Atlas of China
Jincheng 晋城Jìnchéng
Fortified mansions, Tang clay figures and cliff views on the Henan border
About Jincheng
Jincheng, in Shanxi's south-east corner against the Henan border, is a coal-mining city whose appeal lies in its villages and hills. Huangcheng Xiangfu, a walled estate of courtyard houses, was the home of Chen Tingjing, tutor to the Kangxi Emperor and chief editor of the Kangxi Dictionary. Qinglian Temple, of Northern Qi origin, keeps painted clay sculptures of the Tang dynasty, and Wangmangling is a mountain geopark of precipitous cliffs in the Taihang range.
What to eat in Jincheng
- Yangcheng shaogan fried pork-liver rolls (阳城烧肝)
- Dayang zhuanmian noodles (大阳馔面)
Featured places in Jincheng
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Huangcheng Xiangfu 皇城相府
A walled hillside estate of courtyards, towers and gardens built by a family of officials
Listed sites in Jincheng
80 listed sites are in Jincheng. These are the 16 rated 5A or 4A; see all 80 in the Shanxi list.
- Dayang Ancient Town 大阳古镇 4A scenic area · on the map
The old town of Dayang, famous in the Ming and Qing for hand-made needles and a national historic and cultural town since 2008. - Fushan Village 釜山村 4A scenic area · on the map
Fushan, in Sizhuang town, is a village restored for tourism around old Qing-dynasty courtyards, a Confucian temple and a reservoir with boats and a floating bridge. - Guoyu Walled Town 郭峪古城 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
A walled Ming-era market village a short walk from Huangcheng Xiangfu, enclosed by a wall about 1.4 km round and 12 m high on average, begun in 1635, with cave-like chambers built into it. - Haihui Temple and Academy 海会寺 4A scenic area · National heritage site
Haihui Temple, at the foot of Dongfan Mountain, is known for its pair of brick pagodas: an early-10th-century pagoda that leans to the west and a Ming pagoda of 1565 with a glazed-tile balcony on its tenth level. - Lianghu Ancient Village 良户古村 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
Lianghu is a Taihang village of Ming and Qing courtyard houses in the Dan River valley, a China Historic and Cultural Village since 2007, now run as a heritage site with a guesthouse in restored courtyards. - Lishan, Qinshui 沁水历山 4A scenic area · on the map
The Qinshui side of the Lishan range in the Zhongtiao Mountains, a national nature reserve and forest park of about 204 square kilometres with forest, cave systems, alpine meadow and canyon scenery. - Liu Family Houses, Xiwenxing 柳氏民居 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
A hillside village of courtyard houses where the Liu clan, who trace their descent to the Tang writer Liu Zongyuan, have lived for centuries. - Mang River Scenic Area 蟒河 4A scenic area · on the map
A forested gorge area on the Shanxi–Henan border, set up as a national nature reserve and forest park mainly to protect rhesus macaques and subtropical plants, and nicknamed the 'little Guilin of the north'. - Mount Jue 珏山 4A scenic area · on the map
A steep twin-peaked hill on the south bank of the Dan River, climbed by a long flight of stone steps through successive gates to temple halls near the summit, built from the Song dynasty onwards. - Situ Town 司徒小镇 4A scenic area · on the map
A tourist town in the north-east of Jincheng, built in Ming and Qing street style, with restaurants, shops, craft workshops, amusement rides and stage shows. - Tianguan Wang Mansion 天官王府 4A scenic area · on the map
Tianguan Wang Mansion is a cluster of old houses in Shangzhuang village associated with Wang Guoguang, a Ming minister of personnel (the 'tianguan' of the name), and opened to visitors in 2012. - Wangmangling 王莽岭 4A scenic area · on the map
Wangmangling is a cliff-edged part of the southern Taihang range on the Shanxi–Henan border, and the scenic area covers four zones, Wangmangling, Xiyagou, Kunshan and Liuxiu City, falling from about 1,700 m to about 300 m. - Xiangyu Old Fortress 湘峪古堡 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
A fortified village on a hillside above a stream, built for the Sun family, three brothers who held senior posts under the late Ming, and completed in 1634. - Xicheng Mountain 析城山 4A scenic area · on the map
Xicheng Mountain is a karst summit on the north-west side of the Wangwu range, where a ring of cliffs with four gaps like city gates encloses a bowl of subalpine meadow, a landscape that is rare in northern China; the main peak is about 1,888 m. - Yandi Mausoleum, Gaoping 炎帝陵 4A scenic area · on the map
The Yandi Mausoleum at Zhuangli village is one of four places in China that hold a tomb of Yandi, the legendary Emperor Yan or Shennong, remembered as the teacher of farming and herbal medicine. - Yangtou Mountain and Grottoes 羊头山 4A scenic area · National heritage site · on the map
Yangtou Mountain rises to about 1,300 m where Gaoping meets Changzhi, and local tradition places Yandi's first sowing of grain here; the scenic area marks the sites of his legendary town, spring, well and field plot, with a lake and a ceremonial square at the foot.
On the map
Open Jincheng on the illustrated map to see its outline, its places and listed sites together, and to add them to a trip.
Open Jincheng on the map