Yungang Grottoes were excavated during the early Northern Wei dynasty, around the reign of Emperor Wen Cheng in 460 AD. It has a history of 1540 years. There are a total of 45 main caves, 252 smaller caves, and over 51,000 stone-carved statues, making it one of the largest ancient grotto complexes in China.
Yanmen Pass
Emperor Hanwu opened up the road to the Western Regions, established four counties in Hexi, and built the Yumen Pass. The pass got its name because the Western Regions entered the pass and passed through jade. The Yumen Pass ruins, located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, are located on the south bank of the Shule River. The surrounding area is mostly deserts, dunes, and grasslands. It stretches from the Cangting Sui in the east to the Xianming Sui in the west, and from the Nansandun in the south. The central urban area is centered around the Xiaofangcheng site, with a linear distribution from east to west. There are currently 2 city ruins, 20 beacon towers, and 18 sections of the Great Wall that are open to visitors, including the Xiaofangcheng site, the Dafangpancheng site, and the Han Great Wall site around Dangugu Sui.
Mount Wutai
Wutai Mountain is the only Buddhist sacred place in China where the Qing Temple and the Huang Temple coexist. It is one of the five great Buddhist holy sites in the world and the first among the four famous Buddhist mountains in China. It is known as the "Golden Wutai" and is the abode of Manjusri Bodhisattva. Wutai Mountain is not a single mountain, but consists of five peaks: Dongtai Peak, Xitai Peak, Nantai Peak, Beitai Peak, and Zhongtai Peak. The peaks are flat like platforms, hence the name Wutai Mountain.
Wujinshan National Forest Park consists of 25 high mountains, with a total area of 55,000 acres and a forest coverage area of over 31,000 acres, accounting for over 80% of the park. It has beautiful scenery, numerous cultural relics, and more than 480 species, among which there are over 330 plant species, making it a famous forest park in Shanxi Province. Wujinshan Carnival Valley has over 30 recreational facilities, combining cultural and ecological landscapes, artistic performances, and themed games, making it an ecological theme park located within the forest park.
Qiao's Grand Courtyard is a magnificent and spectacular architectural complex. With exquisite design and craftsmanship, it embodies the unique style of residential buildings in the Qing Dynasty of China. It has high artistic, research, and historical value, and is hailed as an unparalleled art treasure in the world. It is also known as the "Pearl of Northern Residential Architecture" and the "Qiao's Grand Courtyard, the People's Palace".
Pingyao Ancient City
Shanxi Pingyao, known as one of the "Four Best Preserved Ancient Cities," is one of the two ancient capitals in China that have successfully applied for the status of World Cultural Heritage based on the overall preservation of the ancient city. It was built during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou and expanded in the 3rd year of the Ming Hongwu period (1370 AD), with a history of over 2700 years. There are 21 attractions in the city, and you can enter and visit by purchasing a ticket. With its numerous attractions, you can choose a few classic ones for photo opportunities if you're into the trend, or stay here and savor the charm of the ancient city if you prefer a slow-paced lifestyle.
The Hukou Waterfall is the second largest waterfall in China and the largest yellow waterfall in the world. The Yellow River flows here, with steep rock walls on both sides. The river narrows like a bottleneck, hence the name Hukou Waterfall. Upstream of the waterfall, the width of the Yellow River is 300 meters, but within a distance of less than 500 meters, it is compressed to a width of 20-30 meters. 1,000 cubic meters per second of river water pours down from a steep cliff over 20 meters high, creating the grandeur of "a thousand miles of Yellow River being gathered in a pot."
