4 Days Shanxi Local Culture Tour from Beijing

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Beijing to Datong Tour by High-speed Train
   Explore Ancient Grottoes, Temple, and Wall Sculpture

   In the morning, the Beijing local driver will pick you up from the downtown hotel and drive around 1 hour to Beijing West Train Station for your high-speed train to Datong. The train rides for around 2.5 hours, you can have a nap on the train.

   When you arrive at Datong South Train Station, there will be a local English-speaking tour guide waiting for you at the exit gate holding a welcome board with your name.

   Firstly, we drive westwards to Yungang Grottoes. As the first batch of key cultural relics under state protection, also on the world heritage list, Yuagang Grottoes has a highly cultural and artistic meaning. It not only shows the traditional Chinese artistic style but also incorporates the art characteristics of ancient India, the western regions, and the Central Plain. Yungang Grottoes is the beginning of the "sinicization" of Chinese grotto art which mainly stores 45 grottoes and 51,000 stone statues.

   

   Later, continue your Shanxi tour to Shanhua Temple which is a Buddhist temple with a great fusion of Han culture in the Song Dynasty and ancient northern ethnic culture of Jin and Liao Dynasties. Although it’s less visited compared with other Datong attractions, the artistic level of relics there including sculptures, wall paintings, and ancient architecture shows a pretty high level.

   Last, pay a visit to the Nine-Dragon Wall. Built in the late Ming Dynasty, it is composed of colored glaze. Nine dragons are different in shape and form, each connected by water grass, white clouds, and rocks. It presents the superb sculpture skills of ancient China.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: in Datong
2. Day 2: Datong to Taiyuan Tour
   Visit a Cliffside Temple and Explore a Historic Cultural Site

   Today, the first site will be Hanging Temple. Located between the cliffs of Mt. Hengshan, it is the only unique temple in China that integrates Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The whole monastery is built in a wooden framework structure. Though not very big, it astonishes people with the building design that relies on a mortise joint and embeds into the cliff without falling down. Owning a history of over 1,500 years, Hanging Temple has earned compliments from many notable literati and poets in their works.

   

   Later, drive around 3.5 hours to Taiyuan. Jinci Temple is the No.1 attraction that you should not miss in Taiyuan. It is the earliest imperial sacrifice garden existing today, dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, about 11th century B.C. Each Taiyuaner is proud of the Jinci Temple where their origin can be traced and of the historical heritage including the grand architecture complex, high-level sculptures, wall paintings, and inscriptions. Immerse yourself into the elegant temple to learn the local history and culture with professional commentary from your expert guide.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: in Taiyuan

3. Day 3: Taiyuan to Pingyao Tour
   Explore An Ancient City with Centuries-old History and Paper Cutting Class

   After breakfast, drive around 40 minutes to Pingyao and start your visit to Pingyao Ancient City. Bearing a history of over 2700 years, sharing the title Four Best Preserved Ancient Chinese Cities, this ancient city is one of the only two ancient cities succeeding in applying for World Cultural Heritage in China. Pingyao started to be built in the Western Zhou Dynasty (827BC-782BC) and extended in 1370 AD, Ming Dynasty. Until today, the basic layout and landscape of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are still visible in Pingyao.

   Like most city walls, the Pingyao City Wall was built for defense against foreign invasion and was patched 26 times in later generations. The Wall is extremely admirable with its strong character in the lengthy past when you stroll on the wall top and behold the mottled bricks over there.

   Stretching around the city 6,000 meters in length and up to 12 meters in height, the ancient City Wall divided the small city into 2 distinct worlds inside and outside its embrace: the inside was prosperous in trade with the streets lined with shops and people coming and going.

   

   You will be guided to visit the relics of the famous Rishengchang Exchange Shop to trace the history of the Chinese financial industry. Built in 1823 by the general manager Lei Lvtai with fund support from local rich merchant Li Dajin, Rishengchang had even dominated the economic artery of the Qing Empire in the 19th century.

   Setting your feet on Ming-Qing Street, one of the busiest commercial streets in China, you shall have a better idea in mind about how advanced the development in China was at that time. Today, the relics of those ancient shops still are well preserved and visible, including exchange shops, banks, drugstores, butchers, pawn shops...

   Besides, joining in a Paper Cutting Class in the ancient city would be a big highlight today. Following the local expert and waving the scissors in your hands, you will amazingly get a vivid bird or fish, through which the interesting Chinese culture could be caught a glimpse.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: in Pingyao

   

4. Day 4: Departure from Pingyao
   Glimpse Shanxi Merchant Culture and Architecture

   Today you will head to Qiao Family Courtyard which could be said as a name card of travel to Shanxi Province, boasting its unparalleled value of viewing, scientific, and historical research. It's a typical folk-art museum with strong characteristics of Shanxi merchants’ culture, reflecting the social and economic life in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Different from the tiny and elegant ancient town embraced by streams in southern China, Qiao Family impresses visitors strikingly with its square layout, tall and thick walls, grey bricks, and red lanterns as well as classic overhanging eaves, suddenly bringing you back to ancient northern China when you stepping into the yard.

   In the afternoon, you will be dropped off at the train station for departure. Your 4-day Shanxi tour to Datong, Taiyuan, and Pingyao from Beijing ends here.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: N/A