2025 Jiaocheng Travel Guide: Must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transportation routes (updated in May)

### **⛰️ Sketch by Lui Leung** Lu Liang = Shanxi's "wild cousin", left hand Yellow River right hand loess slope, focusing on a ** "soil hi soil hi" ** hard-core romance. - **Slogan**: "Our mountains here will sing, the wind will rap, and Xintianyou is more refreshing than your alarm clock!" - **For the crowd**: Wild kids who want to escape the city, folk song lovers, noodle terminators, warriors who want to prove they have good legs --- ### **🚗 Must-See Attractions Recommendation** **1. The Ancient Town of Jikou (Yellow River Version of Venice)** - **Points to watch**: The Yellow River Pier in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, now changed to "Celebrity Photography Base" - **How ​​to play**: - Count the sheepskin rafts on the Yellow River from the Black Dragon Temple (you will start to get seasick when you count 3). - When staying in a kiln cave B&B, ask: is it "primitive" or "true pristine" (the latter may have spiders sharing) - **Cold Knowledge**: The ground of the shops in the ancient town is lower than the door frames - it's not subsidence, it's hundreds of years of "marks of age" washed by the Yellow River water. **2.North Wudang Mountain (Steel Straight Male Version of Wudang)**** - **Features**: - The stairs are so steep that I doubt my life. After reaching the top, I can proudly post in my circle of friends: "Conquered Xiaohua Mountain in the north." - The dojo of Emperor Zhenwu, but the most effective is to treat "phobia of heights" (just scare) - **Money-saving tips**: Villagers at the foot of the mountain will sell "climbing sticks", which actually have the same effect of picking up a branch **3. Pangquangou (natural air-conditioned room for Shanxi people)** - **How ​​to play**: - Come rafting in summer, splashes specialize in all kinds of disobedience - Pretending to encounter brown-horse fowls (Shanxi provincial birds), they are actually even harder to see than the leaders - **WARNING**: Don't drink mountain spring water casually unless you want to experience "pure natural detox" **4. Apricot Village (Apilgrimage Site for Alcoholics)** - **Must Do**: - Take a deep breath at the winery – the alcohol content can be even higher in the air than in a bar - Be cautious and try to "receive raw pulp", otherwise the afternoon trip will become a "bed-finding trip" --- ### **🍜Lu Leung Foodie Guide** **[Carbohydrate Bomb Package]** - **Oatmeal 栲栳栳**: Luliang people use oatmeal noodles to make "spaghetti", ordering mutton noodles can eat the majesty of the loess high slopes - **Bowl Tuan**: Buckwheat made cold food, drizzled with old vinegar and spicy oil, sour and spicy refreshing level comparable to first love - **Yellow Rice Oil Cake**: Fried carbohydrates + sugar, Shanxi people's "donut", eat one can endure hunger for three hours **【Hard Core Snacks】** - **合 fool**: QQ bouncing balls made of potatoes, dot sauce to eat out the illusion of "Shanxi bowl chicken" - **Xiaoyi Fire Roast**: Bigger than the face of the cake, recommended for two people to share, otherwise you do not want to see the flour for the next three days - **Lin County Tofu**: Tofu made with Yellow River water, the soy flavor is so rich that I suspect that I used to eat fake tofu --- ### **😴 Accommodation Recommendation (Poor Travel Version)** - **秧kou Kiln Cave Inn**: 80-120 dollars/night, warm in winter and cool in summer, the disadvantage is that the WiFi signal may not be enough to spread far - **Lishi City Express Hotel**: 100 dollars or so, suitable for "be a wild man in the morning, a modern man at night" switch - **Pangquangou Farmhouse**: 150 dollars/day including accommodation, but the whole village turns off the lights on time after 9pm, night owls choose carefully --- ### **💡 Trivia Egg** 1. The Luliang people call potatoes "yam eggs", but they are not related by blood to real yams 2. The local folk song "Blooming Tune" sings "peach blossom red apricot white", which is actually disguised to praise one's hometown 3. In the wine cellar of Apricot Village, there are some wines older than your age (but don’t think of stealing them). **Final advice**: - Don't compete with the Lu Liang people for drinking, they drink from wine bottles - Buy vinegar to be sure of "Ninghuafu", otherwise you may buy "Shanxi old vinegar youth version" - Beware of the flock when taking photos, they know how to pose better than you (The strategy is over! I wish you to develop a pair of iron legs in Lu Liang and reap a steel-like stomach!)

