Shanxi Xinzhou Ancient City: A Thousand-Year-Old Secret Realm Just a 1-Hour Drive Away!

🌟Shanxi Xinzhou Ancient City: A Thousand-Year-Old Secret Realm Just a 1-Hour Drive Away! Full Guide to Food + Intangible Cultural Heritage Molten Iron Fireworks + Stunning B&Bs🔥 "Xinzhou is perfect for a city walk!" My bestie exclaimed as soon as we got off the car. Starbucks is hidden among the gray bricks and tiles, century-old houses have been transformed into artistic B&Bs, and you can find steaming buckwheat jelly noodles around every corner. This low-key ancient city from the Northern Wei Dynasty has mastered the art of blending the ancient and modern! 🚗【Self-Driving Guide】A Must-Read for the Lazy! Navigate directly to "Xinzhou Ancient City South Gate parking lot". It's about a 1.5-hour drive from Taiyuan/Datong on the expressway. We arrived at 10 AM on the weekend, and there were still spaces in the huge free parking lot! The parking lot is a 3-minute walk from the South Gate entrance of the ancient city. If you have luggage, it's recommended to choose "Xiurong Courtyard B&B". The butler will drive a shuttle to help with your luggage, which is super thoughtful. 🍜【Food Map】A Foodie's Paradise! Pass through the city gate with the words "Key to the Three Passes" and instantly fall into a carbohydrate heaven! It's recommended to come on an empty stomach to challenge this Ming and Qing Dynasty food street: ✅ Buckwheat Jelly Noodles (Must-Eat!): Chewy buckwheat noodles covered in chili oil, CNY 7/bowl ✅ Baode Fried Rice Cake: Intangible cultural heritage jujube paste filling, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, bursting with flavor ✅ Mashed Pea Cake: Potato lovers rejoice! Amazing with sauerkraut ✅ Ancient City Yogurt: Served in retro porcelain bottles, perfect for photos ⚠️Avoid: A certain internet-famous yogurt shop has a 1-hour queue, but the taste is the same in the three shops further inside! 🎆【Molten Iron Fireworks Guide】You'll Regret Missing It! Two shows daily at 19:50/21:00. The best spot is on the "Mingyue Tower" steps! It's recommended to grab a spot 40 minutes in advance. We bought old yogurt to eat while we waited. When the 1600℃ molten iron blooms into a golden waterfall in the night sky, everyone shouts "Wow~", it's even more shocking than fireworks! When the show ends, follow the crowd out of Guandi Temple Alley, and it's a super convenient 5-minute walk back to the B&B. 🏡【B&B Experience】Stay in a Cultural Relic! Highly recommend "Xiurong Courtyard"! The three-in-four courtyard has been transformed into a Zen space. The east wing room we stayed in had a view of the eaves and brackets from the window. Smart toilet + Dyson hair dryer + good night dessert soup, and the mattress is a Kingkoil! Special praise for the service - free Hanfu to wear, and the butler also gave us a hand-drawn map of the ancient city, marking the hidden photo spots with cinnabar, which is super thoughtful for girls! 📸【Niche Check-In List】 1️⃣ Taishan Temple Alley: When the blue-toned lanterns light up, it's straight out of "The Longest Day in Chang'an" 2️⃣ Xiurong Academy: Climb the West Courtyard Pavilion to overlook the entire city, the red walls and glazed tiles are super photogenic 3️⃣ Eight City Gates: The plaques on each city gate are calligraphy treasures, the North Gate "Key to Northern Shanxi" is recommended 4️⃣ Night Tour of the City Walls: Rent Hanfu for CNY 20 and get free access to the city walls, take atmospheric photos with a fish lantern 💡【Summary of Blood and Tears Experience】 ① Don't wear high heels! The ground in the ancient city is uneven bluestone ② It's more cost-effective to buy a pass (CNY 60 includes 8 attractions + city walls) ③ It's recommended to stay in the ancient city on weekends, the deserted streets in the early morning are great for photos ④ Hidden gameplay: Find a teahouse and listen to the proprietress tell the story of the "Xinzhou Jiuyuangang Murals" Standing on the city wall, looking at the brightly lit streets, I suddenly understood why Yuan Haowen looked back at this land when he wrote "What is love in the world". Xinzhou is like a treasure box forgotten by time, ancient but not old, lively but not noisy. Promise me, next time you come to Shanxi, don't just go to Pingyao!