Yuci Ancient City

Yuci Ancient City

Yuci Ancient City is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Yuci in Shanxi has a long history dating back to ancient times. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, descendants of the tribal leader Yuwang (whose ancestor was Shennong) established the State of Yuzhou in the Yushe area (Yushe County, Shanxi). Yuci derived its name from being adjacent to Yuzhou. By the Warring States period, the city had already been built. As time passed, Yuci Ancient City gradually faded away. Since the beginning of this century, through "surgical-style" restoration of major historical sites, this ancient city has finally been revived.

Covering an area of 1 million square meters today, Yuci Ancient City boasts a grand scale and rigorous layout. The Yuci County Yamen, known as the "Foremost Yamen in Shanxi," was first built during the Song Dynasty, covering an area of 20,000 square meters. It is the largest, most complete in structure, and most exquisitely built county-level government office in China. Facing south with its back to the north, it features civil offices (Personnel, Revenue, and Rites) on the left and military offices (Warfare, Punishment, and Public Works) on the right, with the front for governance and the rear for residence, fully embodying traditional Confucian rites. Its most distinctive feature is the marble memorial archway in front of the yamen, with the bold characters "民具而瞻" (The People Are Watching You) prominently displayed on the front, meaning "All the common people under your rule are watching you." The side inscriptions read "Uphold Integrity," "Promote Benevolence," "Honor Rituals," and "Advocate Frugality." The couplets on the yamen’s pillars also urge officials to fulfill their duties and care for the people: "As an official, think of fulfilling your heavenly duty; in governance, nothing is more precious than winning the people’s hearts." I believe these requirements and warnings for officials in feudal society still hold relevance and offer lessons for today.

Adjacent to the yamen, there is usually a symmetrical Temple of the City God. While the county magistrate governs the living, the City God oversees the underworld, protecting the city and its people, reflecting the ancient concept of "yin and yang each performing their duties, humans and deities co-governing." Yuci Ancient City is no exception. The Yuci Temple of the City God was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, covering 6,000 square meters at the time, making it one of the oldest and best-preserved such temples in China. It has been praised by the World Monuments Fund as one of the world’s most exquisite ancient buildings. Looking around, one sees a collection of exquisite stone carvings, brick carvings, wood carvings, plaques, couplets, and murals, all demonstrating superb craftsmanship and ingenious design.

Commerce thrives because of the city, and the city gains fame because of commerce. The Ming-Qing Street in Yuci Ancient City is a vivid depiction of merchant life during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Walking along this 2,000-meter-long flagstone road, you’ll find shops clustered together, goods abundant, and the sounds of the market bustling. Having been born in central Shanxi, with ancestors who were merchants, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of "the Shanxi merchants have returned" upon seeing this scene. The shops are two-story buildings that authentically preserve the ancient layout and characteristics of "front shop, back workshop; front store, back residence." Many once-renowned large merchant houses have also been restored here. At the intersection of the four main streets stands a striking overpass arcade, with a huge plaque on the eastern side of the top floor inscribed with "The Finest Tower Under Heaven." This is a testament to the market prosperity and financial development of Yuci in those days.

The ancient city features three squares—Miaoqian Square, Yaqian Square, and Qingxu Pavilion Square—and three parks—East Garden, West Garden, and Changchun Garden—blending the grandeur of northern ancient architecture with the charm of southern water towns, providing a leisurely space for cultural and sports activities. The China Folk Culture and Art Museum is also located here, housing nearly 10,000 collections including porcelain, coins, furniture, calligraphy and paintings, costumes, snuff bottles, tea sets, wine sets, folk crafts, and root carvings, showcasing the development trajectory of Chinese folk culture and art over thousands of years.

Yuci Ancient City may be "ancient," but that is precisely its value. With its timeless charm, visiting the ancient city is like browsing through a typical sample of China’s feudal society in terms of politics, economy, and culture, or like traveling through a historical tunnel to admire the life paintings inherited and innovated by the ancients.

Yuci Ancient City has three gates—the East Gate, West Gate, and North Gate. Entering from different gates offers different touring routes, but most visitors enter from the East Gate and exit from the East Gate. After purchasing a ticket at the East Gate Plaza and entering the ancient city, you can follow the route: East Gate – Temple of the City God – West Garden – County Yamen – Ming-Qing Street – Confucius Temple – Fengming Academy – West Gate Barbican.

Once inside the ancient city, it feels like stepping back in time, with ancient residences, city walls, county yamens, ancient streets, and shops all around. You can visit the Temple of the City God in the city, whose main hall features exquisite construction, and the 25-meter-high Xuanjian Tower in front of the hall, which has been rated as one of the most beautiful ancient buildings in Shanxi. You can also visit the Yuci County Yamen on the north side of East Street, one of the better-preserved county-level government offices in China, known as the "Foremost Yamen in Shanxi." The scale and structure of the yamen reflect the traditional Confucian rites of local government offices during the Ming and Qing periods: "facing south, civil offices on the left, military offices on the right, front for governance, rear for residence." The Confucius Temple, Fengming Academy, and West Garden in the city are also filled with a strong sense of historical solemnity. While exploring the ancient city, you can also enjoy various local folk performances, such as folk temple fair shows, the county magistrate’s court session, the "Ba Wang Bian" dance, and drum music dances.

The ancient city is now also a famous film and television location, serving as a shooting site for well-known TV dramas such as "Fan Family Courtyard," "Qiao Family Courtyard," and "Langdu Hua." While strolling through the ancient city, you might even run into a big star filming a scene. The South Street of the ancient city has many stalls offering costumes for ancient or military-themed photos; if you’re tired from exploring, you can head to the North Street of the ancient city, where you can try traditional Yuci snacks like "Tounao" (a meat and grain soup) and "Guanchang" (a type of sausage).

Address: No. 225, Fuxing Road, Yuci District, Jinzhong City

Type: Historical Sites / Ancient Towns / Ancient Villages

Recommended Visiting Time: 3–4 hours

Phone: 0354-3284999

Opening Hours:

Summer: 8:00–18:00; Winter: 8:30–18:00