The hotels around Taiyuan are really great. They are comfortable to stay in. When traveling to Shanxi, take the west exit of the Qingcun Expressway ramp to get to the hotel. I fell in love with the room at first sight. It was clean and hygienic.

Autumn in Pangquangou starts in the second week of October every year! The larch trees slowly turn yellow, and the mountains are full of colors. 🚙Transportation: Depart from Taiyuan, drive for more than two hours, and drive on mountain roads for one hour. The road conditions are good, and the scenery along the way is nice. Follow the Wenyu River to reach Pangquangou. Suitable for camping. You can drive to the riverbank near Pangquangou and enjoy the autumn scenery.

| The stone wall is a shadow of the Pure Land, and the master once set up a Pure Land court. Xuanzhong Temple | The stone wall is a shadow of the Pure Land, and the master once set up a Pure Land court. Explore the depths of Lvliang, outside the hustle and bustle of Jiaocheng, there is the thousand-year-old Xuanzhong Temple, the birthplace of Amitabha Buddha, one of the ancestral courts of the Pure Land Sect. Do you know its secrets and glory? Crossing the hustle and bustle and stepping into Xuanzhong Temple is like stepping into another time and space. The ancient temple is built on the mountain, quiet and deep, the Heavenly King Hall has the legacy of the Ming Dynasty, the four heavenly kings are colorful and extraordinary, and they are treasures in the temple. Ancient steles stand tall, and the ink treasures of the Tang Dynasty female calligrapher Gao Shi of Bohai have been re-engraved in the Jin Dynasty, but they are still precious. On both sides of the Daxiong Hall, the Song, Yuan and Qing dynasties were inlaid with stone tablets, and the calligraphy was exquisite. The works of Wang Shilu were particularly eye-catching. Although the ancient temple has been baptized by war, the tranquility and solemnity make people forget the troubles of the world and feel the true meaning of the Pure Land of Buddhism. Are you also attracted by the ancient and mysterious Xuanzhong Temple? Come to the comment area to share your feelings, let us explore more stories behind the ancient temples together!

Wenshui is not far from Jiaocheng. From Wenshui to Guashan (Jiaocheng Guashan is located 3 kilometers north of Jiaocheng County), the distance is about 30-40 kilometers. Today, I drove there. The road was smooth and it took only more than 40 minutes to get there. Since ancient times, there has been a saying among the people: "The cypress of Guashan, the pine of Huangshan, and the bamboo of Yunqi." It can be seen that the cypress of Guashan is the best in the world. Their history can be traced back to a thousand years ago. They have experienced the vicissitudes of life and witnessed countless changes. The cypress trees have different shapes. Some are tall and straight, reaching into the sky; some are twisted and twisted, like a lying dragon. Each of them has a wonderful folk legend, which can be described as a historical "living fossil". They are evergreen all year round, adding a deep green to Guashan. The "First Mountain" written by the Song Dynasty calligraphy master Mi Fu on the top of the temple gate is strong and powerful, and the momentum is magnificent. Walking on the small road of Guashan, it seems to hear the echo of history. The ancient cypress trees and the solemn temples complement each other. We are intoxicated in this quiet world, feeling the magic of nature and the profound historical heritage, and we are reluctant to leave. Today's journey is really comfortable. If you want to experience the beauty of Guashan, come and feel it.

We got up early and came to the thousand-year-old Xuanzhong Temple with a few friends. The gate was not open yet, and a few monks were sweeping the floor. We negotiated with the monks and they let us in. We cleaned the temple. Amitabha, the monks actually agreed. The temple gate opened, and an ancient atmosphere came oncoming. The halls are scattered and elegant. As the birthplace of the Pure Land Sect, the Sanskrit here is lingering, full of a sense of sacredness. The surrounding mountains and forests are surrounded by quietness. We swept the floor and admired it, as if we could touch the context of history and feel the unique charm of the thousand-year-old temple.

