Things to do in Dai County
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Top 10 attractions in Dai County
Xinzhou Ancient City
Xinzhou was called Xiurong in ancient times. It is located between Taiyuan and Mount Wutai. It is the seat of Xinzhou Administrative Office and Prefectural Committee. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Xinzhou belonged to Jin State. In the Warring States Period, it belonged to Zhao State. In the Qin and Han Dynasties, it belonged to Taiyuan County, Yanmen County, and Taiping County. In the Sui Dynasty, it was Xinxingdu and Yanmen. During the Tang, Five Dynasties and Song dynasties, it was called Dingxiang Prefecture of Xinzhou. During the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it was called Xinzhou, Daizhou and Baodezhou. During the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, most of the area belonged to Jinchaji, and the area to the west belonged to Jinsui. In 1949, Xinzhou Prefecture was established. The cultural relics and historical sites in Xinzhou City include: Xinzhou North Gate Tower. Located in Xinzhou City, on the Gongchen Gate of the old north city wall. The North Gate Tower was built in the 24th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty. The tower is located on the 12-meter-high city wall, which makes it more majestic and magnificent. The city wall stands tall and is painted red on the outside. There is a Voucher doorway below, with a very high top and a bottom width of more than 3 meters.Xinzhou · 76.5km from Dai County
Yanmen Pass Scenic Area - Transfer Zone
Dai County · 16.2km from downtown
Pingyao Ancient City
Pingyao Ancient City is approx. 85 km from Taiyuan. The streets, shops, and residences within the ancient city still maintain their traditional layout and appearance, making it one of the best-preserved ancient cities in China. It is also the only ancient county town in China that has successfully been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an entire city. Pingyao was once the financial center of China during the late Qing Dynasty. Walking through this once-prosperous ancient city, you can feel the essence of Shanxi merchant culture everywhere. The ancient city has six gates in total, with the north gate near Pingyao bus station and the west gate nearPingyao train stationThe south gate and west gate are places with many travelers. Entering the ancient town does not require an admission ticket, but if you want to climb the city wall or visit attractions like the ticket number, you need to purchase a pass for the ancient town. The ancient town is not very large, and walking is enough to explore it all. If you prefer not to walk, you can also take electric bikes. The streets of the entire ancient city are laid out in the shape of the Chinese character "土" (earth). When visiting, you usually enter the city from the West Gate and walk along West Street to Rishengchang Draft Bank, known as the "ancestor of modern Chinese banking". Here you can not only learn about the development history of ancient banking, but also have the old manager in a long robe and mandarin jacket write a draft for you using the early draft method, which is particularly historical. Moving forward is the north-south spanningSouth street, it is the central axis of the ancient city. During the Ming and Qing dynasties,South streetControlling over half of the nation's financial institutions, it was hailed as the "Wall Street of China" in its heyday. Today, it remains a bustling area of the ancient city, known as the Ming-Qing Ancient Street. Most attractions in Pingyao Ancient City are concentrated here, centered around the landmark structure, the Ancient City Tower. Surrounding it are attractions like Xie Tong Qing ticket number (China Banking Museum) and Wei Tai Hou (Ticket number museumAttractions such as Baichuantong, China Escort Museum, Tongxinggong Escort, Weishengchang, China Rare Newspaper Exhibition Hall, and Tianjixiang are available, along with restaurants, musical instrument stores, cafes, and bars. After strolling along the street, you can dine here, buy some souvenirs, and then continue south for more sightseeing. At the Pingyao Ancient City's county government office on the south side of the ancient city, you can see a large number of ancient documents and torture instruments, with daily performances of court sessions; near the Shangdong Gate are the Pingyao Ancient City's Chenghuang Temple andConfucian templeIt is quite grand and meticulously built, with thriving incense offerings where you can burn joss sticks. The Pingyao Ancient City wall is also one of the highlights of the ancient city, being not only majestic but also remarkably well-preserved. Climbing the wall offers a panoramic view of the entire ancient city. Among the gates, the tower of the south gate (Yingxun Gate of Pingyao Ancient City wall) is exquisitely crafted, and this area is close to residential buildings, allowing visitors to observe the daily life of the locals. If time permits, you can walk around