The festive spirit of northern Shaanxi

    I had long been planning to visit somewhere during the Spring Festival holiday, so I checked the weather forecast for the next seven days in advance. Due to light snow, I had to stay at home. The online friends I had contacted also gave up on traveling. After eating dumplings on New Year’s Day, I scheduled a visit with relatives on the second day of the lunar new year, and just waited to enjoy the snowy scenery on the morning of the second. When I looked out the window on the morning of the second, there was no snow at all—I had been fooled by the weather forecast. But since I had already planned to visit relatives on the second, I could only set out on the third.

    With only four days left of the holiday, it was too late to go far. Visiting northern Shaanxi to experience its festive vibe would make for a pleasant trip anyway. In the afternoon of the second day, I bought some food, and early on the third morning, I got on the highway and headed straight for northern Shaanxi...

    From G4 to G5, then onto Hebei’s S52 and into Shanxi’s S46, crossing the Lin County–Jia County Yellow River Bridge, I arrived at Mizhi in northern Shaanxi—a place renowned far and wide for its beautiful women.

    Traveling along the gullies of northern Shaanxi through the rural loess paths, I searched for the festive atmosphere. The couplets pasted on every household door radiated the joy of the season. Villagers gathered under their homes, leisurely basking in the warmth of the sun. The streets were lined with shops stacked with an abundance of New Year goods. The regionally distinctive performance of the parasol-headed Yangge dance and theatrical troupes performing in the countryside all conveyed the flavor of the northern Shaanxi New Year.

    After seeing the grand mansions of Shanxi, the estates of northern Shaanxi are also worth a visit. Here you’ll find large family manors with the charm of the plateau, as well as well-preserved old residences and ancient cave dwellings.

    In four days and over 1,800 kilometers, I briefly explored counties in northern Shaanxi such as Jia County, Mizhi, Suide, and Wubu. I visited Xianglu Temple, the Jiang Family Manor, Yangjialing, and Gaoxigou. On the way back, I also stopped by Qikou Ancient Town and Tianshengqiao.

    The biggest challenge of this trip was finding accommodation. Hotels in the county towns of northern Shaanxi were all fully booked, mostly taken up by class reunions, as well as young people hosting friends or visiting relatives. The first day in Shanxi’s Lin County went relatively smoothly. On the second day, I had to run through three counties before finding a place to stay. It got even harder on the third day, and in the end, I stayed at a hotel inside a highway service area.

    Eating was also a hassle. The big restaurants in the county towns were all reserved, and most small private eateries had closed for the holiday. The famously well-known Forty Li Pu Lamb Noodles wasn’t even open. I ended up only having a local snack, bowl tu (bowl tofu), in Qikou. It seems that traveling to smaller places during the New Year will require ample mental and material preparation in the future.

    I’m sharing some photos as a token of appreciation and apology to the online friends I originally planned to travel with. Maybe we can go together again next time...