Why go
Shanxi has more ancient timber buildings than the rest of China combined, and Taiyuan is the practical base for seeing them. Jinci Temple, 25 km southwest, mixes springs, cypresses and halls spanning ten dynasties — the Saint Mother Hall (1032 AD) is the jewel.
The city is also China's vinegar capital: mature Shanxi vinegar is aged like wine and appears in everything. Noodle theatrics are the other local art — watch a cook shave noodles straight into boiling water with a blade.
- Jinci Temple — 3,000-year-old cypresses and the Song-dynasty Goddess Hall
- Shanxi Museum — one of China's best provincial museums
- Knife-cut noodles (daoxiao mian) made in front of you
- Overnight hop to Pingyao Ancient City
Where to go
Do Jinci Temple in the morning, Shanxi Museum after lunch, then board a train to Pingyao or a bus toward Mount Wutai. The Twin Pagoda Temple is a quick photo stop for sunset.
What to eat
Order daoxiao mian (knife-cut noodles) with tomato-and-egg or braised lamb, and taste aged vinegar flights at museum shops or the Donghu vinegar park.
Getting there
- Taiyuan is Shanxi's HSR hub — Pingyao 40 min, Datong 1h50
- Role
- Capital of Shanxi province
- Founded
- ~497 BC
- Best side trips
- Pingyao, Wutai, Yungang
