Ruicheng County, under the jurisdiction of Yuncheng City in Shanxi Province, is located at the southwestern tip of Shanxi, along the middle reaches of the Yellow River, at the junction of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan provinces. It covers a total area of 1,178.76 square kilometers, with 51,000 hectares of arable land and a forest coverage rate of 37.8%. The county administers 7 towns and 3 townships. The region is poor in mineral resources and mainly relies on agriculture...
Kengtou Cemetery (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Western Zhou Dynasty Location: Kengtou Village, Guwei Town, Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City The cemetery area is concentrated within residential areas, open spaces, and orchards south of Kengtou Village. The orchard section covers approximately 28,800 square meters, while the open spaces and residential sections cover about 6,000 square meters. In 2007, the Ruicheng County Cultural…
Donglv Guan Di Temple (Fifth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Qing Dynasty Address: Donglv Village, Donglu Township, Ruicheng County, Yuncheng City The Donglv Guan Di Temple is 27.1 meters wide from east to west and 41.8 meters long from north to south, covering an area of 1,133 square meters. The temple currently preserves a stage and a main hall. A stone stele inscribed with the "Record of the Construction of the Open Stage" from the fifth year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty (1328) is embedded in the eastern wall of the lower passageway under the stage, documenting how a Mongolian named Temür Tahai built the stage to pray for the well-being of his family. The temple also houses a stone stele from the 33rd year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1694) titled "Record of the Reconstruction of Guan Di Temple," indicating that the triple-stage structure is part of the temple's stage complex. The stage faces south and is built on a 1.85-meter-high brick square platform. It spans nine bays, with three stages aligned side by side, covering a construction area of 223 square meters. The central stage sits above the temple entrance passageway, with wooden planks laid over it to form what is commonly called a "pass-through stage." Every three bays form one stage, creating the appearance of three connected stages along the front eaves. Each stage is three bays wide and three rafters deep, featuring a single-eave gable-and-hip roof and a five-rafter front-porch structure. Beneath the front eaves are dragon- and elephant-shaped decorative brackets. The horizontal beams are intricately carved with motifs such as the Eight Immortals celebrating longevity, qilin (mythical creatures), phoenixes, auspicious beasts, as well as flowers like peonies and tree peonies. The beams are painted with cloud-and-dragon designs. The main hall is seven bays wide and two rafters deep, featuring a three-rafter, no-porch structure and a double-sloped gable-and-hip roof. The front eaves have cloud-shaped decorative brackets, and the beams are adorned with carved flower-shaped dougong brackets and hand-painted cloud-and-dragon patterns.
Ruicheng County boasts a long history and profound cultural heritage. From the Paleolithic remains of the 1.8 million-year-old Xihoudou Site to the 600,000-year-old ?he Site, through the Neolithic Age, the Zhou, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, all the way to the Republican era, the county is home to a vast collection of cultural relics. The Ruicheng County Museum is a public institution dedicated to the collection, exhibition, research, and education...
The former residence of Jing Yaoyue is located in Monan Town, a historic and cultural town situated 20 kilometers east of Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province. It is a residential courtyard left behind by Mr. Jing Yaoyue, a prominent figure in the Xinhai Revolution. In 1984, it was designated as a county-level cultural heritage site by the Ruicheng County People's Government, and in 2004, it was recognized as a city-level...
Wanrong Dongyue Temple is located in the southeastern corner of Jiedian Town, Wanrong County, Shanxi Province. The exact founding date of Wanrong Dongyue Temple is unknown, but it already existed during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. It was rebuilt between the 28th year of the Zhiyuan reign (1291) and the first year of the Dade reign (1297) under Yuan Dynasty Emperor Shizu. The temple faces south and sits on a north-south axis. Its main existing structures include the Feiyun Tower, Meridian Gate, Offering Hall...
