Get to know Houma
- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Linfen
- Chinese name
- 侯马市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 220.10 km²
- Population · 2017
- 251,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
The Jin capital
Jin moved its capital here in 585 BCE. Archaeology at the Houma Jin State Site (侯马晋国遗址), also called the Xintian Site (新田遗址), began in the 1950s. Discoveries include ancient city sites, sacrificial sites, cemeteries and workshops for bronze casting, pottery, bone working and the manufacture of gui tablets (圭).
Archaeology and memorials
The city’s archaeological facilities include Miaoqin Site Park (庙寝遗址公园), Bronze-Casting Site Park (铸铜遗址公园) and the Houma Jin Ancient Capital Museum (侯马晋国古都博物馆). A different historical thread is represented by the Peng Zhen Former Residence Memorial Museum (彭真故居纪念馆), associated with the political figure Peng Zhen (彭真), whose hometown was Houma.
Sources for this guide
侯马简介-侯马简介-侯马市人民政府门户网站 · Houma City Government
山西侯马晋国遗址 · National Cultural Heritage Administration
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-26.
Explore Houma
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Houma is about 55 km in a straight line from central Linfen. Search for 侯马市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Linfen
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.