Things to do in Xing County

2026 Asia 100 - Best Things to Do

Yungang Grottoes

Yungang Grottoes Scenic Area is divided into a landscape zone and the grottoes. It is one of the three largest grottoes in China. The sculpture combines Chinese and Western art. Here you can experience the artistic charms of Northern Wei Dynasty. Yungang Grottoes not only embodies traditional Chinese art style but also integrates art styles of ethnic groups from ancient India, countries west of China and China's central plains. It is a famous historical site in Datong City.

2026 Asia 100 - Family-friendly Attractions

Jinci Temple Museum

Jinci Temple Museum is located at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain by the banks of the Jin River. It is an ancestral temple built to commemorate Tang Shuyu, the founding feudal lord of the State of Jin, and is also one of the earlier surviving royal sacrificial gardens in China. There is a saying that "you have not truly visited Taiyuan until you have visited Jinci." The ancient buildings in the museum are arranged in sequence along the central axis, among which the Xian Hall, the Flying Bridge over the Fish Pond, and the Hall of the Holy Mother are known as the "three treasures," while the Zhou Cypress, the Never-Aging Spring, and the Song dynasty attendant statues are known as the "three wonders"—these are the core highlights of any visit. The "Three Treasures" are located on the central axis and can be visited together. Xian Hall is the place where sacrificial offerings are placed. The hall is surrounded by railings instead of walls, making it well-ventilated and bright, and its beam structure is simple and lightweight. The Flying Bridge Across Fish Pond is on the west side of Xian Hall. It is a cross-shaped ancient bridge built over a square pond, resembling a modern overpass in form, and this type of bridge structure is extremely rare among surviving ancient buildings. The west end of the bridge connects to Shengmu Hall, the oldest surviving building in the museum. Wooden carved dragons coil around the porch columns in front of the hall, making them relatively early surviving examples of wooden coiled dragons. The hall interior was built using the reduced-column method, creating a rather spacious interior. It houses dozens of Song Dynasty colored sculptures, with the main statue of Shengmu seated in the shrine and the remaining attendants arranged on both sides with varied expressions. One attendant statue is half joyful and half sorrowful, vividly lifelike and moving. With Shengmu Hall as the center, you can also seek out the "Three Wonders." The Zhou Cypress is located on the north side of Shengmu Hall. It is said to have been planted in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and its trunk leans south like a reclining dragon, full of ancient majesty. The Never-Aging Spring is located on the south side of Shengmu Hall and is the main source of the Jin River. The museum also houses the Stele of the Inscription and Preface to Jinci, composed and handwritten by Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, whose running-script calligraphy is vigorous and forceful. In the southern part is the Shifang Fengsheng Zen Temple, said to have originally been the villa of the Tang Dynasty general Yuchi Gong. In the Futu Courtyard, the Sarira ShengSheng Pagoda can be climbed for a distant view. The Jinci temple fair has been passed down to the present day and has been included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage list. The Water Mirror Stage, an ancient theater stage in the museum, is an important venue for activities during the temple fair.

No. 3 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda

Yingxian Wooden Pagoda is centered on the Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple. This pure wooden pavilion-style pagoda was first built in the second year of Qingning of the Liao Dynasty (1056) and later expanded and completed during the Mingchang period of the Jin Dynasty. It is the oldest surviving wooden pagoda in China. The pagoda has five visible stories, with concealed stories inserted between them, making nine stories in total, and stands about 67 m tall. Apart from the stone platform base on the first story, the main body of the pagoda is built entirely of wood, connected using traditional mortise-and-tenon craftsmanship, and the whole pagoda uses more than 50 types of bracket sets, demonstrating exquisite structural design. For more than nine hundred years, the pagoda has withstood many major earthquakes and modern artillery bombardment and still stands today. Due to the need for cultural relic protection, visitors may only visit the first floor inside the pagoda. There is a door on each of the north and south sides of the first floor. In the center of the inner chamber is a seated statue of Shakyamuni about 10 m tall, with a dignified face and a solemn expression. Looking up, you can see the exquisite coffered ceiling at the top. On the walls of the inner chamber are painted six Buddha images of Tathagata, and on the walls on both sides of the doorway are painted Liao Dynasty-style murals featuring Vajra, disciples, and offering figures, with bright colors and lifelike figures. Multiple plaques from various dynasties hang under the eaves of each story of the wooden pagoda, two of which were written by Ming emperors and are particularly striking. Under the south eaves of the fifth story hangs the plaque "Supreme Divine Craftsmanship," written by Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu of Ming, when he climbed the pagoda during a northern military campaign in the Yongle era; under the south eaves of the fourth story hangs the plaque "Wonder of the World," written by Zhu Houzhao, Emperor Wuzong of Ming, when he ascended the pagoda to feast and reward his ministers after the Yingzhou victory in the Zhengde era. These plaques are not only calligraphic treasures but also record the intersection of the wooden pagoda with historical figures, together with the architecture itself forming a distinctive cultural view of the attraction.

