Shuangta Temple (Twin Pagoda Temple)

🌟 When it comes to ancient capitals, you might think of Xi'an or Luoyang, but there is also Taiyuan, which is as famous as Luoyang and Xi'an, known as the 'Three Capitals'. This low-key and restrained provincial capital city is full of endless years and stories. 🏰 Taiyuan is so understated that it seems non-existent, but it actually has a history of over 4700 years, a city-building history of 2500 years, and 19 emperors, no wonder it is called the 'Dragon City', a truly fitting name for the land where the dragon thrives! 🏭 It is also one of China's earliest industrial cities and has now transformed into the 'Number One Park City of the North'. Mountains, hot springs, rivers, forests, beautiful scenery is everywhere! 🌟Must-visit attractions in Taiyuan 1⃣ Ancient Taiyuan City 🏯 In the ancient Taiyuan City, many historical buildings are preserved, and historical traces can be seen everywhere. Many tourists dressed in ancient costumes give an instant feeling of time travel. It is also the filming location for the movie 'Man Jiang Hong'. 2⃣ Jinci 🏞 A royal sacrificial garden, even older than the Forbidden City! The architectural style ranges from the Song Dynasty to the Republic of China. Walking through it, you can feel the profound historical vicissitudes. 3⃣ Yongzuo Temple 🏯 This is Taiyuan's iconic building, with two opposing towers that let you know this is Taiyuan at a glance. Standing on the top of the tower, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the whole city! 4⃣ Bujisi 🌿 A representative of Jin Dynasty architecture, although it has been renovated many times, you can still experience the architectural style of the Jin Dynasty! 5⃣ Mengshan Giant Buddha 🙏 The Mengshan Giant Buddha has been watching over this land for more than 1500 years and is the largest cliff Buddha of China's Northern Dynasties! 6⃣ Tianlongshan Grottoes 🗿 Once an imperial summer palace, the grottoes have been crafted through several dynasties, with a large number of statues, reliefs, and other cultural relics. However, they were sadly stolen by Japan, and the existing grottoes, although damaged, still witness the historical vicissitudes. 7⃣ Bell Tower Street 🏘 A blend of retro and modern, with green-gray Western buildings, old photo studios, cultural and creative shops... full of old Taiyuan memories! 8⃣ Donghu Vinegar Garden 🍶 Explore the brewing process of Shanxi old vinegar and even taste vinegar-flavored ice cream! 9⃣ Yingze Park 🌳 Taiyuan's 'Little Jiangnan', with rippling blue waves, green willows, and blooming flowers, a great place for leisure! 🔟 Shanxi Museum 🏛 One of the three major museums in the country, national treasures are all here, waiting for you to discover! 🍜 Taiyuan cuisine, a paradise for foodies 🍲 Meatball Soup: A must-have breakfast for Taiyuan people, beef soup + meatballs + baked pancake, a perfect combination! 🥣 Brain: A unique medicinal cuisine, you might not be used to it the first time, but it's definitely worth a try! 🥩 Sliced Meat in Hot Oil: The foremost of the top ten famous Jin dishes, slices of meat stir-fried with wood ear mushrooms, magnolia petals, etc., topped with old vinegar, delicious! 🍲 Raw Charcoal Copper Pot: Mutton, mutton offal, mutton soup, paired with Fenjiu, full of Shanxi people's jianghu spirit! There are also oat noodles, fried oil cakes, stir-fried sausages, meat-hooked chicken, sauce meat, and many other local specialty foods that are worth tasting! 💖 Taiyuan, this low-key historical treasure city, check it out before it becomes a hot spot! Feel the 5000 years of historical heritage, taste the authentic cuisine, and you will surely linger and forget to return! 💖

In Taiyuan city, there is a tower that can still be climbed to the top, which is the brick tower of Yongzuo Temple built in the Ming Dynasty. Yongzuo Temple is now known as "Shuangta Temple". There are two octagonal thirteen-story brick towers in the temple, 54.7 meters high. I prefer the name "Yongzuo Temple", "Yongzuo" comes from the Book of Songs, which means "forever passed down, never exhausted for all generations". The north gate of Shuangta Temple is closest to the scenic area. After passing a super large square, you can reach the ticket checking entrance. The scenic area closes at 5:30 pm. I arrived after 5 pm. There was a long line of people queuing to climb the tower. The security guard said that tourists in the scenic area can continue to climb the tower after closing. So I sat under the big locust tree opposite the tower, watching the wind blowing the locust flowers, watching everyone queueing up lively, it was very cool under the tree, very comfortable. At nearly six thirty, there were basically no people, and I started to climb the tower. The tower is hollow inside, with a circle of stone steps around it. The stone steps are flanked by walls. The higher you go, the narrower it becomes. Later, only one person can pass. You can climb to the 11th floor, and each floor can reach the window through the center of the tower. The stones on the stone steps and walls have been coated with slurry. The windows on each floor should not have been locked originally. Everywhere you can see has been carved with words, even on the eaves outside. Maybe thousands of years later, these "been here" words and time will become the research objects of future generations, and become a part of history and humanities? Some names are very wide and deep, carved on hard stones, I really wonder what the people who have been here used and how long it took to carve. I sat at each window on the highest floor for a while. At that time, the setting sun was just right, the breeze was blowing, you could see the tower opposite, the lake in the distance, and the trees in the park, all covered with a gentle light. I don't know how many people have looked out from the same window at this time. Such a high tower was built by craftsmen brick by brick in the past. Over the centuries, monks, residents, and tourists have climbed up and down, with different moods and purposes, different times and environments, but the stone steps and stone walls they have passed are the same, which is really amazing.

Taiyuan Twin Towers Park, located in Yingze District, Taiyuan City, north of South Inner Ring East Street, is the largest comprehensive park in the eastern region of Taiyuan City. The central area of the park is the famous Twin Towers Temple. Centered on the Twin Towers Temple, there are lakes and waters, antique buildings, gentle slope gardens, fitness trails, etc. The eastern area of the park is the Revolutionary Martyrs Memorial Area. The park has four entrances and exits in the east, south, west, and north, and there is a tourist service center at the north entrance.

Only the peony is the true national color, and it moves Jin Yang when it blooms. At the turn of spring and summer, more than 6,000 peonies of various colors represented by the Ming Dynasty peony 'Purple Cloud Fairy' enter the blooming period in the ancient temple of the Twin Pagoda Temple. The ancient branches are tall and straight, blooming in competition. Light pink, bright red, bright yellow, rose red, the petals are layered, the flowers are well-arranged, and under the background of the twin towers, it shows a bit of simplicity and moving. Who is the most beautiful among the peonies? 'Purple Cloud Fairy' in the Twin Pagoda Temple. In the square flower bed in front of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, several 'Purple Cloud Fairies' are blooming vigorously under the bright sunlight, and the large flower plates are proudly blooming. Purple is red, and red is purple, which is spectacular, as if the flower god in dress has fallen into the world. 'The Ming Dynasty peony 'Purple Cloud Fairy' was moved to Taiyuan in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 400 years and is the oldest 'temple peony' in Taiyuan. It is also the only Ming Dynasty peony found so far. 'Purple Cloud Fairy' now has dozens of plants in the park, it has a long flowering period, and the flowers are as large as a plate, which is the best among peonies. Because the petals are light purple when they first open, and they are purple in the late stage, they are called 'Purple Cloud Fairy'. 'Wei Fang, the interpreter of the Twin Pagoda Museum in Taiyuan, introduced that in addition to the 'Purple Cloud Fairy', Yao Huang Peony, 'Er Qiao' Peony, Black Peony, and Bean Green Peony are also particularly gorgeous.