LingShi Meteorite Park in Jinzhong, Shanxi | "LingShi" is a meteorite that was discovered over 1400 years ago

There is only one city named after a meteorite, and that is LingShi County in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. During the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, toured to Jinyang, and when he reached the territory of Pingchang County, the official carriage had difficulty traveling. A road was opened along the river, and a huge stone was found, which looked like iron but not iron, like stone but not stone, with a grayish color and a clanging sound. Legend has it that the stone bore the words "Great Way Eternal Auspiciousness", and Emperor Wen considered it an auspicious omen, thus bestowing the name "LingShi" on it, and decreed the establishment of a county in the southwest of Pingchang, named after the stone as "LingShi County", which has a history of over 1430 years to this day. The local villagers regard this as a sacred stone and come to burn incense and worship during the spring and autumn festivals, praying for peace. According to scholars who have studied the stone's quality and shape, this is an ancient meteorite that fell from the sky, weighing 6.8 tons, with the part exposed above ground being 1.6 meters high, 1.5 meters in diameter, and approximately 2.4 cubic meters in volume. Scientific tests and analyses have shown that "LingShi" is an iron meteorite. Its hardness is 5.5-6.0, it is magnetic, and its main component is iron, with a content of 96.17%, with other elements like nickel, titanium, manganese, etc., none of which exceed 1% in content. Its external volume is second only to the iron meteorite displayed in the Urumqi Museum. The volume of the part buried underground remains a mystery to this day. Legend has it that during the Japanese invasion of China, a Japanese officer named Yamaguchi Dairoku attempted to transport the "LingShi" to Japan. Soldiers dug for several days without finding the base, so they had to give up. Originally, the LingShi stone was placed outside the north gate of LingShi County in the Lvzu Temple, but later the Lvzu Temple was rebuilt into the Tianshi Park, adjacent to the LingShi Cultural and Arts Center. Citizens and tourists can touch the "LingShi" up close and take photos with it. 📍Detailed address: Tianshi Park: East side of the Cultural and Arts Center in LingShi County, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province Tickets: Free admission