Shanxi is endowed with an abundance of cultural sites from its long history. Most of the ancient structures were built before the Liao and Song Dynasties. So it is the reason why Shanxi is often called the 'Chinese Ancient Architecture Museum'. The more obvious of these include: the Buddhist wonder of the Yungang Grottoes in Datong City, the ancient city of Pingyao which was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997, the oldest and tallest ancient wooden pagoda in China, the Wooden Pagoda of Yingxian County and the remote Shuanglin and Jinci Temples, which are well worth the long journeys for the visitors. Of course, there are a number of natural magnificent and beautiful places that can also be seen in Shanxi. The most famous of them include Wutai Mountain with the longest and most prestigious history in the four most well-known Buddhist holy lands of China, the whistling rage of the Yellow River's Kettle Spout waterfalls (Hukou Waterfalls) and one of the Five Sacred Mountains in China - Mt Hengshan.
Yao Temple It is said that Yao Temple was originally built during the Jin dynasty. It is located in the Northwestern part of Linfen City. In 658, it moved to the south of the town, it has a history of over 1000 years, and it was rebuilt several times. The Wufeng Pavilion, Yaojin Pavilion, Guangyun Palace, Bedroom Palace and stone carvings dating from Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties are well preserved.
The Yao Miao Square, which is in front of the Yao Temple, was finished in September 2002. Outside the Yao Temple new old-style Chinese buildings were erected, including a small-scale replica of the Temple of Heaven, etc.
Guangsheng Temple Guangsheng Temple is located 45 kilometres north of Linfen, the temple was originally built in Eastern Han dynasty (147. A.D.), and it has a history of more than 1800 years. The temple consists of three parts: upper, lower and Water God Temples. Guangsheng Temple has many cultural relics and splendid ancient buildings. The well-preserved pagoda – Flying Rainbow Pagoda -- is the biggest in China. The only large-scale treasure frescoes of the traditional Chinese operas in the country are also found here.
Susan Prison Susan prison is located in the South of the ancient Scholar Tree of the Hongtong County, with an area of 610 square meters. It was first built in the Ming dynasty (1396), and is the only well preserved prison from the Ming dynasty in existence today.
Susan, whose story is well known all over China, was imprisoned in this jail, hence the name. It is an important place for studying the rules and regulations of the ancient penal system in the feudal China.
Susan’s story has inspired several well known Chinese operas, the Yu Tang Chun, The Women Guards, and The Trial on Three Courts.
