Get to know Yuanping
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- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Xinzhou
- Chinese name
- 原平市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,571.00 km²
- Population · 2017
- 526,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Yuanping sits between the Wutai Mountains (五台山) and the Yunzhong Mountains (云中山), with Wutai County on its eastern side and Ningwu County (宁武) on its western side. A local saying divides it into three belts: the eastern hills as a 'money tree' for their orchards, the western hills as a 'treasure bowl' for their coal and other minerals, and the central plain as a 'grain river' for its corn, wheat and millet.
History
A Yuanping County was first set up in 114 BC under the Western Han, as part of Taiyuan Commandery. From 606 the county was called Guo County (崞县), and for centuries it was governed from what is now Guoyang (崞阳). In December 1958 the county seat moved to Yuanping and the county took the Yuanping name again, and on 7 June 1993 it became a county-level city.
What to see
Huiji Temple (慧济寺) in Lianjiagang village (练家岗村), 15 kilometres north-east of the city, became a national key cultural relics protection unit in 2013. The other monuments protected at provincial level or above are the Zhu family memorial archway (朱氏牌楼) in Yangwu village (阳武村) and the South Bridge (南桥) at Guoyang. The Daying hot spring (大营温泉) is counted among the six main hot springs of Shanxi.
Food and local traditions
Tongchuan pears (同川梨) from the eastern hills were once sent to the imperial court as tribute. Yuanping phoenix yangge (原平凤秧歌), a folk dance, was added to the national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008 in the traditional dance category.
Getting oriented
Yuanping station serves the Beijing–Yuanping (京原铁路), Datong–Puzhou (同蒲铁路) and Hanyuan (韩原铁路) railways, while Yuanping West station is on the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway (大西高速铁路).
Highlights
- Huiji Temple 慧济寺: Temple at Lianjiagang, a national protected site since 2013.
- Zhu Family Memorial Archway 朱氏牌楼: Protected archway in Yangwu village.
- Daying Hot Spring 大营温泉: Counted among the six main hot springs of Shanxi.
- Tongchuan Pears 同川梨: Pears from the eastern hills, once a tribute to the imperial court.
- Yuanping Phoenix Yangge 原平凤秧歌: Folk dance on the national intangible heritage list since 2008.
Sources for this guide
走进忻州 - 山西忻州 · Xinzhou Municipal People's Government
秧歌（原平凤秧歌） - 中国非物质文化遗产网 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
原平市 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
惠济寺 (原平) - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Yuanping
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Local life & food
Yuanping local specialties
原平市特色美食 · 1 specialties to discover
Yuanping oat-dough fish noodles 原平莜面鱼鱼AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
Oat dough has a firm, slightly coarse bite and a pronounced grain flavour. A moist sauce helps separate and coat the pieces.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →All dish names · 全部菜名 (1)
More dishes from across Shanxi are in the Shanxi food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Yuanping is about 35 km in a straight line from central Xinzhou. Search for 原平市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Xinzhou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 原平市 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 惠济寺 (原平) — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.