The Dongyue Temple in Wanrong County is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, located in the county town of Wanrong. Along its central axis are ancient structures including Feiyun Tower, the Meridian Gate, the Offering Hall, the Incense Pavilion, the Main Hall, and the King of Hell Hall, covering an area of 10,600 square meters. Feiyun Tower is the main building of the Dongyue Temple. It is five bays wide and five bays deep, with a square floor plan and a pure wooden structure. The ground floor has three visible floors and five hidden ones, standing 23.19 meters tall with a cross-shaped hip-and-gable roof. The ground level features a forest of wooden pillars, with four central pillars that rise 15.45 meters to the top floor. Thirty-two surrounding wooden pillars form a checkerboard-like pattern. The third and fourth floors have overhanging eaves, and the entire tower contains 345 sets of brackets (dougong), displaying a rich variety of forms. As a purely wooden structure, Feiyun Tower boasts ingenious construction and exquisite design, making it a masterpiece of pavilion-style architecture in China.
The newly built Gufeng Mountain International Ski Resort in Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province offers skiing in winter and grass skiing in summer and autumn. It is novel, thrilling, fashionable, and romantic, serving as a highly interactive sports, fitness, and leisure destination in the Golden Triangle of the Yellow River region. Located in West Yuncheng, the Gufeng Mountain Ski Resort covers an area of over 100 acres and features three ski runs:…
Located at the northeast corner of the ancient Temple of the Earth Goddess in Wanrong County, Shanxi Province. It earned its name from the stele inscribed with Emperor Wu of Han’s “Autumn Wind Ode,” which is housed inside. The exact date of its construction is unknown, but its current architectural form dates back to the Ming Dynasty. The tower stands 30 meters tall, with a grand elevated base at the bottom that runs from north to south. It is surrounded by decorative brick railings, and features carved horizontal plaques on the east and west sides — the eastern one is inscribed with “Gazing at Lu,” while the western one is inscribed with…
Wanrong Joke Expo Park
The mighty Yellow River surges through the gorges, carrying along both riverbanks and valleys, pouring down from Hukou and cleaving through Longmen, rushing wildly downstream for thousands of miles. Where it meets the Fen River—Shanxi’s mother river—on the ancient land of Wanrong, it forms a vast wetland plain spanning nearly a million acres in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. This area has become a world-renowned wetland wonder of the Yellow River. “Riding at Fengling, gazing toward the Han Pass; three peaks tower above the white clouds. From the west flows a bend of the Kunlun River, slicing through the Zhongtiao and Taihua Mountains.” Here, the river valley is broad and the terrain flat, with vast river floodplains dotted by extensive marshes and dense reed beds, providing habitat for hundreds of species of rare waterfowl. Blessed with a uniquely advantageous location and captivating natural scenery, this is a new-age fashion tourism destination that offers sunshine, beaches, lakeshores, reed marshes, wetlands, and hot springs—all in one. It combines camping, wilderness adventure, barbecues, birdwatching, rafting, and lotus picking. The charm of the Yellow River, the scenery of the wetlands, and the beauty of nature all showcase the unique magic and allure of Xitan.
Gufeng Mountain Scenic AreaGufeng Mountain Scenic Area is located 8 kilometers south of Wanrong County and is a tourist destination that integrates sightseeing, leisure entertainment, and religious culture. It is both a famous scenic mountain and a historic mountain. Developed with an investment of over 100 million yuan by Mr. Wang Chuangquan, former General Manager of Changzhi Iron and Steel Company, the currently...
The Li Family Courtyard — A Unique Mansion of Wealth in Southern Shanxi The Li Family Courtyard, a grand merchant's mansion unique to southern Shanxi, is located in Yanjing Village, Wanrong County, about 38 kilometers north of Yuncheng City. To its west lies National Highway 209, to the east is Peach Blossom Valley, to the north rises the uniquely rugged Solitary Peak Mountain, and to the south unfolds the vast hundred-mile Salt Lake — making it a place of exceptional feng shui. The Li Family Courtyard scenic area spans over 1,000 acres, with a built-up area...
