the fourth floor onwards, you need to climb straight up and down, which is challenging but definitely worth it! 📍Zhangbi Ancient Fortress Backed by Mianshan Mountain, it is higher in the south and lower in the north, forming a rectangle. Looking down from the north of the fortress, there are three deep gullies extending downwards on the left, middle, and right. There are three external passages to the south of the fortress. To the west is Yaowan Gully, with steep cliffs and slopes more than 30 meters deep. The east side overlooks the surroundings, with gullies and trenches as barriers, making it "easy to defend and difficult to attack, with escape routes." The streets and alleys are clearly structured, with shops and ancient houses on both sides. The most famous is the Khan Shrine. Existing temples include the Kongwang Shrine and the Guan Di Temple. The Zhangbi Ancient Fortress has a network of underground tunnels, forming an underground military defense system.