Top 8 Attractions in Taiyuan | What to See in Taiyuan

Location: Jingci Town, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan, Shanxi, about 26 km (40 minutes’ drive) southwest of Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park)
Opening Hours: November - March: 8:30 - 17:00 / April - October: 8:30 - 17:30
Ticket: April ~ October: ¥80 / November ~ next March: ¥65
Recommended Length of Visit: 2 ~ 3 hours

Though located 26 km away from Taiyuan city, Jinci Temple is the first must-see attraction in Taiyuan. The temple compound has ancient halls, pavilions and towers, all surrounded by the mountains and ancient trees.

You can discover a fascinating mixture of Taoist, Confucian and Buddhist influences in the ancient buildings, some of which are as old as 1500 years old. You’ll feel a charm of history by visiting the highlighted Holy Mother Hall that was built in 984 AD, seeing the 3000-year-old cypress tree in front of the hall, and wandering around the peaceful park. The cypress, the Nanlao Spring and the painted clay figures of maids in Holy Mother Hall are Jinci Temple’s “Three Wonders”.

✔ 2 Days Cultural Exploration in Taiyuan

Location: No. 13 North Section of Binhe Road West, Taiyuan, Shanxi, 5km (15 minutes’ drive) from Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park)
Opening Hours: 9:00-17:00 (closed on Monday, Chinese New Year’s Eve and Chinese Lunar New Year's Day)
Ticket: Free
Recommended Length of Visit: 2 ~ 3 hours

The imposing Shanxi Museum proudly reinforces Shanxi province’s status as the cradle of Chinese civilization. Shanxi Museum has 500,000 pieces of collections. There are 12 basic exhibits themed in “Jin Soul” (Jin is Shanxi for short) and 3 exhibits in Shanxi Bronze Museum - a branch museum of Shanxi Museum opened in 2019.

The exhibits are very well organized and nicely presented, focusing on the history and artifacts relating to Shanxi province especially in aspects like Buddhism, opera, business, architecture, etc. After the visit, you can enjoy the Fen River scenery just by the stairs outside the museum and chill out for a little while.

Location: West Bank of Fenhe Park, Taiyuan, only 3.5 km from Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park)
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
Ticket: CNY 60
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 ~ 2 hours

The Coal Museum of China is the ONLY national coal museum in the country. It is a museum where you can learn the development history of coal industry and experience the working process of the mine workers. Due to its unique coal culture, it ranks on the list of the most favorable tourist attractions in Shanxi Province.

In the museum, you should not miss the “A Tour to the Coal Sea” which is kind of a science exhibition showing the development of coal exploring and technology. The simulated mine and 4D cinema are the highlights there. Visitors could learn how the coal resources are formed and even get the emulational experience of digging coal in the mine.

Location: Haozhuang Village, Yingze District, Taiyuan, about 7 km (20 minutes’ drive) to Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park)
Opening Hours: November - March: 9:00 - 17:00 / April - October: 8:30 - 17:30
Ticket: CNY 30
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 ~ 2 hours

Twin Pagoda Temple, also known as Yongzuo Temple (永祚寺), is the symbol of Taiyuan. The pagoda in the east was built in 1597 while the western one was erected in 1612, during Ming Dynasty. Both of the pagodas stand straight like two pens, so it also gains the name of “Twin Pagoda of Pen”. When you get atop, you could have a better view of the whole Taiyuan city. Another worthy site here to enjoy is the stele corridor. It houses a variety of stone sculptures of Ming and Qing Dynasty and it is an ideal place to appreciate Chinese calligraphy. The best time to visit here is in April when the peonies bloom. Wandering in the garden, it’s just like walking into a picture, making people feel ecstatic and relaxed.

Location: No. 9 Chongshansi, Dilianggong Street, Yingze District, Taiyuan, only 3 km to Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park)
Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00
Ticket: CNY 6
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 ~ 2 hours

Chongshan means “advocating kindness”. This temple was originally built in the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), known as the White Horse Temple. In 1381, Zhu Gang, the third son of First Ming Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, rebuilt and renamed it Chongshan Temple to honor his mother.

It was a major Buddhist temple but burned to the ground in a fire in 1864 of Qing Dynasty. The existing Dabei Hall (大悲殿) maintains the essence of the temple and stores three precious treasures. The first one is the original edition of the sutras of the Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The second is the central 8.5m tall Thousand-Hand Kwan-yin statue. The third treasure is the three gilded mud statues of Bodhisattvas. All three statues still retain their bright color and smoothness. Moreover, there are large collections of holy books with significant cultural and historical value.

Location: No. 218 Yingze Avenue, Yingze District, Taiyuan, in downtown area.
Opening Hours: All day
Ticket: Free
Recommended Length of Visit: 3 hours

Yingze Park, situated at the central part of Yingze Street, is the largest park in Taiyuan. It is a good place to take a walk where you see the real local city life of Taiyuan. Near the east gate is the Jin Merchant Museum. It is the first large-scale museum to display Shanxi Merchants culture. It has absorbed the essence of traditional architecture of ancient guild hall, and has used brick carving, stone carving and wood carving technology with Shanxi characteristics. In the center of the park features an old library which was built during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). In the north gate of the park is an ornate archway called “Beauty of Taiyuan” imitating the Yonghe Lama Temple in Beijing. Besides, you could enjoy many activities such as boating, arcade games, golf, and skating. It is an ideal place for leisure, entertainment, and sport for everyone.

Location: No. 1 Qifeng Street, Yingze District, Taiyuan, Shanxi, in downtown area.
Opening Hours: 9:00-16:30
Ticket: CNY 30
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 hour

Chunyang Palace, built in Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1271-1368), was to worship Taoist immortal Lü Dongbin. It is a unique Taoist architectural complex, made up of five courtyards with pavilions and towers from outside to inside. Lüzu Temple is the main hall of Chunyang Palace, and it is the most magnificent architecture in the palace. The courtyard behind the hall is in unique style and is built according to the Eight Diagrams, presenting obvious Taoism architecture characteristics. As an important part of Shanxi Art Museum, Chunyang Palace has more than 20 exhibition halls, which exhibit the essence of the cultural relics of Shanxi.

Location: Sidi Village, Jinyuan District, Taiyuan, about 17 km (40 minutes’ drive) to Taiyuan downtown (Yingze Park).
Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
Ticket: CNY 70
Recommended Length of Visit: 1 ~ 2 hours

Mengshan Giant Buddha, also known as Xishan Giant Buddha, was originally a cliff Buddha behind Kaihua temple in Mengshan. It was built in the Tianbao period (A.D. 550-559) of the Northern Qi Dynasty but destroyed at the end of Yuan Dynasty (A.D. 1271-1368).

In 1980, Mengshan Giant Buddha was rediscovered. When it was found, the head of the Buddha had disappeared (the head of the present Buddha was newly chiseled later). The body of the Buddha was buried in the earth and stone, which was seriously weathered. From the bottom of the legs to the neck of the Buddha, it is about 30 meters, and the original height is about 46 meters. In terms of height, Mengshan Buddha is the second largest Buddha in the world, and in terms of building age, it is the earliest large stone Buddha statue in the world.