Yuncheng Itinerary
How to spend 1, 2, 3 days in Yuncheng
How to spend 1 day in Yuncheng
Day 1
Morning
Your trip begins at Yuncheng Colorful Salt Lake Scenic Area. It’s a natural wonder. The lake looks really nice in early morning sun. Walk along the lake. Enjoy the morning sun on its mirror-like surface. Feel nature’s peace and harmony. Learn how the lake formed. Learn its unique features. This adds knowledge and fun to your trip.
Afternoon and Evening
In the afternoon, arrival at Yuncheng Guan Gong's Hometown Cultural Tourism Scenic Area. Many cultural spots lie here. Guandi Ancestral Temple and Guan Gong Culture Exhibition Hall are visible. Nice folk shows are available too. Interactive activities can be tried. Guan Gong's stories and legends can be learned more about. Yuncheng's special cultural air can be felt. Evening arrives. Lights in the scenic area turn on little by little. The whole place takes on a different nice look. Strolling around is possible. Night views can be enjoyed. Yuncheng's quiet and beauty can be felt.
Guandi Ancestral TempleHighlight Attractions Included
- Yuncheng Colorful Salt Lake Scenic Area： A natural wonder with mirror-like waters, morning serenity, and geological insights.
- Yuncheng Guan Gong's Hometown Scenic Area： Features Guan Gong Temple, an exhibition hall, folk shows, activities, and cultural night views.
How to spend 2 day in Yuncheng
Day 1
Morning
Start your day at Guanque Tower. Yuncheng's Guanque Tower stands tall, its old wooden railings showing years of use. The view from the top looks just like poet Wang Zhihuan wrote: "The sun beyond the mountain glows; The Yellow River seawards flows." Here, the sun goes down behind small hills while the big river moves fast like water from the sky. Green fields cover the land below, with villages here and there. Smoke comes up from house chimneys, making the place look like another poem that says "green trees around the village," showing quiet country life.
Afternoon
Visit Pujiu Temple in the afternoon. It's known for the Yuan Dynasty story The Romance of the West Chamber by Wang Shifu. This is where Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying's love happened. It's the only temple in China about love. Every September, love events are held here. If you're lucky, you might see a wedding.
Evening
In the evening, go to the night market in Nanfeng Square to enjoy Yuncheng's special cuisine. It is especially recommended to try Yongji beef jiaozi, which is cooked with beef bone soup. Its wrappers are thin. And it tastes tender, fresh, and delicious. Besides, Nanfeng Square is a comprehensive square integrating leisure, entertainment, assembly and shopping. You can buy some favorite souvenirs here.
Day 2
Morning
The next morning, go to Shentan Grand Canyon, where the mountains are beautiful, the valleys are deep and secluded, and the landscape is represented by two waterfalls, three springs and 108 ponds. The natural scenery, such as strange peaks, strange rocks, green seas and overlapping waterfalls, is known as the strange gorge and dreamy water town in China. Shentan Grand Canyon offers various projects, including a high-altitude glass plank road, zip lines in the forest, and alpine slides, which are especially suitable for tourists who enjoy hiking.
Afternoon and Evening
In the afternoon, set off for the Li Family Courtyard, which is a northern residential complex that records the rise and fall of the Li family in southern Shanxi for a hundred years, embodies and preserves the traditional residential buildings in southern Shanxi, and is a classic representative of the residential buildings in southern Shanxi. Its main building structure adopts the design of the shaft-type quadrangle, which combines the regional characteristics of the north and south of China, with the western "Gothic" architectural style, and presents the artistic architectural style of the exchange and integration of Chinese and western cultures.
After visiting the Li family compound, you can prepare for your return trip.
Highlight Attractions Included
- Guanque Tower： Historic tower with poetic views of sunset, rivers, and rural scenery.
- Pujiu Temple： Love-themed temple linked to The Romance of the West Chamber, hosting September love events.