Jingcun Site Jingcun Site (First Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Period: Neolithic Age Address: 500 meters northwest of Jingcun, Wanquan Township, Wanrong County Located on the northern side of Emei Ridge, it borders Gushan Mountain to the southwest, faces the Fen River to the north, and gradually slopes downward to the northeast. The terrain is a gently sloping landform with higher elevations in the southwest and lower in the northeast, covering an area of approximately 100,000 square meters. The cultural remains belong to the Yangshao Miaodigou…
Site of the Ancient City of Fen Yin and Its CemeterySite of the Ancient City of Fen Yin and Its Cemetery (Second Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites)Era: Spring and Autumn and Warring States PeriodsAddress: 500 meters north of Miaqian Village, Bao Ding Township, Wanrong CountyLocated on the southern side of a 30-meter-high hill, the terrain is higher in the north and lower in the south. Only the northern section of the eastern wall (about 0.75 km) and the northeast corner remain. The northeast corner of the city is not distinct, and the surviving part of the eastern wall is relatively well-preserved. It stands 1.5–4.2 meters high and varies from 7 to 9 meters in width. The rammed layers are 8 cm thick, and the ramming pits have a diameter of 5.5 cm. The site of the ancient city retains an area of approximately three to four thousand square meters. The ground is uneven with many depressions, and ash layers and pits are visible in cross-sections everywhere. These layers are about 3–5 meters thick. The ash soil contains a rich assortment of artifacts, including a large number of gray and grayish-brown clay pottery shards and sandy pottery shards. The vessel types include jars, basins, bowls, plates, steamers, pots, etc., and the decorative patterns mainly consist of rope patterns and string patterns, with a few featuring incised and impressed designs. There are also roof tiles, cylindrical tiles, tile ends, broken bricks, and bronze arrowheads. Two bricks or tiles feature meander and geometric patterns, with one complete flat tile measuring 0.47 meters in length and 0.92 meters in width. The nearby cemetery is a cluster of tombs from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, where bronze ding (tripods), steamers, and sets of chime bells have been unearthed.
Balong Temple Pagoda (Fourth Batch of Provincial-Level Protected Sites) Era: Song Dynasty Address: Zhonglizhuang Village, Ronghe Town, Wanrong County The pagoda was originally an affiliated structure of Balong Temple, which no longer exists, leaving only the pagoda standing. It is a seven-story brick pagoda in the pavilion style, approximately 23.9 meters high. The base is square and solid. The pedestal is 0.62 meters high with sides 3.65 meters long. The first…
Jiwangshan Pagoda (Jiwangshan Pagoda, Fourth Batch Provincial Protected Site) Era: Song Dynasty Location: Summit of Jiwang Mountain, Sanwen Township, Wanrong County The pagoda stands atop the peak of Jiwang Mountain. According to the inscribed stele inside the pagoda, it was built in the second year of the Yuanyou era of the Song Dynasty (1807 AD). It is a seven-story, closely-eaved brick pagoda. The base is octagonal, with each side measuring 2 meters and the structure rising 23 meters in height. The eaves of the first story feature imitation wooden brick carvings of brackets...
Beixin Relic Pagoda Era: Ming Dynasty Address: Beixin Village, Ronghe Town, Wanrong County The pagoda was originally an auxiliary structure of the Chongsheng Chan Monastery, built in the 16th year of the Hongwu reign during the Ming Dynasty (1383). The monastery has since been destroyed, leaving only the pagoda. It is a three-tiered, dome-shaped brick pagoda, commonly referred to as "the pagoda," standing 21 meters tall. The base is square, measuring 7.8 meters on each side. The first and second tiers are...
Wannian Temple of the God of Agriculture (Fifth Batch of National Heritage Protection Sites) Era: Jin Dynasty Location: Approximately 7.5 kilometers northwest of Wanrong County at the northern foot of Jiwang Mountain, in the northeastern corner of Tai'zhao Village Legend has it that in ancient times, Houji first taught people how to farm here, hence the mountain was named Jishen Mountain (God of Agriculture Mountain), commonly known as Jiwang Mountain. The temple was built to commemorate Houji. Its founding date is unknown, and only the main hall along the central axis and the stage remain today.
Wanquan Confucius Temple (Sixth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units) Era: Ming Dynasty Address: Wanquan Village, Wanquan Township, Wanrong County The temple faces south and covers an area of 2,784 square meters. Only the Dacheng Hall and the screen wall remain today. The Dacheng Hall was built in the fourth year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1439), featuring a five-bay width and three-bay depth, with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Its construction area is 2…