The autumn in Pangquangou is a painting given by nature, from dark green to golden, dark red, and then brown, forming a clear autumn oil painting. Hiking in the primeval forest, it seems that every tree is telling its own beautiful picture, every detail is full of poetry and tenderness, and the autumn wind gradually changes the forest into colorful autumn clothes. The red and yellow sea buckthorn fruits are full of branches, like strings of amber, lighting up the tranquility of autumn. The mountains surrounded by clouds and mist are like light ink landscape paintings, revealing a quiet beauty. This hazy beauty makes people feel a kind of tranquility and depth beyond the world, as if they are in a fairyland that is independent of the world. Walking in the forest, stepping on the golden carpet woven by countless fallen leaves, every step seems to be able to hear the song of autumn. The fallen leaves witness the change of seasons and also tell the endless life of nature. 📍Scenic spot address: Pangquangou National Nature Reserve is located at the junction of the northwest of Jiaocheng County and the northeast of Fangshan County in Shanxi Province, located in the middle of the Luliang Mountains, and is a natural reserve for wild animals and plants 🚗Scenic spot traffic: self-driving 👍️Must-visit attractions: The hiking routes in Pangquangou include: "Dashagou Ring Line, ~ Qianyunding Mountain Ring Line and ‌Gujishan Hiking Route. ‌‌ 🎟️Ticket related: 30 yuan ticket 💗Other tips: 📍Dashagou Ring Line‌ is a popular hiking route with a total length of about 14 kilometers and a time of about 6-7 hours. The starting point of the route is the 302 provincial road, passing through Dashagou, along the way you can enjoy beautiful natural scenery, such as canyons, streams and forests. 📍Qianyunding Mountain Ring Line‌ is about 10 kilometers in total and takes about 4-5 hours. The starting point of the route is ‌Jiaocheng Diaowo Village, passing through Qianyunding Mountain, the top of the mountain is flat and open, surrounded by lush pines, oaks and other tall trees, the scenery is spectacular. 📍‌Gujishan Hiking Route‌ is the hiking route of Gujishan, the highest peak of Pangquangou, with a total length of about 10 kilometers and a time of about 5-6 hours. Along the way, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the primeval forest, strange peaks and rocks, and streams, and you can also pick mushrooms.

