Jinzhong (晋中; Jìnzhōng) is a city in Shanxi Province in China.
Get in
The city is located about 32 km southeast of Taiyuan.
By plane
The nearest airport is Taiyuan's Taiyuan Wusu International Airport, which lies just outside Jinzhong's muncipal boundaries. Buses operate about 8 times a day between the airport and the city centre. The bus fare is ¥3.
By train
There are two main railway stations in Jinzhong:
- 1 Jinzhong Railway Station (晋中站), Hongmaying Street, Yuci District (榆次区红马营街) (bus nos. 1, 201 and 205). The main station in Jinzhong for high-speed train services.
- 2 Yuci Railway Station (榆次站), 103 Yingbin Street, Yuci District (榆次区迎宾街103号) (bus nos. 1, 2, 4 (including both inner and outer circle routes), 5, 15, 203, 207, and 801), ☏ 86 354 3062207. This station only serves regular-speed trains, but has the advantage of being closer to the city center.
By bus
Due to Jinzhong's close proximity to Taiyuan, there are a number of public buses based in Taiyuan that cross over into Jinzhong. Bus no. 901 for instance can take you from Taiyuan Railway Station to the center of Jinzhong.
If travelling to and from Pingyao or the surrounding area, you can catch a special tourist bus that operates from Yuci Old Town. Stops on the route include Yuci Old Town, Chang Family Compound, Qiao Family Compound, Pingyao Old Town, Mianshan and Wang Family Compound.
- 3 Jinzhong Bus Terminal (晋中市汽车客运总站), Southeast corner of intersection of National Highway 108 and Longhu Street, Yuci District (榆次区一零八国道与龙湖街交汇处东南角) (local bus routes 3, 101, 106 and 205), ☏ 86 354 3984222. Jinzhong's main central bus station. There aren't that many buses departing from here, however. Mostly what you will find is buses heading to nearby towns. For longer routes, you will probably need to use one of the bus stations in Taiyuan.
Get around
See
- 1 [dead link]Chang Family Compound (常家庄园), Chewang Village, Dongyang Town, Yuci District (榆次区东阳镇车辋村) (southwestern area of Yuci District; take bus no. 12), ☏ 86 354 2756789, 86 354 2756906. 8AM-6:30PM. One of the Shanxi merchant family compounds. Like the other family compounds, the Chang Family Compound was built over several generations by a wealthy merchant family to house the many branches of this successful clan. The Chang Family Compound is the largest of the Shanxi merchant family manors; despite its impressive size, however, what remains today is just one quarter of the original 600,000 square-meter compound, which contained over 1500 rooms. As the family prospered and grew in size, the Changs placed a great emphasis on education. This academic focus produced many scholars, painters, and calligraphers, and for this reason this compound is more interesting artistically than some of the other compounds in the region. Each of the courtyards, which are laid out along a 1 km long road, is somewhat different, but the themes throughout are very similar, with grey buildings, archways, smaller courtyards, and gardens in each one. The courtyards are filled with carvings in brick, stone, and wood, and there are many examples of carving which are of very high quality. The garden in one of the courtyards contains a collection of carved stone lions of various shapes and sizes. Originally there were 108 lions in the collection; today only 50 remain. Behind these courtyards is a large garden, designed in both the northern China and southern China styles, purportedly because the Chang family had to entertain visitors from both north and south. A 29-meter tall Guanji Tower in this garden is the tallest structure in the compound and offers expansive views over the entire compound from the top. ¥80.
- 2 Jinzhong City Museum (晋中市博物馆), 188 Guang'an Street, Yuci District (榆次区广安街188号) (150 metres southwest of the intersection of Guang'an Street and Xinjian North Road. Bus routes 5, 11, 13 North, 13 South, 205, and New 202). 09ː00-17ː00, no entry after 16ː00, closed on Mondays. Also closed on Chinese New Year's Eve and the first day of Chinese New Year. Open on all other public holidays, including public holidays that fall on a Monday. The Jinzhong City Museum is a brand new museum, which opened in June 2018. Visitors are limited to 4000 per day. Free.
- 3 Yuci Old Town (榆次老城), 225 Fuxing Road, Yuci District (榆次区府兴路225号) (there is a bus stop outside the main entrance, which is served by bus nos. 12, 18, 19, 22 (including both inner and outer circle routes), 31, 35, 38, New 202, 206, 901 (branch route) and the Tourist Express Bus), ☏ 86 354 8500003, ✉[email protected]. 08:00-19:00 (summer), 08:30-18:30; ticket sales end 60 minutes before closing time; no entry permitted in last 30 minutes. Historically Yuci was a prosperous merchant town similar to Pingyao. Unlike Pingyao, however, Yuci suffered serious damage to its architectural heritage during the mid-twentieth century, so most of the structures you see here today have been either rebuilt or extensively renovated. A notable exception is the Yuci City God Temple (榆次城隍庙), which dates from the Yuan Dynasty and is considered one of the best preserved city god temples in China. ¥60.