the ancient city along the wall to fully appreciate its charm, which takes about an hour. Watching the sunset from the wall in the evening presents a beautiful scene. Besides the ancient town itself, Pingyao has two other major attractions: Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple. Zhenguo Temple was built without a single nail, with all structures joined by interlocking wooden components. Shuanglin Temple houses over 10 halls containing exquisitely crafted painted sculptures dating from the Yuan to Ming dynasties. It is highly recommended to stay overnight in the ancient town to enjoy its night view. You can also rent a bicycle to explore the small alleys and experience the authentic Pingyao, where the local culture and customs or photography make excellent subjects. Especially during the Chinese New Year, Pingyao is full of festive atmosphere. The town features old courtyards converted into inns, which are usually affordable, with clean and tidy accommodations available for just a few dozen yuan. Additionally, Pingyao is renowned for its beef. In the late Qing Dynasty, Empress Dowager Cixi passed through Pingyao and was so fond of the local beef after tasting it that she designated it as a royal tribute. Shops bearing the name "Guanyun beef" can be seen everywhere in the ancient town, making it hard to distinguish authenticity, and prices are generally high. You may consider buying some outside the town to try or give as gifts to friends and relatives.China · Pingyao County
Huayan Temple
Huayan Temple is located in the center of Datong. This temple was built in the 8th year of Liao Qingning Period (AD 1062). In the Daxiong Hall of Huayan Temple, you can see the groundworks of Liao Dynasty and the buildings of Jin Dynasty, as well as the statues of Ming Dynasty and the murals of Qing Dynasty. The Hall of BojiaJiaocang in the temple is the only Liao Dynasty building here. The statues from Liao Dynasty in the Hall are extremely precious. There is a double-storey pavilion-style cabinet behind the Hall of Bojiajiaocang, the upper level is for Buddha statues and Buddhist altars, and the lower layer stores for books.China · Datong
Dazhao Temple
Ih Juu Temple in downtown Hohhot was built in the 8th year of the Ming Emperor Wanli (1580) by Altan Khan, the leader of the Mongolian Tümed. The temple belongs to the Gelug (or Yellow) School of Tibetan Buddhism. Priceless cultural relics not to be missed on a visit to Ih Juu Temple include a silver statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni, the dragon columns and the colorful wall murals. The pure silver statue of the Buddha Sakyamuni in the temple's main hall weighs 1,500kg. Immediately in front of the Buddha Sakyamuni are two golden dragons entwined around the columns, aptly named the Dragon Columns. Because the murals were painted with mineral-based colors, the colors remain bright and vibrant even today. The murals' content is mostly classical stories from Buddhist scripture.China · Hohhot
Jingtu Temple
It is located in the northeast corner of Ying County, also known as the North Temple. Founded in the second year of Jintianhui (1124). The main hall is the Daxiong Hall, which was rebuilt in the twenty-fourth year of Dading (1184). The temple originally had a mountain gate, a stupa, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Bell and Drum Towers, the East and West Side Halls, the Mahavira Hall, the apse, and the Tibetan Sutra Building. Today, only the Mahavira Hall remains. The Daxiong Hall is the main hall of the whole temple. It was built in the twenty-fourth year of Jin Dading. The single eaves rest on the top of the mountain, the roof of the hall is covered with tubes and tiles, and the eaves are inlaid with green glaze. The building is magnificent. The caisson in the hall is surrounded by golden dragons on all sides, with beautiful shape and fine composition. The murals on the four walls of the hall were painted in the Qing Dynasty, mainly describing the Buddhist deeds of Sakyamuni Buddha and various Bodhisattvas.Ying County · 59.2km from Dai County
Whistling Dune Bay
China's desert resort - Inner Mongolia Xiangshawan is a large-scale comprehensive desert leisure scenic Attraction integrating sightseeing and leisure vacation. It is located at the eastern end of China's seventh largest desert - Kubuqi Desert. It is a desert tourist resort in China that is relatively close to the mainland and Beijing. It is a national AAAAA-level tourist Attraction and a national cultural industry demonstration base. It has more than 500 camel teams. "I am a grain of sand" - this is the first sentence that the people of Xiangshawan say to every guest from afar. "A world of a grain of sand" - this is the endless joyful realm of Xiangshawan where the people and guests are integrated into nature and free and unfettered like a fairy. In this world of sand, there is a surreal yet realistic paradise. Xiangshawan is developed with the concept of green, ecological, environmental protection, energy saving and low carbon, and is the first desert resort and the pioneer of low carbon tourism.China · Dalad Banner
