Qi County Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

Qiao Family Court yard. We are in Pingyao ancient city, Pingyao, Shanxi province, China. Every corner, every small narrow streets here in Pingyao ancient city hides surprises. What kind of surprise could be expected from one of the richest family of ancient Pingyao? It is really impressive. After entering here it is becoming clear, this family was very rich and had earned a lot of money by the successful trade operations to keep such kind of house and territory for private use. Now this court yard is a tourist spot and interesting museum. This is also good option for taking pictures and opportunity to become more familiar with Pingyao ancient city history. #summervacation#urbanexplorer#roadtrip#museumquest#historicculture

Shanxi people are familiar with the Qiao Family Courtyard because of the Shanxi merchant culture. Foreigners know that the Qiao Family Courtyard is mostly because of the movie "The Red Lanterns Hang High". But the correct way to visit the Qiao Family Courtyard is not just to see the red lanterns. Only! The architectural layout of the Qiao Family Courtyard and the precious cultural relics in the collection are worth reading. So go to the Qiao Family Courtyard, dont just look at the red lanterns. Its more worth seeing than the red lanterns. Its the three treasures in the collection of the Qiaos compound. Each of these three cultural relics is not small, some still unique. Kowloon screen: The object with the dragon naturally can't be separated from the palace. The screen of the Kowloon is flowing out of the palace. Under the chance of coincidence, the Joe family bought a huge sum of money to buy it back. The Kowloon screen is made of huanghuali wood, and the nine dragons on it are alive. A closer look reveals that there are still 72 dragons, so the total is eighty-one dragons. Kowloon Lights: Kowloon Lights Craftsmanship is exquisitely crafted and crafted. The structure is unique and ingenious. It is a luxurious and practical wood carving craft. The Empress Dowager Cixi fled to Xi'an when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded, and Qiao's family donated 300,000 silver and the Queen Mother to solve their urgent needs. After the Empress Dowager Cixi thanked his loyalty and rewarded two Kowloon lanterns, the country has yet to find a third flaw. Rhinoceros spectroscopy: There is a rhinoceros mirror in the No. 3 hospital of Qiao's house. It is about one meter in diameter, two meters high and weighs one ton. It uses the hardest rare wood of the wood. The system is a national first-class cultural relic, and it is also the treasure of the town house of Qiao.

Wang's Grand Courtyard vs

Qiao's Grand Courtyard. When you go to Shanxi, are you also struggling with whether to visit Wang's Grand Courtyard or Qiao's Grand Courtyard ? This time I visited both places and will compare them for you as a reference. 🌟Ticket Price🎫: Wang's Grand Courtyard is 55 yuan, Qiao's Grand Courtyard is 115 yuan 🌟Location: Wang's Grand Courtyard is located in Lingshi County, while Qiao's Grand Courtyard is in Qixian County. If you start from Pingyao, the distance to both places is similar. If you start from Taiyuan, Qiao's Grand Courtyard is much closer. 🌟Scale: Wang's Grand Courtyard (Pictures 1～6) was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties, covering an area of 250,000 square meters, with 231 courtyards, known as 'five alleys, six fortresses, and one street', Qiao's Grand Courtyard (Pictures 7～9) was built during the Qing dynasty, covering more than 4,000 square meters, with 6 large courtyards and 20 small ones, constructed in the shape of the character '喜' (happiness). 🌟Characteristics: Wang's Grand Courtyard has an elegant and simple architectural style, reflecting the dignity of official and merchant families and the orderliness of household management. The wood, brick, and stone carvings are all exquisite. Many courtyards in its Hongmen Fortress are not yet open to the public, and the main attractions are concentrated in Gaojia Cliff, where you can climb the city wall for an overview. Qiao's Grand Courtyard features exquisite architecture, with particularly distinctive brick carvings and colorful paintings, reflecting the concepts of business and household management, and is a typical representative of Qing dynasty residential architecture. The scenic area is equipped with facilities such as a sculpture corridor, which can help visitors understand the history of the Qiao family and their architecture in advance. If you look at it from a cost-performance perspective, Wang's Grand Courtyard has the edge. It is recommended to choose one based on your itinerary and preferences, as the styles are quite similar.

