[2025 Taiyuan Attraction] Travel Guide for Zhou-bai Tang-huai (Updated May)

/ After visiting the Jinci Temple, I seriously suspect the people of Shanxi have seen real dragons! . Eight Song Dynasty wood-carved dragons in front of the Saint Mother Hall that are masters of "expression management"! They are the oldest existing wood-carved coiled dragon pillars in China. Born in the second year of the Yuan You reign of the Northern Song Dynasty. 60 years earlier than the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" painting! . Each dragon has its own unique expression. The attention-seeking dragon with its head tilted and tongue sticking out. The peace sign ✌🏻 dragon, the thumbs-up 👍🏻 dragon, the international gesture 🖕🏻 dragon, etc. / 📸Mystical photo spots: 1️⃣ 45° oblique angle of the Saint Mother Hall (King's perspective with dragon pillars + flying eaves in the same frame) 2️⃣ Squat down and shoot upwards at the dragon's head (to capture the oppressive feeling of the giant dragon's gaze) 3️⃣ Shoot against the light at 3pm (the dragon's body will automatically have a gilded special effect) . The wood carving has a 3D effect! The dragon's whiskers are distinct, the scales have their own light and shadow effects, and on a sunny day, the dragon's claws will cast a "real dragon manifestation" projection on the ground! / ✅One-day itinerary: Jinci Museum Gate → Jinren Platform (to see the Northern Song Dynasty iron men) → Offering Hall (a building miraculously built without nails) → Fish Marsh and Flying Bridge (the ancient version of an overpass) → Saint Mother Hall (find the eight dragons in the center) → Nanlao Spring (get a pot of thousand-year-old koi water) . 🔥Three must-see treasures: ❶ 43 painted statues of maidservants from the Song Dynasty in the Saint Mother Hall (with real human hair + masters of micro-expression management) ❷ Emperor Taizong's handwritten "Jinci Inscription" stele (a large-scale praise scene by Li Shimin) ❸ Zhou Cypress (a 3,000-year-old tree spirit) . ‼️Personal tips: Try speaking your dialect to the dragon pillars! Local elders say the dragon's ears are hollow, and whispers can be transmitted into the Dragon Palace.

Located at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain, 25 km southwest of Taiyuan City, and at the source of the Jin River, Jinci Temple is not only one of the oldest and most elaborate temple complexes in ancient China, but also a beautiful classical Chinese garden. It boasts over 100 buildings, including halls, towers, pavilions, terraces, bridges, and kiosks, dating from the Northern Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republican periods. There are also over 100 sculptures from the Song and Yuan dynasties, over 30 cast art pieces, over 400 stone inscriptions from various dynasties, over 200 poems, inscriptions, and plaques, and 96 ancient and famous trees, 30 of which are over a thousand years old. The central area of Jinci Temple houses the main attractions, including the Water Mirror Stage, Meeting Fairies Bridge, Golden Man Terrace, Duiyue Archway, Xian Hall, Flying Bridge Across Fish Pond, and the main hall, Shengmu Hall. Must-sees at Jinci Temple: Three national treasures: Shengmu Hall, Flying Bridge Across Fish Pond, and Xian Hall. Three wonders of Jinci: Nanlao Spring, Song Dynasty colored sculptures, and Zhou Cypress. Three famous plaques of Jinci: Water Mirror Stage, Duiyue, and Nanlao. Opening hours: Peak season 8:30 am–6:00 pm; Off-season 9:00 am–5:00 pm. Tickets: Full price CNY 80/person, half price CNY 40/person, discounts available for specific groups. The guided tour route within Jinci Temple is: Jinci East Gate Archway - Feilong Pavilion - Longxing Jinyang Sculpture - Water Mirror Stage - Xian Hall - Flying Bridge Across Fish Pond - Shengmu Hall - Zhou Cypress - Tang Shuyu Shrine - Inscription of Jinci Temple and Preface Stele - Nanlao Spring - Shuimu Building - Jinxi Academy. The tour lasts 90 mins, and the guide fee is generally CNY 100/tour.

