10 attractions in Shanxi's two cities

Attraction 4

Jinci Temple, Taiyuan

Address: Jinci town, Jinyuan district, Taiyuan city, Shanxi province
Opening Hours:
9 am - 5pm ( Oct 8-March 31)
8:30 am- 6 pm (April 1- Oct 7)
Ticket Price: 80 yuan ($10.91)/person

Just 25 kilometers from downtown Taiyuan, Jinci Temple is a historic cultural site offering fine examples of ancient Chinese architecture, sculpture, murals and inscriptions.

The temple features a royal garden with copious pagoda trees and a 3,000-year-old cypress, as well as palaces, moated pavilions and bridges that branch off each other.

First constructed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534), the temple stands in memory of Prince Ji Yu of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) on the site of his fief’s capital, a monument to his commitment to improving the lives of his people.

The most famous building at Jinci Temple is the five-story Yi Jiang Hall, built in the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It is a grand structure decorated with yellow and green glazed edgework and carved wooden dragons coiled around its eight supporting pillars of its convex double-eave roof.

Jinci Temple was listed as a national 4A tourist attraction in 2001.