Folk Forbidden City - Qiao's Grand Courtyard

Sanjin's Premier Courtyard - Qiao's Grand Courtyard, I first heard of Qiao's Grand Courtyard through the TV series (Qiao's Grand Courtyard), and visiting it today, it truly lives up to its reputation! I am amazed at the wealth of the Qiao family, genuinely rich enough to rival countries! Every brick seems to symbolize wealth. This is precisely what motivates our generation to excel through diligence!

An underrated ancient town

Shanxi Datong Ancient City Tower stands tall and firm, witnessing the vicissitudes of time. It is the guardian of history, carrying countless stories and legends. Standing at the foot of the Datong Ancient City Tower, looking up at the solemn structure, it seems as if one can hear the footsteps of history echoing in one's ears, feeling the sediment of time and its profound depth.

Datong Guangfu Corner Historical and Cultural District!! Not a peep from anyone who comes

💥 The renovation here is not finished yet 💥 It's a large area, and as you stroll around, you'll find surprises 💥 I really like the design of the restrooms, they have set up a rest area and it's very soundproof 💥 I encountered 'A Gallery for One' which is super innovative, and the photos look incredibly beautiful 💥 Looking forward to the complete construction of this area, it surely won't disappoint

Travel Guide to Datong, Shanxi after the Spring Festival

Shanxi Datong! "A new year in the ancient capital, a great unity under heaven." People say that if you want to see cultural relics on the ground, look to Shanxi And if you travel to Shanxi, not visiting Datong Would mean you haven't really experienced Shanxi This is our first time visiting this familiar yet strange ancient city during the New Year The familiar atmosphere of the New Year from our youth The familiar historical and cultural streets The familiar new atmosphere of the New Year in the southeast town... Datong during the New Year is truly different The surprise is its new skin The lively red, the joyous brightness Datong after nightfall Is really moving, charming, and tempting... "A different year in Datong, a big difference" indeed does not deceive 🚗Transportation: Getting around Datong is very convenient There is an airport and a high-speed train station The city is not big, taxis and buses are very convenient Buses can take you directly to many attractions and food streets ⚠️One thing to note during the Spring Festival Local license plates will be restricted from entering the ancient city Make sure to allow extra time for taxis! 🌲Attractions: Datong has so many tourist attractions Last time we recommended and do not regret must-visit The three major grottoes Yungang Grottoes; Datong Nine Dragon Wall; Datong Museum; Datong Ancient City Wall; This time we focus on recommending the new sights and new fun of Datong 2024 ✍️Take notes below: ⭐2024 Datong Ancient Capital Lantern Festival ⏰Time: 2.8-5.18 📍Location: Datong Ancient City Wall The lantern festival is held on the east and south walls of the ancient city, creating a joyful and auspicious festival atmosphere, building the "Ancient Capital Lantern Festival" cultural brand, making the ancient city "come alive and fire up", enriching the cultural life of the masses during the Spring Festival. ⭐Southeast Town Ice and Snow World ⏰Time: 2.1-2.25 📍Location: Southeast Town EAO Urban Art Camp: Consisting of the Polar Ice Sculpture Exhibition and the Joyful Ice and Snow New World, two main themes, creating ice sculptures such as the Temple of Heaven, the Roman Colosseum, the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, the Chinese Dragon, ice hangings, and ice lanterns, and carrying out activities such as dog sledding, snowmobiling, ice skating tracks, and castle slides, creating a fun and interactive ice and snow carnival world. ⏰Time: February 1, 2024—February 24, 2024 📍Location: Weidu Water World ⭐Datong 2024 Happy Ice and Snow Season Time: 2.1-2.17 📍Location: The moat area on the east side of the ancient city and the north side of Wenyin Lake ⭐2024 Datong Spring Festival Cultural Activities and Performances Time: 2.12-2.24 📍Location: Southeast Town Guandi Temple 🍜Cuisine: Shanxi, as the capital of noodles Datong's cuisine is also famous for its knife-cut noodles, with Renji Middle School Knife-Cut Noodles, Dongfang Shuomian, Xijindao Noodle House, just choose any and you won't be disappointed There are even more recommendations for Shanxi cuisine, Longjuxiang Shaomai House, Kaige Restaurant, Northern Wei Family Banquet, Fenglinge, each restaurant is super crowded

Shanxi celebrates the New Year with vibrant colors and a festive atmosphere in the pear garden!