Jiaocheng Guashan | The Smoke Temple listens to the thousand valleys of cypress, the stubborn rock naturally forms the hexagrams. Jiaocheng, located at the foot of Luliang Mountain, is an industrially developed place among the four counties in the plain, with factories everywhere and trucks passing through. But hidden in the mountains on the west side of Jiaocheng is Xuanzhong Temple, one of the Pure Land ancestral courts, which is said to be the first manifestation of Amitabha Buddha in China. Near the city is Guashan Tianning Temple, famous for its cypress trees. The cypress trees of Guashan are known for their age and graceful posture, earning the name "Huangshan Pine, Guashan Cypress." The connotation of "ancient temples hidden in deep mountains" makes this small city near Taiyuan worth a visit. Guashan is the cultural card of Jiaocheng. It is said that the peculiar mountain shape corresponds to the principles of the "Yi" (Book of Changes), hence the name Guashan. Tianning Temple and Guashan Academy are listed as national level six, preserving a complete group of wooden structures from the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the peak of the mountain, there is a stone Buddha hall enshrining Tang dynasty Buddha statues. Therefore, when Tianning Temple was announced as the sixth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, its era spanned from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. What attracts attention in Guashan is none other than Tianning Temple and the thousand-year-old cypress trees growing all over the mountain. Only trees over a thousand years old are qualified to be tagged. The ancient cypress trees are dense, making it a pure land on earth. Guashan currently does not charge an entrance fee, but you can choose to take a scenic shuttle bus to skip the hiking trail to Tianning Temple. For those who are short on time, it is better to leave the hiking opportunity to the local leisure visitors. After passing through the mountain gate, you will face the Thousand Buddha Pavilion built over brick caves. The courtyard between the Thousand Buddha Pavilion and the mountain gate preserves a large number of steles, among which a late Ming iron stele is quite rare. Walking down the dark and steep steps under the Thousand Buddha Pavilion to the Daxiong Hall, you will suddenly feel enlightened. The ancient cypress trees in front of the hall stand upright or slant out, each with a different posture but all vigorous. The tranquility and solemnity of the ancient temple are evident here. The Daxiong Hall is a relic from the Zhengde period of the Ming dynasty, with five rooms in width and three rooms in depth, and a single-eaved gable roof. The statues of the Three Buddhas inside are works from the Yongle period of the Ming dynasty, with a stable and orderly style. Behind the Daxiong Hall is the Pilu Pavilion, a relic from the Qing dynasty, with three rooms in width and four rooms in depth, and a two-story three-eaved gable roof. Except for the top floor, the other floors do not have dougong (bracket sets). This wooden pavilion is grand and has a lot of appreciation value. Inside, there is a small wooden shrine enshrining the vertical Three Buddhas. Continuing to climb for about twenty minutes, you can reach the Baodeng Wangfo Hall, marked as the Stone Buddha Hall on the scenic map. The hall is a relic from the Chenghua period of the Ming dynasty but has undergone major repairs, so it lacks much ancient charm. The Tang dynasty stone Buddha inside the hall is very majestic, and some murals are preserved on both sides. There is also a miniature Guanyin Hall on a cypress tree here. After leaving the Stone Buddha Hall and descending the mountain back to the back of Tianning Temple, walk to the right facing the back wall of the temple to reach the Pagoda Forest, which has twenty-two tomb pagodas and is a secluded place in Guashan. Following the path beside the Pagoda Forest down the mountain, you will return to the right side of the Tianning Temple mountain gate. Next to Tianning Temple is Guashan Academy, which can be visited along the way.

❤️Detailed guide to the first rafting in North China in Pangquangou, Luliang, Shanxi 🌿Driving from Jinzhong Yuci to Taiyuan on the highway, the whole journey takes about 3 hours, half on the highway and half on the national highway (there are many trucks on the national highway, and it is also a winding mountain road, so the traffic jam was quite serious on the way back). The scenery is more beautiful when you are almost there. 👉🏻Parking is divided into upper and lower docks, unified parking fee: 10 yuan (paid once at the upper and lower docks) 👉🏻Rafting ticket: 148 yuan (online ticket purchase) ❤️It is recommended to park at the lower pier (the shower room is at the lower pier, which is convenient for taking a shower directly after rafting) and then take a car to the upper pier to pick up the ticket. 🌿You can park your car at the upper pier. After rafting, you can take a shuttle bus (included in the ticket, but the waiting time is long. You can pay 10 yuan for the driver to take the car to the upper pier. There are paid ones around) return to the upper pier, and then drive to the lower pier ❤️Rafting essential checklist: Mobile phone waterproof bag Change of clothes and towels Toiletries, sunscreen products .Goggles/swimming goggles/sunglasses Raincoat (only windproof, clothes will still get wet) Stainless steel basin (this is better than a plastic scoop and is suitable for close combat) Water Gun Episode 1△Long Range Chase match Slippers (try not to wear flip-flops as they can easily float away) Waterproof bandage (to prevent scratches) .Waterproof sticker The total duration is about three hours. The rafting starts at 1 o'clock and admission stops at 3 o'clock. You can get off the boat and participate in water splashing in the middle of the rafting route. There are 4-6 people in a boat, and it can only float if there are enough people. If there are not enough people, the staff will help you get them together. When rafting, try to wear sunscreen and long pants to avoid sunburn.

