Hancheng Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in Apr)

Hancheng Ancient City in Weinan, Shaanxi

A leisurely ancient city - Hancheng, Shaanxi Hancheng Ancient City: The old city of Hancheng was built during the Sui Dynasty and has a history of 1500 years. It is one of the most well-preserved ancient cities in the country, retaining architectural styles from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Among them, there are 16 Yuan Dynasty buildings. Hancheng's 'Yuan Jian' is one of the most concentrated places in the country. A Ming and Qing ancient street, a group of ancient buildings, a batch of quadrangle ancient residences, all well-preserved, make it one of the six best-protected Ming and Qing ancient cities in China. The ancient city of Hancheng contains many historical relics and cultural landscapes, including the Confucian Temple, Jiulang Temple, Hancheng North Camp Temple, East Camp Temple, Qingshan Temple, Yuxiu Bridge, City God Temple, County Government Office, Top Scholar Mansion, Li Zicheng's Palace, Jincheng Old Street, homes of famous people, and quadrangle residences. 1. Navigate to Hancheng Ancient City to arrive It is recommended to first visit Hancheng's mutton restaurant for a delicious Hancheng mutton meal before heading to the ancient city, where there is a food street, but it mostly offers snacks and tends to be crowded. Location: Near 54 Huomiao Alley, Hancheng City, Weinan, Shaanxi 2. Parking: There is an underground parking lot in the ancient city 3. Admission: Free 4. Estimated visiting time: 2-3 hours Pass through the food street to reach the ancient street, where merchants line both sides, interspersed with ancient buildings, small attractions, folk museums, etc. 5. Opening hours: 11:00-20:30 (all year round) 6. Special recommendations: Hancheng Sichuan pepper, Sichuan pepper yogurt, Sichuan pepper-related foods (available for tasting), flour-based foods, wontons, fried dough twists, mutton...

Ancient City of Hancheng, Shaanxi

The ancient city of Hancheng, the city was first built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the fourth year of Dading in the Jin Dynasty (1164), the city wall was built with soil. In the thirteenth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1640), Xue Guoguan, the prime minister of the city, proposed to the court for approval, advocating local officials and gentlemen to donate funds to change the soil city wall into a brick city wall. The four city gates are inscribed with 'East with the Yellow River', 'Liang Yi West Lapel', 'Pubei Hancheng', and 'Longmen Shengdi'. In order to protect the ancient city, the municipal government made a decision in the early 1980s to protect the ancient city area and build a new city area, so that the ancient streets are well protected. The main street that runs through the north and south of the ancient city of Hancheng is the main street, which is dragon-shaped, reaching a kilometer long, slightly curved, like a dragon lying horizontally; the Jin Dynasty pagoda at the top of the Yuanjue Temple on the north side of the ancient city is like a dragon head, and the ancient stone bridge at the south end is like a dragon tail. The dragon-shaped main street has 72 lanes that crisscross, are orderly, and accessible in all directions. There are more than 5,200 houses in the ancient city, including more than 770 buildings and shops and houses of certain protection value. The ancient shops along the main street are Ming and Qing buildings, most of them are two-story buildings, with warehouses upstairs and shops downstairs, front shops and rear residences, brick and wood structures, and blue brick gray tile sloping roofs, which are typical of the northern ancient city. The well-preserved concentrated courtyards in the ancient city include Zhang Lane, Gaojia Lane, Bozi Lane, Nanying Temple Lane, Wanwan Lane, etc. There are 13 ancient buildings with more than 70 buildings protected in the block, with a large number, large scale and various types, especially the Confucian Temple, the City God Temple, and the Dongying Temple are connected into a piece, reaching more than 700 meters, which is a major feature of the ancient city.