Datong Spring Festival Gala, a feast of folk culture 🗓As the Spring Festival approaches, the ancient city of Datong is filled with joy, A unique Spring Festival cultural event is being passionately staged! The intangible cultural heritage performances are wonderful, Dragon and lion dances, Jin opera high-pitched performances are extraordinarily lively, Immersing citizens and tourists in the rich traditional New Year atmosphere. Come to Datong for the Spring Festival, ➡Experience a cultural feast that spans a thousand years, Share the beautiful time of reunion, joy, and harmony! ✅Datong Ancient City Lantern Festival The place is full of New Year's flavor, the prosperous fire, the real ancient city wall, various lanterns are hung high, 🏮The colorful lights and the ancient temples⛩ complement each other, the lights are overflowing, Datong is different every year, you must come here to feel the New Year, and there are various 🆓 performances ✅Xinzhou Ancient City Iron Flower The iron flower💥 is a feature of Shanxi, super shocking! When the stars dim, the sound like drumming sounds like a galloping horse, the iron flower explodes in an instant to light up the starry sky, dazzling. ✅Pingyao Ancient City Guessing Lantern Riddles and Paper Cutting Shanxi landmark, stay for one night. Everything to eat and drink is available, experience the extreme guessing lantern riddles, cutting window flowers, eating hot pots, let you feel a different New Year's joy~ ✅Taiyuan Jin Flavor New Year's Eve Dinner On New Year's Eve, have a table full of Jin flavor New Year's Eve dinner, and count down with everyone🎉, the New Year's atmosphere is super strong~ ✅Qiao Family Courtyard Ancient Costume Welcome Ancient costume experience, cross the brilliant life of the young lady of Qiao's Grand Courtyard Must-eat delicacies: Datong Rabbit Head: The color is rosy, the aroma is fragrant, and the taste is spicy Knife-cut noodles: Named for "knife-cut", the noodles are medium-thick and thin, with clear edges and corners, shaped like willow leaves, and chewy Yomi Noodles: Made from yomi, the production is exquisite, it is chewy to eat, and it is high in nutritional value Hunyuan Cold Noodles: "The best in Beiyue", it is "slippery" in your hand, and "cool" in your mouth Pingding Braised Pork: The perennial "protagonist" on the New Year's Eve dinner, a "artifact" for meals Sweet and Sour Meatballs: Sour and sweet are especially good for meals, you will like it once you eat it Shuozhou Oil Fruit: Soft and sweet, you must eat it when you have a happy event Dingxiang Steamed Meat: After eating Dingxiang steamed meat, the new year must be prosperous Linxian Big Stew: The color is tempting, the side dishes are harmonious, the pork is fragrant, and the noodles are smooth Brain: In the food world, it is the existence of bean juice Historical sites: Pingyao Ancient City Yingxun Gate. Ming-Qing Ying County Jingtusi Daxiong Hall Caisson. Jin Ying County Fogong Temple Shijia Pagoda. Liao Datong Huayan Temple Daxiong Hall. Jin Taigu Cao Family Courtyard. Ming-Qing Pingyao Zhenguo Temple Wanfo Hall. Five Dynasties Taigu Drum Tower. Ming-Qing Guangling Shengquan Temple. Qing Lingqiu Jueshan Temple Tower. Liao Guangling Water God Hall. Ming and Qing Taigu Jingxin Temple Stage. Qing Jiexiu Chenghuang Temple. Ming-Qing Jiexiu Xian Shen Building. Ming-Qing Datong City Wall Hunyuan Yongan Temple. Yuan Shuozhou Chongfu Temple Amitabha Hall. Jin Lingshi Wang Family Courtyard. Qing Guangwu Great Wall. Ming

Qiao Family Compound

#chinatrip This major tourist attraction between Pingyao and Taiyuan was featured in the movie Raise the Red Lantern and a Chinese TV series. It was the housing compound of the scholarly merchant Mr Qiao and his extended family. Now the state owns it and turned it into a tourist joint. The compound is very nice. You get a good glimpse of how the rich lived. There are exhibits featuring daily life of the 19th century. The place is very crowded and parts of it becomes very commercialized.

