Heavenly Mt. Wutai

Yan Xishan former residence is located at Hebian Village, 22 kilometers northeast of Dingxiang County, and 180 kilometers away from Taiyuan. You may either take regular bus, or take train from Taiyuan to Xinzhou, and stop at Hebian town, there is a clear sign on roadside. The transfer from Taiyuan to Hebian Village is about 2.5 hours.

Yan Xishan former residence was built from the year 1913, this is a private house of Mr. Yan Xishan, military commander of Shanxi province for about 40 years. There are altogether 30 compounds and thousands of houses in this building. The admission fee of it is CNY40.00 net per person.

After the visit to this residence, take bus at Hebian Town and drive to Wutai County. From here, you may charter a taxi or minibus to visit Nanchan Temple, it takes a half day and the taxi fee is approximately CNY300.00 net. Or, you may take bus from Xinzhou to Dongye Twon, price is about CNY10.00 net per person. Nanchan Temple is 3.5 kilometers away from Dongye Town, the taxies are available in between and CNY20.00 net for round way would be enough. The admission fee is about CNY7.00 net per person, it opens from 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 18:30, it will be closed on every Monday, so please do remember to avoid this day. Stay overnight at Wutai County.

Then in the next two days, visit the most famous Buddhist Mountain, Mt. Wutai, it is located at Taihuai Country, the passing-by buses from Wutai County to Taihuai County are very convenient.

Mt. Wutai is composed by five flat peaks. The northern peak is the highest one among them, with the altitude of 3058 meters. Visitors can watch the magnificent view of sunrise and clouds from the Eastern Peak; enjoy the beauty of flowers at the Southern Peak; view and admire the bright moon at the Western Peak; overlook the cascade of mountains from Northern Peak and see the huge stone at the Middle Peak. Mt. Wutai is the rite place of Wenshu Bodhisattva and you will see many temples and towers here.

The entrance fee for Mt. Wutai is CNY168.00 net per person from April 01 to Oct 31, and CNY140.00 net per person from November 01 to March 31. The temples usually open at day break and close at sunset. It is high season from July to September for the tour to Mt. Wutai, during this time, all the meal charge, hotel rate and transfer charge will be higher. While from July 25 to August 25, it is annual international tourist month, there will be more Buddhist activities and programs at that time, however, due to crowded tourists, terrific transportation and high price, it would be advisable to avoid this period.

It is convenient to accommodate at Mt. Wutai, there are many hotels and family hostels in different levels. It is also good to taste some of local flavors in the evening.

Then, finish this three-day's tour and head for Taiyuan.