Jinyuan District 晋源区

Setting and landscape

The district faces Xiaodian District across the Fen River to the east and borders Qingxu County and Gujiao to the south-west. Hills rise on the east and west, with a broad valley plain between them opening to the south; plains make up 57.33% of the area. The highest peak is Miaoqian Mountain (庙前山) at 1,865.8 m. Jinyang Lake (晋阳湖) and the Jin spring waters (晋泉) lie within the district.

History

The district government traces the area to the state of Tang, granted by King Cheng of Zhou to his younger brother Shu Yu (叔虞) in the early Western Zhou. Jinyang later served as a capital or commandery seat for many states; under the Northern Qi it was a secondary capital, and under the Tang it was the Northern Capital. The Jinyang ancient city site, a large city site from the Spring and Autumn period to the Five Dynasties, became a national key cultural relics protection unit in 2001. On top of it stands the old Taiyuan county town (太原古县城), founded in 1375, with walls 3,732 m long; its Confucian temple dates from 1373. The present district was set up on 1 January 1998.

What to see

Jinci, first built as a shrine to Shu Yu, is recorded by the Northern Wei geographer Li Daoyuan (郦道元) and grew over later dynasties into a complex of more than 100 buildings. It was among the first national key cultural relics protection units in 1961. Its best-known features are the Song-dynasty Hall of the Holy Mother (圣母殿), the cross-shaped Fish Pond Flying Bridge (鱼沼飞梁), the Nanlao spring (难老泉) and ancient cypresses said to date from the Western Zhou.

The Tianlongshan Grottoes, 11 km west of Jinci, were begun in the Eastern Wei (534–550) and extended through the Northern Qi, Sui and Tang into 25 caves on the eastern and western peaks. The head of Cave 8's main Buddha, abroad for nearly a century, came back to China and in July 2021 went to the Tianlongshan Grottoes Museum. Mengshan Giant Buddha (蒙山大佛), 8 km from Jinci, was cut in 551 at the Kaihua Temple (开化寺) site, a national key protected site since 2019; the site also keeps two square brick pagodas begun in 990.

Food and local products

Guzhai tofu (古寨豆腐) comes from Guzhai village, where it is set with brine and pressed. The village also makes dried tofu, simmered in a coloured brine with salt and spices, and tofu skin lifted from the boiled soy milk.

Highlights

• Jinci 晋祠: Shrine complex to Shu Yu with more than 100 buildings; among the first national protected sites in 1961.
• Tianlongshan Grottoes 天龙山石窟: 25 caves begun in the Eastern Wei, 11 km west of Jinci; a returned Buddha head is in the site museum.
• Mengshan Giant Buddha 蒙山大佛: Cut in 551 at the Kaihua Temple site, with twin Song pagodas of 990 nearby.
• Taiyuan old county town 太原古县城: Ming county town of 1375 on the Jinyang site, with a 3,732 m wall and a Confucian temple of 1373.
• Guzhai tofu 古寨豆腐: Brine-set tofu, dried tofu and tofu skin from Guzhai village.