Recommended Destination for the May Day Holiday—Zhenhelou in Shanxi

Jiexiu Liuli always brings surprises! Zhenhelou in Xiliutun Town Zhenhelou in Xiliutun Village, Jiexiu City Zhenhelou, a cross-street building, has a shrine for the Jade Emperor on the second floor, hence it is also known as the Jade Emperor Building. It was originally built during the Ming Zhengde era, and was extensively repaired in the ninth year of the Qing Yongzheng era and in 2008. The roof is adorned with exquisite glazed tiles, and has been largely preserved intact.

When it comes to Shanxi Datong, many people know that the coal industry is very developed. In fact, this city is also the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it is also the capital of the Liao and Jin Dynasties. The long history of building a city has left Datong with a lot of cultural and architectural heritage, and Huayan Temple is one of them. Huayan Temple was built in 1038 AD, which is the northern emperor-Liaozhongxi seven years. In the early days, it was the royal ancestral temple of the Liao Kingdom. It was not open to ordinary people. Because you are the royal ancestral temple, the architectural community of Huayan Temple is laid out and constructed according to the specifications of the palace. The temple is from west to east, and more than 30 buildings are arranged on the two main lines of the south and the north. Standing on a high point, the panoramic view of the temple is quite a bit like the Beijing Forbidden City. Because it was a Buddhist temple built during the Liao Dynasty, the Buddha statues in the temple reflect the aesthetics of the time. Compared with the thin winds of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Buddha statues carved in the Liao Dynasty were partial and strong. Huayan Temple is the best-preserved Liaojin temple complex in China. It was destroyed in various periods due to war and other reasons. It has undergone several re-constructions and has its current appearance. Many dynasties in China have changed, and you sing me to the stage, and finally the East-West fusion, East and North culture. Looking at China, there are countless ancient temples, but there are not many historical scales close to Huayan Temple.

On the inner walls of the temple, there is a vivid picture of the story, which is a fairy story of the clouds. They have different expressions and different looks, only indicating the difference in identity between costumes and headwear. The gems in the rhyme of the clouds, the two worlds fly together. Long bowed to the golden body and prayed for a lifetime. No worries, no worries, and the heart is old with Cangshan. Sitting in lotus, accepting the dignified Buddha of worship and prayer. For thousands of years, he sat quietly here, his eyes wide open, and his compassionate tenderness. For thousands of years, he silently listened to the deep desires of his followers, the unsatisfactory realities in the real world, and the secrets of his heart. Then he used his compassionate eyes to penetrate the darkness to bring dawn, and to resolve the troubles and sorrows. .

Listening to Zen Buddhism, Zen tea, this is the bliss of life.

This temple is located in the ancient city of Datong. It was originally built in 1038 AD, which is the seven years of Liaozhongxi. After that, it was unfortunately destroyed in the war. Although the war destroyed the "recorders" of many civilizations, the foundation still exists. In 1140, because of the need to rebuild Buddhism, Huayan Temple was reborn. There are more than 30 buildings in Huayan Temple. The synchronous is distributed on the two main axes of the north and the south. It has a unique layout style and gives visitors a sacred and steady impression. The whole temple has these main tourist attractions: First, the Shanghuayan Temple consists of the Daxiong Hall, the Shanmen, the Temple, the Guanyin Pavilion, the Tibetan Pavilion and the hatchback; second, the Huayan Temple is The Bojiajia Tibetan Temple is the center, and it is composed of the surrounding Liao Dynasty statues, Shijing Building, pavilion-style Tibetan cabinets and Tiangong Pavilion. Third, the Huayan Pagoda is made of 100 tons of pure copper. Because it is a monastery, it must be inseparable from the Buddha. Therefore, the tower contains a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Jiaozuo Bodhisattva carved with centuries-old incense sandalwood. It is a treasure of Huayan Temple.