Southern Shanxi

Linfen and Yuncheng, home to Hukou Waterfall, the Hongdong Ancestral Pagoda Tree, the Guandi Temple in Xiezhou and Yongle Palace, a Yellow River land regarded as the cradle of Chinese ancestry.

Southern Shanxi is the southern section in the commonly used four-region division of Shanxi. It covers two prefecture-level cities, Linfen and Yuncheng, and is separated from Shaanxi to the west and Henan to the south by the Yellow River. Hukou Waterfall in Jixian County, Linfen, is the most famous waterfall on the Yellow River, facing Yichuan in Shaanxi across the water. The Hongdong Ancestral Pagoda Tree Park holds the memory of mass migrations, and the Flying Rainbow Pagoda of Guangsheng Temple in the same county is a renowned glazed-tile pagoda. Xiaoxitian in Xixian is known for its exquisite hanging sculptures, and Yunqiu Mountain in Xiangning combines scenery with ancient villages. Yuncheng is the hometown of Guan Yu, and the Guandi Temple in Xiezhou is imposing in scale. The colorful salt pans of Yuncheng Salt Lake have become popular in recent years, Yongle Palace in Ruicheng preserves precious Yuan-dynasty murals, and Yongji's Guanque Tower is famous for the line "to see a thousand miles further". Nearby are Puji Temple and the Pujin Ferry ruins, and Wanrong has the Li Family Compound and the Houtu Temple. A classic route runs north from Yuncheng through Yongle Palace, Guanque Tower, Guandi Temple and the Salt Lake, then on to Hongdong and Hukou Waterfall in Linfen; four to six days is ideal. For transport, Yuncheng Guangong International Airport and Linfen Yaodu Airport have flights to many cities, and the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway runs through Linfen and Yuncheng to link Taiyuan and Xi'an; sights such as Hukou require a chartered car or self-drive. Access to Hukou Waterfall may be restricted during flood or ice periods, so check the scenic area's announcements before setting out; summers are hot on the plains, so take precautions against the heat.

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Itineraries