The Pure Land School is a practice that simplifies the profound Buddhist theories into easy-to-follow methods, accommodating the expectations and aspirations of believers. By chanting the name of "Amitabha Buddha", people can transform the "joy, anger, sorrow and happiness" in their hearts into their longing for the future Western Paradise. It was advocated by the eminent monk Huiyuan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and founded by the eminent monk Shandao of the Tang Dynasty. It became widely popular, especially in the middle Tang Dynasty. Its representatives are the three eminent monks Tanluan, Daochuo and Shandao, who are usually called the founders of the Pure Land Sect. When tracing the place where Pure Land Buddhism was spread, one must inevitably mention Xuanzhong Temple in Jiaocheng County. Xuanzhong Temple was founded in the second year of Yanxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (472 AD) and completed in the first year of Chengming in the Northern Wei Dynasty (476 AD). ), is located in the Shibi Mountain 10 kilometers northwest of Jiaocheng County. It is a place with steep mountains and a quiet environment with beautiful scenery. But the fame of Xuanzhong Temple spread throughout the world not only due to its elegant scenery, but mainly due to the prosperity and development of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the eminent monk Tanluan came to Shibi Mountain. On the one hand, he worked hard to build a temple; on the other hand, he studied Buddhist classics, wrote books, and vigorously promoted the Pure Land doctrine. His "Commentary on the Sutra of Contemplation of the Infinite Life Buddha" is praised as one of the three major sutras of the Pure Land Sect. For a time, the temple was crowded with people, all beings were happy and praising, and the sound of chanting Buddha's name echoed throughout the forest and valley. Eminent monks such as Daochuo in the late Sui Dynasty and Shandao in the early Tang Dynasty followed their teacher's aspirations, chanted Buddha's name with beads, promoted the sect's style, expanded and repaired the temple, which brought this ancient temple into its heyday and made the Pure Land Sect famous both at home and abroad. In the ninth year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (635 AD), Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, visited the temple in person as the Son of Heaven and donated "many treasures" to pray for future generations and eliminate disasters, and named it "Shibi Yongning Zen Temple"; in the seventh year of Yuanhe in the Tang Dynasty (812 AD), Emperor Xianzong of Tang named it "Longshan Shibi Yongning Temple"; until 1231, Emperor Taizong of Yuan named it "Longshan Huguo Yongning Shifang Daxuanzhong Zen Temple", and since then it has been named "Xuanzhong Temple". It is worth mentioning that during the Tang Dynasty, when Xuanzhong Temple was flourishing During that period, the Japanese monk Ennin came to the Tang Dynasty to study the Tiantai Sect and Esoteric Buddhism, and also absorbed the Pure Land Sect. From then on, the Pure Land Sect of Chinese Buddhism spread to Japan. Afterwards, the Japanese monk Genku founded the Japanese Pure Land Sect, and his disciple Genshin founded the Jodo Shinshu Sect. The believers and disciples of these two sects all call China's Tanluan, Daochuo, Shandao and others their ancestors, and regard Xuanzhong Temple as their ancestral temple. The most worth seeing things in the temple are the inscriptions from past dynasties. Here there are statue steles from the Northern Wei, Northern Qi and Sui dynasties, the ordination platform stele, the temple, village and forest four boundaries stele from the Tang Dynasty, and the stele in praise of the Iron Maitreya Statue in Shibi Temple. In addition, there are dozens of steles from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. These inscriptions, dating from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, are not only a group of artistic treasures, but also a rare group of historical documents for studying the history of Chinese Buddhism, especially the Pure Land Sect. Just as the couplet on the Patriarch Hall says: "Tanzu, Daozu and Shanzu, three generations of ancestors promoted the Pure Land; the Buddha treasure, Dharma treasure and Sangha treasure, the precious raft for thousands of years will cross the maze."

Come to Pangquangou to experience the romance of autumn 2.5h Navigation from Taiyuan [Badaogou] There is a section of road under construction on the way, and if you are unlucky, you may encounter traffic jams. It is recommended to leave early I didn't go into the scenic area, but the scenery along the way was already beautiful. The weather is cold recently, so it is recommended to bring a down jacket. If there is no wind, it won't be too cold.