Shanxi Museum
"Five thousand years of history can be seen in Shanxi." Located on Binhe West Road in Taiyuan, the Shanxi Museum showcases the essence of Shanxi's cultural relics. The museum consists of a main building and four corner annexes, with the main building resembling both a dipper and a ding vessel, serving as the primary venue for travelers to view the collection. The main building has four floors. The first-floor lobby features a general service desk, while the second and third floors host thematic exhibitions on history and culture. The fourth floor showcases art-themed exhibitions, which together form the permanent displays of the Shanxi Museum. After entering the first-floor lobby, proceed to the second floor via the stairs to begin the historical journey themed "Soul of Jin." The cultural and historical thematic exhibition showcases the highlights of Shanxi's five-thousand-year civilization through numerous precious artifacts, ranging from ancient human relics to the rise and fall of Shanxi merchants during the Ming and Qing dynasties over five centuries. During your visit, several exquisite artifacts are not to be missed. The bird zun, a bronze ritual vessel from the Western Zhou period, was used in the ancestral temple sacrifices of the Jin marquis. The bird zun features an exquisitely crafted design with a phoenix as its main form. On the phoenix's back rests a small bird, serving as the handle for the vessel's lid. At the tail of the phoenix, an elephant is depicted, with its long trunk perfectly balancing the phoenix's two legs to form a stable tripod base. This artifact is a representative piece among the bronze collections in the museum. In addition, you can also admire: the Houma covenant texts, which are oath documents from the Spring and Autumn period used by the ministers of the Jin state; the lacquered wooden panel paintings, a painted screen from the Northern Wei dynasty depicting colorful stories from the "Biographies of Exemplary Women"; the white marble sarcophagus, a relic from the Sui dynasty, belonging to a tomb occupant who was a member of the Central Asian Yu people, with intricate carvings both inside and outside the sarcophagus, featuring figures with deep-set eyes, high noses, and black hair, characteristic of the Mediterranean Caucasian race. In the cultural thematic exhibition, you can also learn about the origins and development of Buddhism and traditional opera in Shanxi. The fourth floor of the main hall features an art thematic exhibition area. Among them, the "Timber and earth splendor" - ancient architectural art thematic exhibition showcases Shanxi's status as a province rich in cultural relics and ancient structures. "For above-ground relics, look to Shanxi" - Shanxi is renowned as the "treasure trove of ancient Chinese architecture," boasting over half of China's above-ground ancient structures with comprehensive categories, especially in the quantity of religious buildings. If you're a fan of ancient architecture, this is a must-visit. The Shanxi Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions periodically. At the first-floor lobby service desk, services such as hiring on-site guides (Chinese and English) and renting audio guides are available. The main building also houses a restaurant and a tea house for visitors.China · Taiyuan
Yuheyuan Scenic Area
Yuheyuan Scenic Area, located in Dai County, Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, is a comprehensive experiential tourism attraction featuring rural sightseeing, outdoor adventures, mountain climbing, suspension bridges, viral social media spots like confession fountains, water activities, canyon rafting, wetland leisure, forest bathing, as well as Northeast Chinese cuisine and barbecue dining.Dai County · 17.4km from downtown
Guangwu International Ski Resort
Guangwu International Ski Resort (Guangwu Mountain Resort) is located in the southern mountain of Tian'erlao Village, Guangwu Town, Shanyin County. It is located in the "39° North Latitude Golden Ski Belt". Through the Great Wall No. 1 Tourist Highway, it is deeply integrated with Souvenir historical sites such as the Ming Great Wall, Yanmen Pass, and Guangwu Ancient City. The overall planning of the project covers an area of 9,627 mu (6.4 million square meters), with an estimated total investment of 1 billion yuan, and will be completed in three phases. The overall snowmaking area is 1.5 million square meters, with the highest point at an altitude of 1,860 meters, a height difference of more than 700 meters, and a total length of more than 40 kilometers of snow trails. It is planned to build 6 detachable ropeways. The project includes primary teaching areas, elementary, intermediate, advanced, jumping platforms, U-shaped troughs, snow bikes, snow play parks, etc. The project is equipped with youth hotels, apartments, etc. After the overall plan is realized, it can accommodate 20,000 