Xinzhou忻州

Overview

Xinzhou in northern Shanxi is home to Mount Wutai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and China's foremost Buddhist mountain, the domain of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Yanmen Pass is a strategic Great Wall fortification. With Luya Mountain Nature Reserve and hot springs, Xinzhou blends pilgrimage, history and natural beauty.

Key Facts

Top Attractions

Mount Wutai

China's foremost Buddhist mountain, Manjushri's domain, with 47 temples from Tang-Song era onwards, Xiantong Temple and White Pagoda as landmarks

Yanmen Pass

Key Great Wall pass, 'first of the nine passes,' where Li Guang and the Yang Family warriors defended against invaders

Luya Mountain

Nature reserve combining primeval larch forest, 10,000-year ice cave (never melts in summer) and alpine meadows

Foguang Temple

Tang Dynasty wooden structure discovered by Liang Sicheng, East Hall built in 857, China's largest surviving Tang wooden building, called 'China's No.1 National Treasure'

Nanchan Temple

Built in 782, China's oldest surviving wooden structure, 75 years earlier than Foguang Temple

Food & Snacks

Xinzhou Wasu (Tile Pastry)

Traditional Xinzhou pastry shaped like a roof tile, crispy and sweet, made with flour, sesame and honey, over a century of history

Wild Mushroom Stewed Chicken

Wutai wild mushrooms stewed with local chicken, rich and savory, the most celebrated local dish at Mount Wutai

Buckwheat Helao Noodles

Traditional Shanxi buckwheat noodles pressed through a helao device, served with meat sauce, chewy and smooth

Festivals & Events

World & Intangible Heritage

• Mount Wutai (2009) — Inscribed as cultural landscape, preserving Buddhist architecture from 4th to 19th century, the world center of Manjushri worship
• Mount Wutai Buddhist Music (2006) — Coexistence of Han and Tibetan Buddhist music at Wutai, representative of northern Chinese Buddhist music

Practical Tips