「Weekend」Happy Journey An Ancient City A History Book

Beijing Surroundings-Weixian County When I arrived in Wei County, the locals told me that they do not pronounce this word as yù, but always as yǔ, which is the pronunciation habit of the local dialect. 🌈Black Myth: Wukong brought popularity to Shanxi and also brought popularity to Weixian County. It is located at the intersection of Hengshan Mountain, Taihang Mountain and Yanshan Mountain. It was built in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and is now more than a thousand years old. Weizhou had a very unfortunate fate in history. After the "Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun" were occupied by the Khitans, Weizhou was incorporated into the Liao Kingdom, and then occupied by the Mongols. It was not until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that it became a prosperous commercial center. To be honest, in the whole Zhangjiakou, I particularly like Wei County (Weizhou), where there are many historical sites, various temples, Taoist temples, ancient towers, ancient castles, theaters and houses full of fireworks. It is obviously in Hebei, but I think it looks a bit like Shanxi. 🌈Weizhou Ancient City seems to be a hidden corner of time and space in Wei County. It is like a paradise isolated from the world and a door to the past. The residents here seem to live a life completely different from that outside the ancient city, finding a unique balance between modernity and tradition. The lack of excessive tourist commercialization makes this ancient city more authentic, full of life and historical charm. 🌈Main attractions in the city: 🔸Yuhuang Pavilion (🎫20) Recommended👍🏻 The filming location of "Black Myth: Wukong", the fairy palace on the clouds, was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty and has a history of more than 600 years. The Jade Emperor Pavilion is a wooden structure without a single iron nail. It is entirely held together by wooden mortise and tenon joints. The pavilion contains exquisite Ming Dynasty murals, paintings, and carvings, reflecting the ancient religious culture and artistic level! Coming here is like traveling through time and space. Walking into the main hall, there is a solemn statue of the Jade Emperor, and on the walls are breathtaking murals. The large murals on the east, west and north walls, with their exquisite gilding technique, present vivid mythological stories. Especially the mural of "Thirty-six Thunder Gods", each of which has a different image, holding a magical instrument, and is both majestic and dynamic. 🔸Zhenwu Temple The Zhenwu Temple was built in the Yuan Dynasty and is a place dedicated to the Zhenwu Emperor. There are well-preserved Taoist murals in the temple. 🔸Nan'an Temple Pagoda (🎫6) A landmark ancient building, this tower is a historical heritage that was first built during the Northern Wei Dynasty and later rebuilt during the Liao Dynasty. The 13-story solid brick tower with dense eaves had some parts of the first and second floors having been bombarded, and the eaves had also been damaged, but it still stands tenaciously! It is also the filming location of Black Myth, but there is not much to see inside. Instead, the most photographed photo of Nan'an Temple Pagoda at Wanshan Tower is the best📷 🔸Wanshan Tower (🎫15) Wanshan Tower is located at the south gate of the ancient city. It is one of the important symbols of Weizhou Ancient City. The view on the city wall is excellent. Standing on the city wall, you can take pictures of Nan'an Temple Pagoda and Jixing Tower opposite 🔸Lingyan Temple (🎫10) The filming location of Black Myth, the Wudianding Hall (Supreme Master Hall), was first built in the Yuan Dynasty and later rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. There are exquisite caissons here, where you can feel the tranquil Buddhist atmosphere 🔸Shakya Temple (🎫15) Sakyamuni Temple is one of the earliest temples in Weizhou. It is located outside the ancient city, about 300 meters south of Wanshan Tower. You can come here to savor the ancient Buddhist culture. The plaque of smiling with flowers is more worth seeing than Lingyan Temple. It is the only wooden structure in the Yuan Dynasty in the ancient city. It is open to the public at random. The caisson inside is also extremely exquisite. 