Ancient architectural complex in northern Shanxi, Jinbei

The pilgrimage of ancient architecture in Jinbei is an unforgettable journey. In 2019, my architect friends and I went to the Jinbei area of Shanxi and found that autumn is the best season to go to Shanxi. The weather is moderate, and the airfare and travel expenses are within a reasonable range. Therefore, this National Day, we chose the Jindongnan area as our destination. In summary, the appreciation of ancient architecture is still relatively niche at present, mainly because people in the architectural design circle are more likely to be interested in it. When time is limited, you can give up those famous attractions with long queues to get a better travel experience. Here is our itinerary: Jinbei: Day 1: Fly from Shanghai to Taiyuan, drive through Yuci, visit Yuci County Yamen on the way, and then go directly to Pingyao Ancient City. Day 2: It was very cold when we arrived in Pingyao. We visited Shuanglin Temple and Zhenguo Temple. Only Pingyao Ancient City had a few more people. For convenience, we chose to live outside the city, otherwise it would be too troublesome to drive in. Day 3: We went to Ying County Wooden Pagoda, and visited Daixian Bianjing Tower before passing Datong. This is the largest wooden drum tower, but there are not many tourists, and you can actually go up and visit. Day 4: Early in the morning we went to visit Yungang Grottoes, although there were more people, it was still worth seeing. We also visited the largest existing wooden Buddha Hall of the Jin Dynasty - Huayan Temple, and Shanhuasi, the overall itinerary was very smooth. Day 5: We arrived at the famous Hanging Temple, but because there were too many people, we could only look at it from a distance. It is recommended to give up directly on major holidays. The architect friends who were with me queued for 3 hours to go up. Although it was very worthwhile, it was really too tired, forget it... We also visited Lülv Shrine, Yuanjue Temple and Yongan Temple. Day 6: We did not enter the Wutai Mountain Scenic Area, but visited several attractions: Fanzhiyan's Tougui Peak Temple, where you can actually go in and offer incense, and the master also gave us Buddhist scriptures and beads. The friends in the other car didn't have this fate to go in. In addition, we went to Mimo Rock, a mysterious mountain attraction, and you need a conversion certificate to enter. There is no need to say more about Foguang Temple and Nanchan Temple, which are the highlights of this trip and must be visited. But please remember not to enter the Wutai Mountain Scenic Area. According to news reports, the experience there is very bad. If you are not praying for blessings, there is no need to join in the fun. Return to Taiyuan at night. Day 7: We visited Jinci and Shanxi Museum, as well as Donggong's Changjiang Art Museum and the urban renewal project in front of Guangren Temple. The food in Shanxi Guild Hall is very delicious😋We flew back at night.