people at the same time. The first phase investment is 300 million yuan, and it will open on December 20, 2022. The first phase of the snowmaking surface is 300,000 square meters, with the highest point at an altitude of 1,400 meters and a vertical height difference of more than 300 meters. There are 16 ski slopes in the first phase, of which the longest "Moon Viewing Trail" is 1,500 meters long, equipped with an 8-person high-speed gondola detachable cable car, a 4-person fixed chairlift, 5 magic carpets, 2 large imported snow groomers, 35 snowmaking machines, a comprehensive service hall of more than 15,000 square meters and a 600-square-meter mountaintop cafe, with a daily reception capacity of more than 6,000 people. After the completion of the main project and supporting facilities, Guangwu International Ski Resort will further improve various mountain sports facilities and water sports, and strive to use one season of snow to drive the development of four seasons. By then, Guangwu Mountain Resort will become a well-known ski resort and four-season resort town in Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province and even the whole country, realizing the deep integration of local culture and tourism, and a new situation of coexistence of nature and culture.Shanyin · 22.4km from Dai County
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What travellers say about Dai County
Anonymous user17 September 2026
5.0
This is the most spectacular iron flower display I've ever seen! The program was diverse and engaging, the host was witty, the audience interaction was lively, the iron flower workers were incredibly skilled, and the iron flowers were dazzling and colorful – the effect was absolutely stunning! Thumbs up! 👍👍👍
Xinzhou Ancient City
无锡易纯净化魏宏春27 October 2026
5.0
Visiting Pingyao Ancient City has always been a dream of mine, because it is the best-preserved ancient city in China and also the most distinctive. Tens of thousands of residents still live in the city today. The hard-working spirit of the people of Shanxi and their banks, which spread throughout the country, are a microcosm of the economy of Qing Dynasty China.
Pingyao Ancient City
Anonymous user27 October 2026
5.0
The glazed tile roof ornaments in the main hall are magnificent. Although the lighting inside the hall is dim, the murals are full of detail when you look closely. Climbing the Huayan Pagoda and overlooking the ancient city offers a very pleasant view. The entire temple has a very quiet atmosphere, and a peaceful walk around it brings a sense of tranquility. There were many tourists taking photos inside the temple, but the order was well maintained.
Huayan Temple
white2026 October 2026
5.0
It's worth visiting. I went there when I was younger, but I lacked knowledge then. Now, the more I see, the more I appreciate it. The silver Buddha, dragon carvings, and murals are known as the "Three Wonders." The architecture blends Han and Tibetan styles, and the incense and ancient charm coexist. It's worth a thorough visit.
Dazhao Temple
186***2817 October 2026
5.0
Although Jingtu Temple is a lesser-known tourist attraction, it boasts a wealth of cultural significance. The murals on the ceiling of the main hall, in particular, are breathtakingly beautiful, making the trip worthwhile. Definitely worth seeing.
Jingtu Temple
杰瑞游中国17 October 2026
5.0
There are so many activities in the desert: sandboarding, desert train rides, Bigfoot rides, camel riding, and it's best to travel off-peak. It's freezing cold! Remember to wear warm clothes.
Emerging in the desert to escape the rain in late autumn—fewer people, great for taking photos, so refreshing!
Whistling Dune Bay
M34***4926 October 2026
5.0
This was my first visit to the Shanxi Museum, and I was incredibly lucky to have this elderly male guide! His voice was deep and pleasant, and his storytelling was engaging and never boring. I especially loved his method: he first laid out the historical context, then guided us through the artifacts in detail, a gradual and immersive approach that made it easy to connect with the exhibits. He meticulously explained several of the museum's most prized possessions, bringing the history of Shanxi, a land of mountains and rivers, to life. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire visit. It wasn't just rote memorization of facts; the experience was fantastic. I highly recommend having such a wonderful guide when visiting a museum!
Shanxi Museum
皮皮鲁c28 December 2023
5.0
I went there on a weekday. There were relatively few people. Parking and dining were convenient. I could stay overnight. There was a KFC in the lobby. The price was about 2 yuan more expensive than outside. The snowshoes, snowboards, and snow poles were relatively new. The shoes did not have a strong odor. There were 16 ski slopes, hanging baskets, and fishing boxes. I think it is the best ski resort in Shanxi. It is worth a visit. I took a video at the door at the end.
Guangwu International Ski Resort
Trip Moments in Dai County
