Shanxi Tour Series (40) - Jincheng Xiangyu Ancient Castle

Courtyards, castles, and ancient cities in northern China are always beautiful, practical, and multifunctional. They may look like residences, but they could be tunnels, arsenals, or training grounds. Every time you explore them, you will be surprised and fall in love with them. The 40th stop of the Shanxi Tour Series is Xiangyu Ancient Castle, a treasure trove with multiple functions. 🟡️Overall structure: Xiangyu Ancient Castle is the hometown of Sun Juxiang, Minister of Revenue, and Sun Dingxiang, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. It was built in the 42nd year of the Wanli period along the river. The village is surrounded by a city wall over 1,000 meters long. The arched windows on the city wall and the houses inside the city are densely packed, like a honeycomb, so it is also called "Honeycomb City" by the locals. 🟡️Origin of the ancient castle: Xiangyu Village existed as a natural village as early as the late Yuan and early Ming Dynasties. The Sun family moved here to avoid the chaos of the dynastic change. In the late Ming Dynasty, the society was in turmoil, and the villagers rebuilt the village into a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. 📌TIPS: 📍Location: Search for Xiangyu Ancient Castle on the map. 💰Ticket: CNY 65/person 🅿️Parking: There is a parking lot in front of the scenic area, CNY 10/time. ⏰️Tour duration: 1-2 hours 🟣️Nearby: 🌵Huangcheng Xiangfu 🌵Guoyu Ancient City 🌵Situ Town 💟2-day 1-night itinerary: ✅Day 1: Huangcheng Xiangfu (tour duration: 2-3 hours) - Guoyu Ancient City (tour duration: 2-3 hours) (The two attractions are adjacent to each other and can be visited together). There is a live performance "Back to Xiangfu" at Huangcheng Xiangfu in the evening, which is very impressive and worth seeing. You can stay nearby after the show. We recommend the Ming and Qing Courtyard Homestay in Guoyu Ancient City, which is authentic (If you stay here, the tickets and parking for Guoyu Ancient City are free). ✅Day 2: 🔰First stop: Xiangyu Ancient Castle (17 minutes drive from the above two attractions) 🔰Second stop: Situ Town (57 minutes drive from Xiangyu Ancient Castle) Tour duration: 4-5 hours. There are various performances and small shows in the town during the day. Please refer to the scenic area announcement for details. There is a Dashuhua performance in the evening, which is worth seeing.