【Preface】

Speaking of Shanxi, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Is it coal or local tyrants? Is it vinegar or noodles? Is it pollution or Chai Jing? Or Guan Yu, Wu Zetian?
I came to Shanxi once last year and visited the ancient temple, the Qiao Family Courtyard, and the Imperial City Prime Minister's Mansion. There are too many delicious and fun places in Shanxi. This September, I came to Shanxi again, walked into Yanmen Pass, watched the stunning scenery of Yanmen Pass, and felt the culture of the Northern Wei, Jin, and Liao outside Yanmen Pass.
Go to Ying County Wooden Pagoda to see the wonder building of China's first wooden pagoda. Let's go and have a look together!

Visit the ancient city of Pingyao and taste the ancient charm of Pingyao

When it comes to the ancient city, the first thing everyone thinks of is the ancient city of Fenghuang and the ancient city of Lijiang. It is precisely because of the development of these ancient cities that the ancient city has become a place full of romance.
The ancient city of Pingyao, as the only ancient city in Shanxi Province, is also the only complete ancient city of the Chinese Han nationality in the world. People who have never been there will think that there are some ancient buildings everywhere, which must be full of history; but when I walked into the ancient city, I was shocked by the sight in front of me, which was different from what I imagined.

Before arriving, I have always heard that the ancient city of Pingyao is a "turtle gossip city", and the entire ancient city is in the shape of a turtle. When you get off the bus, you can see the ancient city wall from a distance, looking peaceful and peaceful. Walking on the thick city wall, I feel that the blue bricks under my feet bear too much, and the crenels where I used to look at the enemy are already full of young tourists vying to take pictures.

From the introduction board at the entrance, I learned that the city wall was originally built in the Western Zhou Dynasty. After expansion in the Ming and Qing dynasties, the city wall with a total circumference of 6163 meters and a height of about 12 meters was built. This city wall also divides Pingyao County into Two worlds with very different styles.

Come down from the city wall, slowly enter the middle of the street, and find that there are many ticket shops on both sides of the street, and merchants gather here. The courage of Pingyao stems from Shanxi merchants, which also planted the seeds for the modern financial industry. Here is the most prosperous street in the ancient city: South Street, where there are many handicrafts, museums, clothing stores, snack bars...

After a day of sightseeing, I saw the characteristic historical buildings of Pingyao, and felt the beauty of history and culture; at night, maybe you want to rest in the inn, but what I want to tell you is that you must come out for a walk, and don’t ignore the beauty of Pingyao at night. beautiful. Perhaps the pace of life of the northerners is faster than that of the south, and the night in Pingyao is quiet with a little taste of the old city.

Every brick and stone in the ancient city of Pingyao has the imprint of time. They have traveled for thousands of years with their own style. You can listen to the ancient city tell its past, sigh its bitterness, and share its past Joy, moved by its once luxurious.

Today's Pingyao Ancient City has become a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction, quietly on the land of Jinzhong, welcoming tourists from all over the world.

Jiusai worships Yanmen Pass

Friends who have watched the martial arts master Jin Yong's "Dragon and Babu" will be familiar with the name Yanmenguan. The life experience of the protagonist Qiao Feng is a mystery, and the direction of the whole story is all caused by a fight outside Yanmen Pass. So what is the existence of Yanmen Pass in history? Today I am honored to come to Shanxi Yanmen Pass to learn about Yanmen Pass together.

"Nine fortresses in the world, Yanmen ranks first", this is a saying since ancient times, which shows how important Yanmen Pass was back then. I have always known the name Yanmenguan before, but it has not arrived for a long time. Today, I walked into Yanmenguan in Yanmen Mountain, 20 kilometers north of Daixian County, Shanxi. It is now a national 5A-level scenic spot open to the outside world. It has become a well-known frontier cultural tourism destination at home and abroad.

At the gate of the scenic spot, which is Mingyue Tower, I happened to meet the general of the Yang family at the opening ceremony of the welcome ceremony. All the men of the Yang family are very skilled! In this land, the Yang family will be famous far and wide. The Yang family will defeat the Liao army here.