- Nanfeng Square Night Market：A Spot for Yongji beef jiaozi and souvenir shopping in a leisure hub.
- Shentan Grand Canyon： Scenic gorge with waterfalls, ponds, and hiking/adventure activities.
- Li Family Courtyard： Century-old residential complex blending Chinese-Western architectural styles.
How to spend 3 day in Yuncheng
Day 1
Morning
Start your day at Pujiu Temple. On the west axis of Pujiu Temple stands a simple yet elegant square brick tower with dense eaves, formerly known as a stupa. Since the story of Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying in The Romance of the West Chamber unfolded beneath the tower, it is commonly known as Yingying Tower. With its unique structure and exquisite craftsmanship, the tower has a special echo effect-" the sound of toad ", which makes it one of China's four most famous echo buildings. It's also named as one of the world's six amazing towers.
Afternoon
Visit Guanque Tower. The Guanque Scenic Area focuses on the tower and features Yellow River culture and Hedong culture. It has three main parts: the Famous Building area, the Yellow River Customs area, and the Landscape area. Inside the tower, you'll see reliefs, murals and models showing how the Yellow River helped start early human civilization. From the top, you can see far and feel China's 5000-year history.
Evening
At night, you can live nearby in the Stork Tower, which also has a light show at night, like a golden tower.
Day 2
Morning
Start your day at Yongle Palace. This Taoist temple is the oldest surviving one with the best-preserved Yuan Dynasty architecture. Records show builders started work in 1247. The murals in Chunyang Hall weren't finished until 1358 - that's over 110 years of construction. What makes Yongle Palace special are its rare, well-kept Yuan Dynasty murals. Inside several main halls, you'll find beautiful murals covering 960 square meters. These paintings show different subjects and display excellent artistic skills. They represent a peak achievement in Chinese painting history.
Afternoon
In the afternoon, visit Guangrenwang Temple. This temple stands on old Weicheng city wall remains, 4 km north of Ruicheng County. It's built on high ground near Longquan Village. The temple is China's second most important Tang Dynasty wooden building. It's also the only Taoist site among these four famous Tang structures. Here you can see special Tang-style woodwork with fine carvings.
Evening
When evening comes, eat near Guangrenwang Temple. Try Yuncheng's special mutton paomo. They make thick soup from fresh mutton. Torn buns soak in the soup to take in flavor. It includes vermicelli, garlic greens, and chili paste. Steamed bun smell and meat mix together. This warms your body and stomach. You taste real southern Shanxi flavor.
Day 3
Morning
On the trip's last day, go to Yuncheng's famous Colorful Salt Lake. It's one of the world's three biggest salt lakes with sodium sulfate. Tiny algae called Dunaliella salina live in the lake. They change color based on salt levels, sunlight and temperature. From above, the ponds look like spilled paint. In summer, the colorful water mirrors the green Zhongtiao Mountains. The view blends like a watercolor painting.
Afternoon and Evening
In the afternoon, you can prepare to return with good memories. However, if you still have time in the afternoon, you can visit Guandi Ancestral Temple to feel the atmosphere of Guan Gong culture and understand the unique significance of Guan Gong culture to people in Shanxi.
Highlight Attractions Included
- Pujiu Temple： Historic echo tower (Yingying Tower) linked to The Romance of the West Chamber.
- Guanque Tower： Scenic tower with cultural zones, Yellow River relics, and night light shows.
- Yongle Palace： An Ancient Taoist temple with preserved Yuan murals, a painting masterpiece.
- Guangrenwang Temple： Tang wooden Taoist structure with fine carvings, near mutton paomo.
- Yuncheng Colorful Salt Lake： Vibrant algae-hued salt lake mirroring mountain views.
- Guandi Ancestral Temple： Site for experiencing Shanxi’s Guan Gong culture.
Eating in Yuncheng 
Weather in Yuncheng 
Yuncheng Guandi Ancestral Temple 
Guanque Tower 
Yongle Palace