Xun County

The old town of Xun County with Dapi Mountain's stone Buddha and Fuqiu Mountain's Bixia Temple; Liyang Granary is part of the Grand Canal World Heritage Site and the Lunar New Year temple fair is lively, while Hebi's Yunmeng Mountain and Qi River make a good add-on.

Xun County and Hebi lie in northern Henan, where the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains meet the North China Plain. Xun County is a National Historical and Cultural City, known in ancient times as Liyang. The Wei River (the Sui–Tang Yongji Canal) flows through town, and both its Xun County section and Liyang Granary are components of the Grand Canal World Heritage Site. Qi County, under Hebi, was Zhaoge, capital of the late Shang dynasty; in the Taihang Mountains to the west are Yunmeng Mountain and Guling Mountain, and the Qi River is known as the "River of Poetry" from the Book of Songs. One day in Xun County: in the morning, explore the old town's streets, the county yamen and the Confucian temple, then walk the city wall for views of Yunxi Bridge and the Wei River; in the afternoon, visit Bixia Temple on Fuqiu Mountain, the Great Stone Buddha on Dapi Mountain and the Liyang Granary site at its northern foot, then take an evening stroll on the wall. One to two days around Hebi: the Zhaixing Terrace in Qi County town, half a day to a full day each for Yunmeng Mountain and Guling Mountain in the west, and a drive along the Qi River in Qibin District to see the natural "Taiji" river bend and old villages. Spring and autumn are the best seasons. The Xun County Temple Fair, from the 1st day of the first lunar month to the 2nd day of the second, is the liveliest time of year, with folk parades and clay whistles called nigugu for sale, but crowds are huge and rooms must be booked early. Getting there: Hebi East on the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed line is about 25 km from Xun County and 15 km from Qi County, and Zhengzhou to Hebi East takes about 40 minutes; the Taihang scenic areas require self-drive or a chartered car. Allow 2–3 days, and don't miss Xun County zimo buns and Hebi's "silk-thread" salted duck eggs.

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