After passing the Mingyue Tower, you will pass a village. The village has now turned into shops and some restaurants. The fire in Yanmen has been closed, and the surrounding villagers have also become rich. You can choose to eat here at noon. The cost is not very expensive. Along the stone slab Continue on the road, and you will pass Bianmao Street, which sells some local specialty mountain products, and you can bring some to relatives and friends if you need them.

You can reach the core tourist area of ​​the scenic spot by passing through the gate of Wengcheng. Standing on the platform, you can see the Forest of Steles and the Wild Goose Pagoda in the distance. It looks quite close, and there is still a distance to walk there.
Wild Goose Pagoda, the original building was destroyed in 1937, the existing main body was rebuilt in 1989 and supplemented in 2010. The Goose Tower is 5 rooms wide and 4 rooms deep, with double eaves and a mountain-top style, surrounded by corridors. Here is also a great place to climb up to enjoy the scenery of Yanmen Pass. Although climbing the Great Wall is a bit tiring, it is worth it!

If you like ancient city walls, then you must take a section of the ancient official road here when you come to Yanmen Pass, and go around the city wall. The Great Wall in the scenic area is built on the mountain, among the winding mountains. Climbing this section of the Great Wall is a little tiring for those who do not like sports, but when you climb to a high place and look outside the pass, the mountains, clouds and yellowing forests can quietly feel the history The vicissitudes of life, I feel that seeing such a beautiful scenery, it is nothing to be tired.

It is this winding official road that bears the historical vicissitudes of more than 3,000 years that has created the historical mission of Yanmen Pass, and also achieved the eternal glory of Yanmen Pass!

Since Yanmen Pass has been an important town in northern China and an important political post of the Frontier Army. In Chinese history, there are many major historical events, such as "Han Gaozu's Northern Expedition", "Zhaojun's departure from the fortress", "Yang's general guarding the three passes" and other major historical events have a certain relationship with Yanmen Pass.

This flat square is also a good place for tourists to take pictures. During the National Day, there will be a series of performances and art performances in the scenic area. The Yang family will walk around the Yanmen Pass to take pictures and interact with tourists! The characters Xiao Feng and Azhu tumbler in Jin Yong's martial arts also performed stunts on the spot, and Yang Jia Haoerlang's martial arts performance was staged again on the stage, and the live activities climaxed one after another!

Aerial photography of the Yanmen Pass Scenic Area, you can see the magnificent scenery outside the pass, and the autumn colors in the gullies in the distance, you can feel the unique exotic scenery of the dangerous pass.

Nowadays, with the development of the times, Yanmen Pass is no longer a raging war, and it has also become a national 5A scenic spot. The historical style and traces still exist. Tourists who come to visit will lament the magnificence and history of Yanmen Pass. Read the epic stories that happened here.

Ying County Wooden Pagoda|The First Wooden Pagoda in China

Ying County has a long history. In ancient times, this place was the killing field for wars. There is a world-famous wooden pagoda in Yingxian County. The official name should be the Shakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple, located in the Fogong Temple in the northwest of Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province.

In fact, I didn’t know this wooden tower before I came, but I heard from the tour guide that this is the tallest and oldest wooden structure in China. Together with the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it is also known as the "Three Great Towers in the World". In 2016, the Shakyamuni Pagoda was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest wooden pagoda in the world.

In front of the wooden pagoda stands a statue of Empress Xiao, specifically why. I didn't go into it too deeply, the statue at the door perfectly matches the ancient wooden tower in the temple.

Looking at the wooden tower from the front, the facade of the first floor has double eaves, and the upper floors have single eaves, a total of five floors and six eaves. In fact, there is a dark layer between the layers in the tower, which is actually nine layers. Because the ground floor has double eaves and a corridor, the appearance of the tower is six-story eaves.

Approaching Fogong Temple, I saw some ancient buildings in Fogong Temple. It is still very shocking to feel the wooden tower up close. It is also a miracle that the pure wooden structure, without nails and rivets, can stand for a thousand years without falling down.

Each piece of plaque from different historical periods is exquisite. The whole picture of the wooden tower against the blue sky and white clouds is extraordinary.
Due to time issues, we didn't stay here too much, and we have to drive to the next stop. . .

