Hancheng

Hometown of Sima Qian, with the Confucian Temple in Hancheng's old town, the Ming–Qing courtyard homes of Dangjia Village, the Sima Qian Temple, mutton hele noodles and marching drums.

Hancheng is a county-level city under Weinan, Shaanxi, in the northeast corner of the Guanzhong Plain on the west bank of the Yellow River, facing Hejin and Wanrong in Shanxi across the water. It is the hometown of Sima Qian, author of the Records of the Grand Historian, and a National Historical and Cultural City. Sightseeing falls into three parts: in the old district, Hancheng Ancient City preserves the layout of a Ming–Qing county town, with Yuan- and Ming-era buildings such as the Confucian Temple, the City God Temple and Dongying Temple, and rows of old shops and courtyard houses along Jincheng Street; about 9 km northeast of town, Dangjia Village is one of the best-preserved Ming–Qing villages in China, with the Liangdai Village Rui State Site Museum nearby; in Zhichuan Town to the south are the cliffside Temple and Tomb of Sima Qian and the newly built Sima Ancient Town. With more time, head north to Yumenkou on the Yellow River, or south to the Qiachuan Wetland in Heyang to bathe in its fen springs. Spring and autumn are best, as summers in Guanzhong are hot; during the first lunar month at Chinese New Year you can see Hancheng's marching drums, shehuo parades and temple fairs. Hancheng has a high-speed rail station about 1.5 hours from Xi'an North, or about 2.5 hours by car via the Beijing–Kunming Expressway, and it is often combined with Yuncheng and Linfen in Shanxi and Hukou Waterfall to the north. Allow 1.5–2 days: one day for the old town and Dangjia Village, one for the Sima Qian Temple and surroundings. Top local dishes are mutton hele noodles, big-knife noodles and chili oil, and Hancheng Sichuan pepper is a famous local product.

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