🔸Fortune Temple: The largest temple of the God of Wealth in Hebei during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, now it is a very small temple 🔸Zhenwu Pavilion: There are murals in the Beiji Hall, but it was not open when I went there. 🔸Changping Warehouse | Gulou (🎫16) Changping Warehouse is an ancient military granary in Weizhou, which was first built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. The Drum Tower was built in the Yuan Dynasty. Its main function was to report the incident to the police and to command the enemy. It was once an important alarm tower. Although it is a national protected unit, it is not very interesting to see. There are only two Cang'ao and a Xilou Cang Temple. However, the Drum Tower looks very nice from a distance. 🔸Uiju Office (🎫30) Weizhou Office was the seat of Weizhou in ancient times. It was once the seat of Weixian Yamen. It was rebuilt in 2010. It looks grand, but it is a later building and not very worth seeing. 🌈About transportation 🚄The high-speed rail👉🏻 does not go directly to Weixian, you can only take it to Zhangjiakou and then take a bus 🚗Self-driving👉🏻 is recommended. It takes about 3 hours to navigate to the parking lot of Weizhou Ancient City Scenic Area (free parking), and then start from Yuhuang Pavilion, walk or scan a shared electric car🛵 to tour the ancient city. 🚌Public 👉🏻There are buses to Weixian from Beijing Liuliqiao Long-distance Bus Station 🌈About the tour route Jade Emperor Pavilion➡️Temple of the God of Wealth➡️Zhenwu Temple➡️Lingyan Temple➡️Jixing Tower➡️Drum Tower➡️Weizhou Office➡️Nan'an Temple Pagoda➡️Wanshan Tower➡️Jingxian Gate➡️Shakya Temple 📌 If time permits, you can go to Weixian Museum 🌈About food Hehelou (4.5 stars) A restaurant with a low rating but has been open for more than 20 years and has a rich menu. Specials recommended by the waiter. ✔️Small Four Bowls: Four small bowls of beef, meatballs, and shredded tofu. The taste is salty but acceptable. ✔️Chicken rack stewed with potatoes: It is said that the locals love to order it, it is salty and fresh, cooked with soybean sauce and various spices, a bit of the Northeast flavor, tastes good ✔️You can order half a portion of yellow rice fried cakes and sugar crispy biscuits. The crust is slightly bitter, and they say it’s made with local sesame oil. People from other places may not be used to it, but the biscuits are very crispy. 🌈Nearby attractions ✔️Nuanquan Ancient Town Opening hours: 09:00 - 17:00 Nuanquan Ancient Town is a typical northern ancient town, famous for its springs, markets, ancient buildings and folk culture. In winter, the ancient town is covered with snow, with red lanterns hanging high, and is full of a festive atmosphere. The most famous performance here is the tree flower performance (separate charge, I think it is 🎫120). The molten iron is poured onto the ancient city wall, splashing to form thousands of sparks, like a lush tree crown, which is called "tree flower". The spectacular degree is breathtaking😃. ✔️West Great Fortress It was first built in the Ming Dynasty and has a history of more than 600 years. It is also the filming location for a segment in the TV series "Going West". You can choose this stop on the way back to Beijing. Many people take pictures of the sunset here, which is quite nice! ✔️Qiupo Village This place is really recommended❗️You must go there, the lake and the mountains are so beautiful, at one moment I felt like I saw a snow-capped mountain ✔️Feihu Valley A place you will pass by on the way to Xiushuipen Village, a classic place to check in and take photos. The mountains in front of me always give me a sense of isolation from the world, and there is indeed no signal📶 The scenery along the way is really nice, and you can stop by the roadside to take pictures. ✔️Sniff Basin Village Navigate here and you can go to the free 🆓sky grassland, the prairie, the grand canyon, and the mountains ⛰️, which is super healing. 🌈 Last words Wei County is a place worth visiting again and again, not for tourism, but to experience life! ✔️Wandering around the city for the first time ✔️The second time you can hike, Feihu Valley, Sky Grassland, Matan Ridge, and Tea Mountain. Newbies can choose Feihu Valley and Matan Ridge. For advanced consideration, consider Chashan Village and Dongdianziliang. But the Sky Grassland is too expensive and not worth it. (I will write a detailed article about hiking later)