Lingshi County 灵石县

History

Lingshi has been a county since the Sui, more than 1,400 years. The Wang family came to Jingsheng village in 1313 to farm; from the early to mid Qing they moved from the grain and horse trade into the salt and tea monopolies and became one of the four great families of the county. Jingsheng was in the first batch of Chinese historical and cultural towns.

What to see

The Wang Family Compound, in Jingsheng 12 km east of the county town, grew through the Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns into 123 courtyards with 1,118 rooms, built against the hillside and facing south. It is known for its brick, stone and wood carving and became a major national heritage site in 2006.

Zishou Temple (资寿寺) at Suxi village (苏溪村), also in Jingsheng, was founded in the Tang, rebuilt in 1467 and reached its present size in 1622; its halls hold 248.34 square metres of murals and about a hundred painted statues. It has been a major national heritage site since 2001.

Shigao Mountain (石膏山), in the southeast of the county at the northern end of the Taiyue Mountains (太岳山), is a provincial geopark of 71.6 square kilometres with gorges and karst landforms. Its name, 'gypsum mountain', comes from an old misreading of its dripstone as gypsum; none is found there. Under the Ming Hongwu emperor a monk built the Baiyi nunnery (白衣庵) in the lower cave, and Tianzhu Temple (天竺寺) was later built in the middle and upper caves.

Food and local products

Lingshi has been named a home of the walnut in China, and Lingshi walnuts, vitex honey and Lingshi sour jujube seed (酸枣仁) carry national geographical-indication status.

Getting oriented

The South Tongpu railway (南同蒲铁路), the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway, National Highway 108 and the Beijing–Kunming Expressway all run through the county, and Taiyuan Wusu International Airport is 140 km away.

Highlights

• Wang Family Compound 王家大院: Qing merchant family's compound of 123 courtyards at Jingsheng; major national heritage site since 2006.
• Zishou Temple 资寿寺: Temple with 248.34 square metres of murals and about a hundred painted statues.
• Shigao Mountain 石膏山: Provincial geopark where Tianzhu Temple is built inside caves.