Is there anything special about Linfen?

1. Shaomai is a traditional famous food in southern Shanxi. It is shaped like a pomegranate, white and crystal clear, with many fillings and thin skin, and is fragrant and delicious. As early as the third year of Qianlong's reign, the Wang family from Beijingli Village, Fushan County, opened a Fushan Shaomai restaurant in Xianyukou outside Qianmen, Beijing, and made fried triangles and various famous dishes. On New Year's Eve one year, Qianlong returned from a private visit to Tongzhou and went to Fushan Shaomai Restaurant to eat Shaomai. The siu mai stuffing here is soft and fragrant, oily but not greasy, and as white and crystal clear as jade and pomegranate. Qianlong was full of praise after the meal. After returning to the palace, he wrote the three characters "Du Yi Chu" in his own handwriting, and ordered someone to make a plaque and send it to Fushan Shaomai Restaurant. From then on, the Shaomai Restaurant became famous and its value doubled.

2. Yaodu, known as the first capital of China, is located in the Fen River Valley in the southwest of Shanxi Province. It is connected to Changzhi and Jincheng by the Taihang Mountains to the east, adjacent to the Luliang area along the Luliang Mountains to the northwest, and across the Yellow River to the west. It faces Shaanxi, is separated from Shanxi Province by Hanxinling Mountain in the north, and borders Yuncheng District in the south. The Fen River runs through the entire territory from north to south, forming the Linfen Basin along the river. The part of Luliang Mountain that extends to Linfen is called Gushe Mountain, and the peak standing to the west of Linfen is called Pingshui or Jinshui. The ancient Linfen City was located in the current Jindian Town area. It was named Pingyang because the city was built on the Yangtze River. It is said to be "Pingyang, the capital of Yao". It was also called Wanniu City because the city resembled a lying cow. Linfen City has a long history. In ancient times, Pingyang County, Pingyang County and Pinghe County were successively established here. In the third year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the Sui Dynasty (AD 583), it was renamed Linfen County and is now Linfen City.

3. Dongyue Temple is located on the top of Baishan Mountain 2 kilometers east of Pu County, Shanxi. There are luxuriant cypress trees on the mountain and it is lush all year round, so it is commonly known as Baishan Temple. The temple is large in scale and has a complete layout, including the mountain gate, Lingxiao Hall, Lelou, meeting hall, Xianting Pavilion, Dongyue Palace Hall, Houtu Temple, Notre Dame Temple, Qingxu Palace, Ksitigarbha Temple, Hell, Corner Tower and the surrounding area. There are more than 60 buildings including corridors and corridors.

The year of creation is unknown, but it existed in the fifth year of Jin Taihe (1205). The existing Dongyuexing Palace was rebuilt in the fifth year of Yanyou (1318) after being destroyed by the earthquake in the Yuan Dynasty. It is five in width and five in depth, with steps around the perimeter, double eaves on the top of the mountain, all columns are stone carvings, and there are five inscriptions from "Mulan Ci" First, there are statues of Dongyue Yellow Tiger and attendants in the hall. Finally, there are fifteen cave dwellings below the ground to form eighteen levels of hell, in which are sculptures of the Five Sacred Emperors, the Ten Palaces of Yan Qun, and the Six Cao Judges. The height of the statues is equal to that of human beings, and there are various ghost officials, sword mountains, oil pots, and grinding wheels. There are more than 120 bodies, including grinding and sawing, and it is a rare set of Ming Dynasty clay sculpture masterpieces in existing temples in my country.

4. On the north side of the Yulao River in Guocunli, 35 kilometers northeast of Linfen City, Shanxi. There is a temple of Yao in the south of Pingyang City, the capital of Yao, and a mausoleum of Yao is built in the east of the city. The mausoleum is surrounded by earth and cliffs, and the river flows southward in front of the mausoleum. The pines and cypresses are green and the hills are towering, 50 meters high and 80 meters in circumference.

There is an ancestral temple built in front of the mausoleum, which is said to have been built in the early Tang Dynasty. In the second year of Jin Taihe (1202), the inscription states: Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once stationed here during his expedition to Liao Dynasty, and he had his statue sculpted because he visited Yao's mausoleum. During the Zhongtong period of the Yuan Dynasty, Taoist Jiang Shanxin built Yao's mausoleum according to the order of the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty. It was rebuilt during the Chenghua and Jiajing reigns of the Ming Dynasty, Yongzheng and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty. Now the mausoleum remains the same, the pines and cypresses remain the same.

There are buildings in the temple such as the mountain gate (with a music tower above the gate), archway, wing room, offering hall, sleeping hall, stele pavilion and so on. The layout is compact, the wood carvings are fine, the red walls and green tiles are surrounded by clear flowing ancient cypresses, creating a picture-perfect contrast. There are more than ten steles in the temple, recording the achievements of King Yao and the history of the mausoleum. In the 18th year of Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1539), the entire map of Yao's mausoleum was engraved on the stele, which is well preserved.

5. Houma City, Shanxi Province, known as Xintian in ancient times, was the capital of the Jin Kingdom in the late Spring and Autumn Period. There is a chef named Qu Zhiming at the Xintian Hotel here. His "Queen Mother's Royal Dinner Bubble Cake" is crystal clear, crispy and sweet. Because the Empress Dowager Cixi liked to enjoy it, this cake resembles a blooming bubble flower, so it got its name. The Queen Mother's Royal Dinner Bubble Cake is so popular in Houma.

The "Queen Mother's Royal Dinner Bubble Cake" looks mushroom-shaped when viewed from a distance, like the colorful sunset; when viewed up close, it appears to be blooming like golden chrysanthemums. Golden all over, crispy and sweet, it can nourish and strengthen the body.

6. Chefs in the past dynasties have taken advantage of Huozhou’s bustling traffic and large crowds to carefully prepare meals and attract customers. Pig's blood enema is one of Huozhou's traditional famous foods. It was created in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. It is finely processed and has a unique flavor. It is a good product that is well-known in the three Jin Dynasties. In 1900, the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing. The Queen Mother of the West and Emperor Guangxu fled Xi'an and rested in Huozhou, where famous chefs prepared royal banquets for them. The Queen Mother of the West, Emperor Guangxu and other ministers praised pig blood enema, so it became a famous traditional food.