Get to know Yuxian
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Zhangjiakou
- Chinese name
- 蔚县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 3,183.00 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 411,824
- Administrative seat
- Yuzhou (蔚州镇)
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The county falls into three bands: deep mountains in the south, a river plain in the middle and low hills in the north. The central plain is flat and well watered, and is known west of Beijing as the "rice and grain valley" (米粮川). In the southern mountains, Mount Xiaowutai (小五台山) is a national nature reserve whose East Terrace, at 2,882 metres, is the highest peak in Hebei. The county government names leopards, black storks and brown eared pheasants among its rare animals. The county seat averages 6.5°C over the year, around 6°C cooler than Beijing.
History
Yuzhou prefecture was set up in 579 under the Northern Zhou, and the area was later one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun (燕云十六州). It became a county in the Republican era. The Nihewan (泥河湾) site in the county is described by the county government as a place of human origins in East Asia two million years ago. The county has 22 sites on the national protection list.
What to see
Yuzhou Old Town (蔚州古城) is a national historic and cultural city. Its walls were rebuilt from earth in 1372, the fifth year of the Hongwu reign, and faced with brick and stone in 1377. The county is best known for its old forts and opera stages: each village traditionally had its fort, and each fort its temples and opera stage, and more than three hundred survive. Nuanquan (暖泉镇) is a national historic and cultural town and a 3A scenic area, known for its old forts, opera stages, temples and houses; the Xigu Fort (西古堡) there has an unusual barbican gate. Beifangcheng village (北方城村) is laid out in the shape of the character wang (王, "king").
Food, crafts and festivals
Yuxian paper-cutting (蔚县剪纸) is cut mainly in intaglio, with the colour dotted on, and is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list. Lantern-mountain worship (拜灯山) and Yuxian yangge (蔚县秧歌) are national intangible heritage. Fire-splashing (打树花) is one of the New Year folk performances, and the county government calls it unique in China and the world. Local snacks include liangfen jelly (凉粉), five-spice dried tofu (五香豆腐干), buckwheat hele noodles (荞面饸饹), fried cakes (炸糕) and a bean-flour porridge nicknamed "Yuzhou coffee" (蔚州咖啡). Yuzhou tribute millet (蔚州贡米) and Yuzhou apricot kernels (蔚州杏扁) are national geographical-indication products.
Highlights
- Yuzhou Old Town 蔚州古城: A national historic and cultural city whose walls date from 1372, faced with brick in 1377.
- Nuanquan Old Town 暖泉古镇: A national historic and cultural town and 3A scenic area with old forts, opera stages and temples.
- Mount Xiaowutai 小五台山: National nature reserve; its East Terrace at 2,882 metres is the highest peak in Hebei.
- Yuxian paper-cutting 蔚县剪纸: Coloured intaglio paper-cutting on the UNESCO intangible heritage list.
Sources for this guide
蔚县 概况 - 蔚县人民政府 · Yu County People's Government, Hebei
蔚县 历史沿革 - 蔚县人民政府 · Yu County People's Government, Hebei
蔚县 地理位置 - 蔚县人民政府 · Yu County People's Government, Hebei
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Yuxian
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Yuxian
Nuanquan Old Town (暖泉古镇), Yuxian. Photograph: "暖泉华严寺 前殿".Nuanquan Old Town暖泉古镇
Nuanquan is an old fortified town in Yu County, associated with courtyard houses, temples and the local molten-iron performance known as Dashuhua.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Xiaowutai Mountain Scenic Area小五台山开放景区
Scenic area on Xiaowutai Mountain in Yu County, whose 2,882 m East Terrace is Hebei's highest point, with high meadows, old temples and pagodas.
Read the place guide →
Yuzhou Old Town (蔚州古城), Yuxian. Photograph: "天齐庙大门".Yuzhou Old Town蔚州古城
Yuzhou Old Town is the historic centre of Yu County in western Hebei, with temples, towers and traditional streets gathered within an old urban setting.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Yuxian is about 110 km in a straight line from central Zhangjiakou. Search for 蔚县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Nuanquan Old Town and Xiaowutai Mountain Scenic Area are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Zhangjiakou →More in Zhangjiakou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Nuanquan Old Town · HaziiDozen · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Yuzhou Old Town · HaziiDozen · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.