【postscript】

"Travel is not a hobby, but a life." Whether it is going left or right, or carefully planning the itinerary, or just walking, it is an attitude towards life.
There are still many scenic spots in Shanxi, such as Wutai Mountain in Xinzhou, Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Beiyue Hengshan, and the architectural miracle Hanging Temple, etc... I have to wait for the next time.

[Practical strategies and precautions]

1. Try to bring as little cash as possible, and keep valuables safe. Now that technology is very advanced, credit card checkout has still become a norm. Therefore, try to choose as little cash as possible when traveling abroad. But bringing less cash does not mean no cash, otherwise it will be miserable if there is no credit card machine in the scenic spot. At the same time, when traveling, try not to leave valuables such as cameras and computers, and keep them properly.
2. Ticket category: Determine the travel time, choose the means of transportation in advance, whether it is a plane or a train, it is best to download a travel app, so that booking tickets is more convenient.
3. Digital category: SLR cameras, mobile phones, laptops, mobile hard disks, chargers, mobile power supplies, power strips.
4. Be optimistic about the weather when you go out. It is best to choose a sunny day.
5. If you are traveling by car, determine the route in advance;
6. There is a temperature difference between morning and evening. When traveling in autumn and winter, pay attention to wind protection and bring a thermos.

【About traffic】

big traffic

The traffic in Shanxi is relatively convenient overall. Friends from all over the world can fly directly to Taiyuan Wusu Airport, or take high-speed rail or train to Taiyuan Station (Taiyuan South Station) or Pingyao Ancient City Station.
Aircraft: 1. Taiyuan Wusu International Airport, 2. Yuncheng Guangong Airport, 3. Linfen Qiaoli Airport, 4. Changzhi Wangcun Airport, 5. Datong Yungang Airport
Train: Taiyuan Station, Taiyuan South Station, Pingyao Gucheng Station (high-speed rail station), etc.
Automobile: Provincial Long-distance Bus Station, Passenger East Station, Passenger West Station, Jiannan Bus Station and Yingbin Bus Station.


Pingyao Ancient City
From Taiyuan to Pingyao can take trains and cars. There are many trains from Taiyuan to Pingyao, and they stop almost every hour. The train station is located at No. 2 Jianshe South Road, downtown Taiyuan, and there are buses from the airport. Long-distance buses can be taken at Jiannan Bus Station, and there are many times of driving between Pingyao and Pingyao.

You can also go directly to Pingyao Ancient City by train. There are two stations in Pingyao Ancient City, one is Pingyao Station (railway station) and the other is Pingyao Ancient City Station (high-speed rail station). Pingyao Station is about 1,000 meters away from the Lower West Gate of Pingyao Ancient City, a 10-minute walk. Pingyao Ancient City High-speed Railway Station is about ten kilometers away from Pingyao Ancient City. After getting off the train, you can choose to take the bus, No. 108, one yuan per person. The terminal is Pingyao Ancient City North Gate Bus Station and South Gate Station, or take a taxi to Pingyao Ancient City. The cost is about three ten yuan. If your location does not have a direct train or high-speed rail to Pingyao Ancient City, you can choose to go to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, and then take it to Taiyuan Jiannan Bus Station, about 2 hours to Pingyao Ancient City, Pingyao Ancient City Bus Station is about 500 meters from the north gate of Pingyao Ancient City.

Yanmenguan Scenic Area:
There is no public transportation in the Yanmenguan Scenic Area. You can hire a taxi in Daixian County to go to the scenic spot, or drive by yourself.

Ying County Wooden Pagoda Scenic Area:
Datong City - Ying County At Datong Xinnan Passenger Station, there is a shuttle bus to Ying County every day, and the whole journey takes about 1.5 hours. Shuozhou City - Ying County At Shuozhou North Passenger Transport Station, there is a shuttle bus to Ying County every day, and the whole journey takes about 1.5 hours. Traffic in Yingxian County Yingxian County is not big, and it is not too far to walk to the scenic spot. If you take a taxi, the starting fee is enough.