Jincheng, an ancient city in Shanxi province in north China, is drawing tourists from all over the world with its rich cultural relics and beautiful natural scenery.

In ancient times, the city was called Zezhou and is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. It is believed that human life started in the city in the Upper Paleolithic era.

Jincheng is home to about one third of the ancient architecture built before AD1234 in China.

The city is home to the tomb of the Red Emperor, the earliest civilian house from the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and the earliest theater from the Jin Dynasty (280-420).

The former residence of Chen Tingjing, a teacher of Emperor Kangxi from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is also a popular attraction. The grand residence covers an area of about 100,000 sq m. It served as an office for Chen as well as a military defense base. The building is regarded by experts of ancient architecture as one of the top family residences in northern China from the Qing Dynasty.

Today the residence is a tourist attraction. Every day more than 200 actors dressed in Qing Dynasty-style clothes show visitors how people from the old era lived.

Qinglian Temple, or Blue Lotus Temple, is another major tourism attraction in Jincheng. It is one of the oldest temples in China and is famous for its role in religious history. Huiyuan, an important Buddhist monk, established the temple and preached there. He later presided over Shaolin Temple in Songshan Mountain, Henan province.

Several precious statues have been preserved at Qinglian Temple, including a huge clay sculpture of Buddha.

Art lovers may particularly enjoy visiting Yuhuang Temple, or Jade Emperor Temple, in the suburbs of Jincheng. The 3,520-sq-m Taoist temple is home to about 260 colorful statues from four different dynasties and wall paintings that stretch nearly 67 sq m.

Natural scenery

Jincheng is at the northern end of the Taihang Mountains and has alluring natural scenery. It has 39 percent forest coverage and average annual precipitation of 650 mm.

The city's pleasant environment and climate won it the top prize for the International Award for Livable Communities in 2012.

Wangmangling National Geographic Park is a popular place to enjoy Jincheng's natural beauty.

The scenery is attractive in all seasons. Spring offers colorful flowers, summer is cool, in the autumn the mountain is tinted with red and yellow leaves and in winter the area is transformed into a fairytale scene covered by snow.

Visitors who take in the sunrise from the mountaintop, which stands at 1,700 m above sea level, find themselves surrounded by clouds that glow with the first light.

The park has a canyon called Xiyagou, which is said to be as spectacular as the Grand Canyon of Colorado. At its widest point the canyon is more than 200 meters, while the narrowest part is only a few meters. A photo of the canyon was featured on the cover of the Chinese National Geographic magazine in 2011.

A precarious 7.5 km road in the middle of the canyon was among 60 outstanding Chinese landmarks selected by 32 mainstream domestic media in 2009.

Jincheng's Manghe Natural Reserve is home to nearly 300 animal species and nearly 900 plants.

hantianyang@chinadaily.com.cn