Pangquangou Forest Park, you won't regret going there, I must recommend it to everyone. Pangquangou Nature Reserve is a place of clear mountains and waters in the vast Loess Plateau, and is the habitat of protected animals such as leopards and brown pheasants. Compared with other forest parks we have visited, it is more primitive and pure, with no traces of artificial development except for wooden plank roads and dirt roads, and the management is also very extensive, so dogs can be brought for play. At the east gate of the village, you can see a bridge leading to a mountain gully, which is a wild scenic spot. We really like this place, there are many cows eating grass and resting on the hillside at the entrance, after entering, we walk along the creek, basically no climbing, moss, dead wood, and random stones constitute a very special primitive forest scene, other tourists say there are monkeys. We let the dog run for a while after making sure no one was around, the cool weather made the dog very happy. The stream is shallow, and dogs who like water can play in the water at will. The road from Yangchitai Village to Badaogou is narrow with many large trucks, it is only 1.5 lanes but two-way traffic, frequent reversing and wrong-way driving, testing driving skills. It is recommended not to drive wide vehicles.

Xuanzhong Temple is located on the Shibi Mountain, ten kilometers northwest of Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province. It was founded in the second year of Yanxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (472 AD) and completed in the first year of Chengming (476 AD). Because the terrain here is rugged and the mountains are like walls, it was renamed 'Shibi Temple'. In 1983, Xuanzhong Temple was listed as a national key Buddhist temple in the Han area by the State Council. In 2012, it was rated as a AAAA tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration. On the central axis of Xuanzhong Temple, there are halls such as the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Great Treasure Hall, the Seven Buddhas Hall, and the Thousand Buddhas Hall, which are distributed from south to north. They are arranged from low to high, blending with the mountain. The mountain gate is a single-eave gate, and in the center are the four simple and robust characters of 'Yongning Zen Temple'. Chengdu-Jiangyou-Wu's Back Mountain in Chengdu: It takes more than three hours to get there from Chengdu (there is a checkpoint at the foot of the mountain that checks the displacement of cars below 2.0). We drove the car to the end of the asphalt road where it was difficult to walk. The parking fee at the local farmhouse is 20 yuan. If it doesn't rain, off-road vehicles can drive up.

It was founded in the second year of Yanxing (472) in the Northern Wei Dynasty and completed in the first year of Chengming (476). Therefore, the formation is stacked with mountains and the mountain is shaped like a wall, so it was renamed "Shibi Temple". From the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Xuanzhong Temple successively hosted the three founders of the Pure Land Sect of Chinese Buddhism. Amitabha Pure Land belief spread rapidly from the scholar class to the Chinese people, and then established sects and spread as far away as Korea and Japan. Xuanzhong Ancient Temple became the Following Donglin Temple in Lushan Mountain, it is another ancestral temple of the Pure Land Sect of Chinese Buddhism. In 1983, Xuanzhong Temple was listed as a national key Buddhist temple in the Han area by the State Council. In 2012, it was rated as an AAAA tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration.

Xuanzhong Temple was founded in the second year of Yanxing in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 472) and completed in the first year of Chengming in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 476). It is located in the middle of Shibi Mountain, 10 kilometers northwest of Jiaocheng County. The mountains here are layered and steep, the environment is quiet, and the scenery is beautiful. But the fame of Xuanzhong Temple is not only due to its elegant scenery, but mainly due to the prosperity and expansion of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the monk Tanluan came to Shibi Mountain, on the one hand, he worked hard to build the temple; on the other hand, he studied Buddhist scriptures widely, wrote books and theories, and vigorously promoted the doctrine of Pure Land. The 'Commentary on the Sutra of Contemplation on the Buddha of Infinite Life' he preached is regarded as one of the three sutras of the Pure Land Sect. For a time, the temple was bustling with people, and everyone was happy and praised, and the sound of chanting Buddha echoed in the valley. Address: In the Shibi Mountain, ten kilometers northwest of Jiaocheng County, Shanxi Province Level: The seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units There is no public transportation directly to it, it is better to drive by yourself, the temple closes around four in the afternoon

Autumn Tour Pang Quangou | The October of each year is the best viewing period for the autumn of Pangquangou, so we drove to the Pangquangou National Nature Reserve. In the autumn, Pangquangou, mist concealing, Akita splendid, layered forest, dyed, colorful, dreamlike. Along the way, many cattle in groups have passed through, and some have walked on the golden grasses; some are still leisurely and dignified and stand still; others are quietly drinking water at the stream. So quiet, an idyllic landscape is in front of us.

Eleven travel