Xing County Yellow River Liulangzhai Tourist Attraction

No. 4 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

The Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area

The Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area is located in the Jin-Shaan Grand Canyon in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is the Shanxi-side section for viewing Hukou Waterfall. As the Yellow River rushes here, its surface suddenly narrows from several hundred meters wide to just a few dozen meters. The water, laden with silt, churns and pours down like water being poured into a giant kettle, which is how the name "Hukou" (Kettle Mouth) came to be. This is a rare yellow waterfall on the Yellow River, with muddy waves surging skyward and a roar like thunder, displaying magnificent momentum. The attraction is located on the east side of the waterfall, where the bank is relatively low, allowing visitors to look up and take in the full panorama of the Yellow River plunging downward. Below the waterfall, mist rises and fills the air, appearing like smoke or clouds from afar and creating the wondrous sight known as "smoke rising from the water"; on clear days, sunlight refracts through the mist to form a rainbow arching across the river, called "rainbow reaching the heavens." Within the attraction, Dragon Cave is a natural stone cave; following the stone steps down leads to a viewing platform close to the waterfall, where you can look up as the river pours down from above—an ideal spot to feel the force of the waterfall up close. Downstream from the waterfall, the Ten-Mile Dragon Trough is a deep channel formed by the river's long-term erosion of the riverbed; in the dry season, the trough floor is wide and flat, and ancients once used this terrain to haul boats along the bank, leaving behind the unique scene known as "sailing on dry land." Further downstream is Mengmen Mountain, where two huge rocks in the river split the Yellow River in two before the streams merge again; carved on the rock face are the four characters "Wo Zhen Kuang Liu" (Resting Here, Quelling the Raging Flow). The view of Hukou Waterfall is distinctive in each of the four seasons. Every year between April and May, peach blossoms bloom and the ice melts, coinciding with the "March peach blossom flood," when the abundant water volume makes the waterfall particularly spectacular. From September to November, the air is crisp in fall, and rainbows often appear in the mist, a phenomenon known as the "Hukou fall wind." Water volume is greater in spring and fall, and the sound of the water striking the rocks is like thunder, making these the best periods to admire the waterfall. The image of Hukou Waterfall once appeared on the CNY 50 banknote of the fourth series of the renminbi, making it a widely recognized classic symbol of Yellow River culture.

No. 5 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

Xuankong Temple

Xuankong Temple is located between the cliffs of Cuiping Peak in Jinlong Gorge, Hengshan. It was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and has a history stretching longer than 1,500 years. It is a well-preserved high-altitude wooden cliff building in China. At the foot of Hengshan, from a distance, you can see the Hanging Temple suspended over the mountainside. The entire temple is hung on the steep cliff, skillfully utilizing and building into the concave and convex portions of the cliff, making it exceptionally staggered and yet rhythmic. Visitors walk along the wooden plank road suspended within the temple to feel the magical architectural charm of the Hanging Temple.

2026 Asia 100 - Night Attractions

Pingyao Ancient City

Pingyao Ancient City is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China and, along with Lijiang Ancient City, is one of the two ancient cities in China to have successfully been designated as a World Cultural Heritage site in its entirety. Pingyao was once the financial center of China during the late Qing dynasty. Walking into this once-prosperous ancient city, you can feel the atmosphere of Shanxi merchant culture everywhere. The streets, shops, and residences within the ancient city still maintain their traditional layout and appearance. The overall street pattern is in the shape of the Chinese character 'tu', consisting of four main streets, eight small streets, and seventy-two lanes. The ancient city has six city gates in total, and the areas around the south gate and west gate are where visitors are concentrated. When touring, you usually enter the city through the lower west gate and walk along West Street to Rishengchang Exchange Shop, where you can learn about the development history of ancient banking and experience the legend of Shanxi merchants conducting business across the world. South Street, which runs north-south through the city, is the central axis of the ancient city. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, South Street gathered more than half of the country's financial institutions and was known as the "Wall Street of China" at the time. Today this street is called the Ming and Qing Ancient Street, and most of the ancient city's attractions are concentrated here. Centered on the landmark Market Tower, attractions such as Xietongqing Exchange Shop, Weitaihou Exchange Shop Museum, and the Chinese Escort Agency Museum are distributed around it, and a large number of shop buildings from the Ming and Qing periods are preserved along the street. At the Pingyao County Government Office in the south of the ancient city, you can see a large number of ancient documents and instruments of torture, and there is a daily performance of the county magistrate holding court; the City God Temple and the Confucian Temple in the east of the city have grand and refined architecture. The ancient city wall is very well preserved, and climbing the wall offers a panoramic view of the ancient city. The gate tower of Yingxun Gate at the south gate is especially exquisite, and watching the sunset from the city wall in the evening is a magnificent sight. In addition to the ancient city itself, the Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple outside the city are also part of the World Cultural Heritage. The Ten Thousand Buddha Hall of Zhenguo Temple is entirely made of wood, assembled with mortise and tenon joints without a single nail; Shuanglin Temple preserves painted sculptures from the Yuan to Ming dynasties, which are exquisite in form and renowned as a "treasure house of Eastern painted sculpture art."