6-day tour from Xi'an to Shanxi (from south to north)

🚗🚗🚗Travel route: Day1: Tongguan Yellow River Ancient Ferry→Guoquelou→Yongle Palace→Yuncheng Salt Lake Day2: Hongtong Dahaitu Root-seeking Ancestor Worship Park→Shanxi Wang's Grand Courtyard→Zhangbi Ancient Castle→Mianshan Scenic Area Day3: Pingyao Ancient City→Qiao's Grand Courtyard Day4: Yungang Grottoes→Hanging Temple Day5: Mengshan Giant Buddha→Shanxi Museum Day6: Dangjia Village→Hancheng Ancient City

The Sima Qian Temple, a sacred site for historians

The temple dedicated to Sima Qian was built in the third year of Yongjia during the Western Jin Dynasty. It consists of four terraces, each connected by stone steps that ascend in layers, totaling ninety-nine steps. In front of each terrace stands a wooden archway. From the bottom up, the last terrace is the tomb of Sima Qian, where an ancient cypress tree stands. Here, one can pay homage to the Grand Historian and deeply comprehend the essence of 'the unparalleled masterpiece of historians, the verse-free 'Li Sao'.'

Sima Qian, a famous historian of the Western Han Dynasty, wrote the book "Historical Records", which opened up the general history of China. It has profound influence on the development of later history and literature. Later generations commemorated his achievements and built the tomb and tomb in his originality. Passing through the gate of the scenic spot, it is a rugged and rugged stone road. This is the oldest ramp in Hancheng - the Sima Trail and the predecessor of the 108 National Road. This seemingly ordinary stone road actually carries a long history. From the air, Sima Qiang's tomb is built on the mountain, with the Yellow River in the east, the Liangshan Mountain in the west, the Great Wall in the Wei Dynasty in the south, and the long flowing stream in the north. It has become more and more majestic after thousands of years of vicissitudes. The tomb of Sima Qian was built in the Yuan Dynasty by the Sima Qianyi crown. In front of the tomb, there was a monument to the Han Taishi cemetery written by the Buddhist governor of Shaanxi during the Qing Emperor Qianlong. There was a cypress on the tomb. The ancient cypress was very strong and the legend was planted in the Han Dynasty. The uneven stone road marks the footprints of the admirers who have been admirers for more than a thousand years. Visitors who come to Hancheng must first come here to pay tribute to the world cultural celebrity Sima Qiang's tomb.

Ancient architectural complex in Jingyi Village, Hancheng, Shaanxi

The ancient architectural complex in Jingyi Village mainly consists of the remaining Ming and Qing ancient buildings in Jingyi Village, including Wenxing Building, Xiutianyao, Shizhe's old residence, ancient stage, Jingyi Fawang Temple, etc. It is a rare cultural heritage that shows the profound historical connotation of Jingyi in Hancheng.

Guzhuang Village Fumin Temple in Hancheng, Shaanxi

The Fumin Temple in Guzhuang Village was established in the first year of Yuan Zhi Zheng (1341). It was repeatedly renovated in the 57th year of Kangxi (1718), the 13th year of Yongzheng (1735), and the 6th year of Jiaqing (1801). The hall is three rooms wide and four beams deep. The four beams are connected to the eaves with two columns. The single eaves are suspended from the mountain top. There are camel humps on the four beams, and there are similar railings and universal cypress beams on the camel humps. This structure is already an atypical Yuan Dynasty method, which should have been changed during later renovations. There are camel humps on the flat beams, and similar railings and universal cypress beams are set up on the camel humps. This place still looks like the Yuan Dynasty method in Hancheng. The outer eaves brackets are made in four layers, and the upper part is directly supported by the beam head. The beam head is grooved and jointly supports the replacement wood with the order beam and scattered buckets. The play head is turned inside and the overlapping head is pressed under the four beams. The inside turn does not see a single copy, it may be the lower half of the overlapping head, this is also a very special method. The single copy of the two brackets in the heart has become an elephant head shape, and the brackets of the two corner columns are still relatively simple. Regardless of the treatment methods of the beam head and the play head, or the elephant head single copy, they are all later methods. There are preserved painted murals in the hall. It is a key cultural relics protection unit in Shaanxi Province.

The wooden archway of Liuzhi Village in Hancheng, Shaanxi

The wooden archway of Liuzhi Village was built in the Qing Dynasty, and has been repaired many times, but it is still well preserved. The plaques on both sides of the large and small crossbeams are engraved with 'Jingwei Tiandi' and 'Haoran Lingqi'. The wooden archway stands at the entrance of the village, serving as the village motto of Liuzhi Village. Next to the archway is the Sun Gong Temple from the Qing Dynasty, which is a key cultural relic protection unit in Weinan City.