Get to know Linxian
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Lüliang
- Chinese name
- 临县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Population · 2020
- 394,713
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Qikou’s trading streets
Qikou grew during the Qing Qianlong reign as a water-and-land trading hub. Its stone-paved streets follow the slopes beside the Qiushui River (湫水河) and Yellow River. Shops retain flat-panel doors and raised platforms in front. Heilong Temple (黑龙庙), founded in the Ming dynasty, stands on Mount Wohu (卧虎山) above the town.
Cave-house courtyards
Lijiashan lies five kilometres south of Qikou. Built by the Li family during the Ming and Qing periods, its houses spread across a loess hillside, chiefly as cave dwellings, often arranged around courtyards. Projecting eaves front many caves. Brick and wood carvings decorate screen walls, gateways and cave doors and windows. Linxian’s tourism bureau also lists Yiju Temple (义居寺) and Shanqing Temple (善庆寺) among its cultural sites.
Sources for this guide
碛口风景名胜区 · Lüliang Cultural Relics and Tourism Bureau
畅游临县_临县人民政府门户网站 · Linxian Culture and Tourism Bureau
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-26.
Explore Linxian
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Linxian
Lijiashan Village · 李家山村Lijiashan Village李家山村
Lijiashan is a hillside village near Qikou in Lin County, where courtyards and cave dwellings fit into the folds of the loess landscape.
Read the place guide →
Qikou Old Town · 碛口古镇Qikou Old Town碛口古镇
Qikou is a historic trading town on the Yellow River in Lin County.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Linxian is about 55 km in a straight line from central Lüliang. Search for 临县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Lijiashan Village and Qikou Old Town are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Lüliang →More in Lüliang
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Lijiashan Village · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Qikou Old Town · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.