No. 1 of Best Things to Do in Inner Mongolia

Dazhao Temple

Ih Juu Temple in downtown Hohhot was built in the 8th year of the Ming Emperor Wanli (1580) by Altan Khan, the leader of the Mongolian Tümed. The temple belongs to the Gelug (or Yellow) School of Tibetan Buddhism. Priceless cultural relics not to be missed on a visit to Ih Juu Temple include a silver statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni, the dragon columns and the colorful wall murals. The pure silver statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni in the temple's main hall weighs 1,500kg. Immediately in front of the Buddha Sakyamuni are two golden dragons entwined around the columns, aptly named the Dragon Columns. Because the murals were painted with mineral-based colors, the colors remain bright and vibrant even today. The murals' content is mostly classical stories from Buddhist scripture.

No. 7 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

Huayan Temple

Huayan Temple is located in the center of Datong. This temple was built in the 8th year of Liao Qingning Period (AD 1062). In the Daxiong Hall of Huayan Temple, you can see the groundworks of Liao Dynasty and the buildings of Jin Dynasty, as well as the statues of Ming Dynasty and the murals of Qing Dynasty. The Hall of BojiaJiaocang in the temple is the only Liao Dynasty building here. The statues from Liao Dynasty in the Hall are extremely precious. There is a double-storey pavilion-style cabinet behind the Hall of Bojiajiaocang, the upper level is for Buddha statues and Buddhist altars, and the lower layer stores for books.

No. 8 of Best Things to Do in Shaanxi

Hukou Waterfall tourist area of the Yellow River

The Hukou Waterfall tourist area of the Yellow River is located on the riverbed of the Yellow River in the Qin-Jin Grand Canyon, where the provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi face each other across the river. The main stream of the Yellow River, originally hundreds of m wide, suddenly narrows to dozens of m and plunges into a deep trough with a drop of 20–30 m, resembling water being poured from a giant pot—hence the name "Hukou" (Pot Mouth). Due to the large amount of sediment carried by the river, the waterfall presents a rare golden-yellow view: the turbid waves roar down with a sound like distant thunder rolling through the valley, while the rising mist lingers before the cliff, earning the nickname "smoke rising from the water." On sunny days, sunlight casts a rainbow over the waterfall, known as "a rainbow playing in the water." The mist may drench visitors even without wind or rain, creating the wonder called "rainfall under a clear sky." Hukou waterfall is regarded as the symbol of the "soul of the Yellow River" and the spirit of the Chinese nation. In 1938, when poet Guang Weiran crossed the Yellow River, he witnessed the roaring waves of Hukou and the boatmen's chants, which inspired him to create the now-legendary Yellow River Cantata. Liang Heng's essay of the same name was selected for middle school Chinese textbooks, and the back of the fourth series CNY 50 banknote also features this scene. Many first learned about it through textbooks and currency before visiting in person. In the past, cargo ships had to leave the water and bypass the waterfall here, leaving behind the maritime memory of "sailing on dry land." The scenery here varies with the seasons: In early spring, the upstream ice melts and the water level rises sharply, coinciding with the blooming of mountain peach blossoms on both banks, known as the "March peach blossom flood." In midsummer, the rainy season brings abundant water, with muddy waves towering into the sky. After fall begins, the rainy season subsides, and the water becomes high and steady. As the fall breeze sweeps by, rainbows often appear, earning the name "Hukou autumn breeze." In deep winter, layers of ice form along the banks, and overflow freezes into inverted ice peaks, glistening under the sunlight, creating the spectacular "upside-down ice peaks." The viewing platform on the Shaanxi side stretches along the cliff top on the western bank, offering a commanding view of the "thousand-mile Yellow River funneled into one pot" and the ten-mile-long Dragon Trough below the waterfall. During high-water seasons, the mist is heavy, and clothes get soaked quickly, so remember to protect your camera and phone; the boardwalk is slippery, so watch your step while walking and taking photos.