Recommended top ten tourist attractions in Xinzhou

1. Wutai Mountain

Located in Wutai County, Xinzhou City, it is surrounded by five platform-like peaks and has beautiful scenery. It is a famous summer resort. In addition, it is also the dojo of Manjushri Bodhisattva, with numerous temples, ranking first among the four most famous mountains in Chinese Buddhism. Since it is the only remaining Taoist temple in China with the Yellow Temple (Tibetan tradition) and the Qingmiao (Han tradition), you can not only see Han monks but also Tibetan lamas in Mount Wutai.

2. Pianguan Laoniuwan Scenic Area

It is located at the junction of Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia, bounded by the Yellow River, with Pianguan County in Shanxi to the south and Qingshui River in Inner Mongolia on the north bank. County, where the Yellow River flows into Shanxi, where the inner and outer Great Walls meet, and where the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Mongolia Grand Canyon begins. It is one of the ten most beautiful canyons in China. The entire Laoniu Bay tourist area consists of Baozi Tower Bay, Laoniu Bay, Four Towers Bay and Yangjiachuan Small Canyon.

3. Yuwang Cave

Located on the mountainside of Xizhou Mountain, 20 kilometers southeast of Xinzhou City, it is the only way to travel to Taiyuan and Mount Wutai. It is known as the "No. 1 Cave in North China". The original name is Xianren Cave, also known as Xiandeng Kiln. According to legend, Dayu once tied a boat here to control floods. There is a stone statue in the cave, which resembles King Yu. It was later renamed King Yu Cave.

It is said that the cave was created 7,500 years ago when the orogeny occurred in North China and the seabed rose into land, forming the current Taihang Mountains. Later, due to carbonate rock erosion, numerous caves were formed. How deep King Yu Cave is is still a mystery. At present, the proven cave is about 2,000 meters deep, and ten caves with four floors, three halls, and three halls have been renovated for tourists to visit.

4. Xinzhou City Tower

It originally had four gates, all with towers on them. It was built in the 24th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1596). Due to historical reasons, only The north city gate tower survives today. The total height of the tower is 28 meters, seven bays wide and four bays deep. It is surrounded by corridors with double eaves and three drops of water (three floors for the light and three floors for the dark). It has a gabled roof, no columns in the building, and the beam structure is simple, tight and fully connected. It reflects the wisdom of the ancient working people. A huge plaque hangs high on the third floor of the tower, with the four majestic and powerful characters "Key to Northern Shanxi" written on it. The entire city tower, with its red columns, blue tiles, painted pillars and carved beams, is magnificent and spectacular, and has a high cultural relic protection value.

5. Yanmen Pass

Located about 30 kilometers northwest of Xinzhoudai County, it was a pass on the inner Great Wall line in the Ming Dynasty. Together with Ningwuguan and Pianguan, it is known as the "Three Outer Passes". "There is no public transportation from Dai County to the scenic spot. You can only charter a car to go there, and you can only travel in the scenic spot on foot.

Yanmen Pass has been an important pass for the Central Plains Dynasty to resist the invasion of northern nomads since ancient times. The earliest history here can be traced back to the Warring States Period when King Wuling of Zhao fought against the Huns here; famous generals Li Guang, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing of the Han Dynasty once led The soldiers and the Xiongnu fought here; in the Northern Song Dynasty, Yanmen Pass became the main battlefield for the confrontation between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty. The prototype of the well-known story of the Yang family happened here. There is also a statue of Yang Liulang in the scenic area.

6. Yang Family Ancestral Hall

It is located in Lutijian Village, 20 kilometers east of Dai County, Shanxi. In ancient times, the state was the hometown of Song general Yang Ye (called Yang Jiye in the novel). In the second year of Taiping and Xingguo's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 977), Ye led hundreds of cavalry to defeat the Liao soldiers and shocked the Central Plains. The villagers worshiped him here. In the Yuan Dynasty, the seventeenth generation of the Yang family was ordered to build the temple, and it was rebuilt during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Most of the existing buildings and statues in the temple are relics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

7. Bianjing Tower

Commonly known as the Drum Tower. In Daiju City, Shanxi. It was founded in the seventh year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1374), and was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in the seventh year of Chenghua (1471). The foundation of the building is high, with the north and south city gates piercing it. The base is 13 meters high, 43 meters long and 33 meters wide.

The building is 26 meters tall, seven rooms wide and five rooms deep. It is surrounded by corridors, with four water drops on the third floor. It has a mountain-style roof, with hook rails on the second floor and flat seats under the hook rails on the third floor. , Dougong is neat, the beams are exquisite, and the construction is majestic. The structure is reasonable and has survived hundreds of years of wind, rain and multiple earthquakes, and it has remained intact to this day. There are three huge plaques hanging on the upper floor: "Four Great Sravakas", "Three Passes of Weizhen" and "The First Floor of Yanmen".

8. Jindong Temple

It is located in Xihuyan Village, 20 kilometers northwest of Xin County, Shanxi. This place has undulating hills, clusters of jujube trees, and ancient temples, making it quiet and elegant. The founding year is unknown, but according to the architectural characteristics, it existed in the Song Dynasty. It was rebuilt in the fifth year of Yanyou (1318) of the Yuan Dynasty and partially rebuilt in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The existing main hall is a Song Dynasty building, and the Tianwang Hall and Guanyin Hall are relics of the Ming Dynasty. The main hall is three bays wide and three bays deep, with a single eaves gable-style roof.

The eaves and pillars of the palace are relatively short, with panel doors in the open room and windows in the secondary rooms. The window pivots are very small, and the roof folds gently. The front appearance is similar to the eaves of the Northern Song Dynasty caves in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. The dougongs on the eaves are simple and simple, and the shrines in the hall are made of gold pillars. The beams are all exposed and cut neatly, just like the relics of the Song Dynasty.

9. Yuan Haowen's Tomb

It is located on the side of Hanyan Village, 7.5 kilometers southeast of Xin County, Shanxi. There are green willows nearby, a high-rise home, stone masonry around the tomb, and Wengzhong stone beasts arranged in rows. Towards the back is the enjoyment hall, which has five bays and many inlaid steles. There is a pavilion in the east courtyard with a hexagonal structure. All buildings are simple but not crude, simple but not vulgar. Yuan Haowen (1190-1257) was named Yishan. He was smart at a young age and was good at poetry. Later he became an official, Yuan Wai Lang, Zuo Si, Xing Shangshu Province. After the death of Jin, he was no longer an official, specializing in writings, including "Yishan Collection", which was selected and compiled into "Zhongzhou Collection" in ten volumes and Yuefu in one volume.

10. Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

The full name of Sakyamuni Pagoda is Fogong Temple Sakyamuni Pagoda. It is located in Fogong Temple in the northwest of Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. It is commonly known as Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. It was built in the second year of Qingning in the Liao Dynasty (AD 1056, the third year of Zhihe in the Song Dynasty), and was renovated in the sixth year of Mingchang in the Jin Dynasty (AD 1195, the first year of Qingyuan in the Southern Song Dynasty). It is the tallest, oldest and only wooden tower in existence in China. architecture.

The Sakya Pagoda is 67.31 meters high, with a base diameter of 30.27 meters and a flat octagonal shape. The entire tower consumes 3,000 cubic meters of red pine wood and more than 2,600 tons. It is a pure wood structure with no nails or rivets. There are two tooth relics of Sakyamuni Buddha enshrined in the pagoda.