Among the three Jin regions, Jinyang is the most beautiful, and the beauty of Jinyang lies entirely in Jinci. Jinci in Taiyuan, Shanxi, is the earliest existing royal sacrificial garden in China. It was built to commemorate Tang Shuyu, the founding marquis of the Jin State, and his mother, Yi Jiang. The Jinci Museum can be considered a hall-level museum of ancient Chinese architecture. When you come to Jinci, don't rush to take pictures and leave. Walk slowly, observe the ancient Zhou cypress that has endured for three thousand years, feel the simplicity of the plaques whose colors have faded over a hundred years, and appreciate the imagination of Song Dynasty craftsmen from the earliest existing wooden dragon sculpture. As mentioned in 'A Millennium Garden: Jinci,' don't be a tourist, be an experiencer. Jinci 🌟Ticket: 80 yuan 🚘Transportation: About 30 minutes by taxi from the city center As the saying goes: If you haven't been to Jinci, you haven't truly been to Taiyuan. The earliest royal sacrificial garden in China is the only architectural complex that integrates the essence of ancient buildings from the Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. 🌈Main attractions: Three Wonders, Three Treasures, Three Plaques

It snowed the night I arrived in Taiyuan. The next day, the city of Taiyuan was covered in snow. Although it wasn’t big, it was still a small blessing for me as a southerner. Jin Temple Park is located at the foot of Xuantong Mountain in Jinyuan District, southwest of Taiyuan City. It is the ancient Jin King Temple, which was first built in the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was built by later generations to commemorate King Wu of Zhou’s second son Ji Yu (later posthumously named King of Jin) and his mother Queen Yi Jiang (Jiang Ziya’s goddaughter, and it is Queen Jiang who is enshrined in the Holy Mother Hall now). Among them, the Nanlao Spring, the Maid Statue and Zhou Cypress are known as the "Three Wonders of Jin Temple". 🌈Highlights: Tang stele: Li Shimin's handwritten authentic imperial stele; Our Lady Hall: the original hall built in the Northern Song Dynasty (wooden carvings of coiled dragons and maids are also highlights); Jinren Terrace: Built in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Jinren Terrace in the northeast corner was destroyed and rebuilt in the Republic of China. The Jinren Terrace in the lower right corner appeared in the 18th episode of the 1983 version of Journey to the West, "Sweeping the Pagoda to Explain the Strange Injustice", which is the one with Benboerbababoerben; Uonuma Flying Bridge: The original bridge built in the Northern Song Dynasty, the oldest cross-shaped overpass; (But now it is covered, after all, it is a cultural relic. There is a one-to-one restoration in Jinci Park) Offering Hall: It is an old building from the Dading Period of the Jin Dynasty, used to offer sacrifices to the Virgin Mary and Child. In later dynasties (Yuan, Ming and Qing), new buildings were built or rebuilt, such as the Miaoyi Hall in the Yuan Dynasty, the Duiyuefang in the Ming Dynasty, and the Taiyi Temple in the Qing Dynasty. 🚗Address and Transportation: Taiyuan currently has only one subway line, so there is no other choice for buses: Jinci Park Station. Taiyuan South High-speed Railway Station East Square: Bus No. 79 Taiyuan Station: Bus No. 308/804 🎫Ticket Information: 80 yuan/person Peak season (April-October): 08:00-18:00 Off-season (November-March): 08:30-17:00 ✨Tips: The full name of Jin Temple is now Jin Temple Museum. It is located in Jin Temple Park. Jin Temple Park is free and has many newly renovated ancient buildings. It is also quite good. It avoids crowds and is suitable for checking in and taking photos.

Taiyuan Jinci, the earliest royal garden in China, the cultural landmark of Taiyuan, and the unpopular scenic spot where ancient architecture is brilliant to the extreme. Before traveling to Taiyuan Jinci, you need to know these situations: 1, Taiyuan Jinci has three unique features: the Zhou Cypress in front of the Holy Mother Hall, the Tang Locust in the scenic area, and the difficult old spring. 2, Jinci Scenic Area includes Jinci Park and the Jinci we know. Jinci Park is free. Jinci Museum charges a fee. The main tour is Jinci Museum. 3, The best tourist season for Jinci is from May to October and when it snows in winter. Or sunny days in winter and spring, avoid smoggy and rainy days 4, Be sure to hire a tour guide to popularize the history of Jinci and explain the details. 5, Transportation: After getting off at Taiyuan South Station, take bus No. 79 directly to Jinci 6, Mei Lanfang learned the feeling of the maid statue in Jinci, so the sculptures in the Holy Mother Hall must be carefully observed, as well as the drum and music maid sculptures in the Prince's Temple next to it 7, Note: Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin's favorite Yuzhuo Feiliang, remember to learn more. These are the only ones in the country. Don't feed the fish to pollute the water environment