Sitting next to the Longmen River, named after its strength like a Chinese dragon or long soaring out a gate (“men” in Chinese), Longmenhe village is well-known for its rich history and culture in North China’s Shanxi province. It is located in Pingshu, a town northwest of Shouyang county and about ten kilometers away from its downtown.

The entrance of the village is the ancient Qingyun Tower. Older villagers say that it has been there for a long time, and even older than their grandparents. The tower was built on large stones, with layers of black bricks. Two more floors are supported by wooden posts.

The entrance of Longmenhe village [Photo/sxrb.com]

The only way to enter the village is through a stone arch under the tower. Three characters “古龍門”, or ancient Longmen are engraved upon it. This arch is surrounded by stones of odd shapes.

One of the most impressive parts in the village is the street to the tower. The gently sloping street runs from the entrance to the end of village, with many compounds on both sides. One of them, the Wang family compound, a typical building of bricks, wood and tiles, was constructed in the middle of Qing Dynasty and by Wang Wuke, an official specializing in constructing royal temples.

The Wang courtyard, covering 1,792 square meters, is divided into two parts. The central axis of the main courtyard consists of a screen wall facing the gate of the house, a front door and a master cave-house, while each side has three cave-houses. There are only two rooms and a south entrance on the side courtyard. The compound is both aesthetically pleasing and comfortable.

Opposite the Qingyun Tower is an ancient tower, called Zhenwu Temple because Emperor Zhenwu is enshrined and worshipped there. The temple was built with the principles of feng shui (geomantic omen) by the villagers’ ancestors.

Tips:

How can visitors get to Longmenhe village？

Take a train to Shouyang County, then travel there by bus. Self-driving visitors can drive from Shouyang station on Taijiu high-speed railway, and arrive at the village by going west on No 307 Highway.

What is there to eat?

Shredded potato and cooked millet go with puree of fermented beans; a specialty of mixed buckwheat bean jelly; burger with pork; wheat flour and stuff, that go very well with spicy tomato sauce; buckwheat noodles and other foods.

Where to live?

Longmenhe village is close to the downtown of Shouyang county, where hotels and rural home inns are available.