Jincheng Travel Guide
Population: 2,189,600
Area: 9,490 square kilometers (3,664 square miles)
Nationalities: Han
Administrative Division: 1 district (Urban District); 4 counties (Zezhou, Qinshui, Yangcheng, Lingchuan); 1 county-level city (Gaoping)
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0356-2057555
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0356-2022329
Location: Located in southeastern Shanxi Province, Jincheng is bordered by Henan Province in the east and south, neighboring Changzhi City in the north.
History: It is where the Shen Nong Divine Farmer helped Chinese ancestors to make the transition from a pastoral-nomad way of life to farming. Jincheng was known as Zezhou in ancient times. The Tang (618-907) Court established Jincheng County.
Physical Features: Mountains and hills constitute the major part of the city. Mountainous areas are mainly distributed in western, eastern and southern territory of the city, while the northern and central land is occupied by undulating hills interweaving with basins.
Climatic Features: Situated in the warm temperate zone, the city enjoys a semi-humid continental monsoon climate. It has clear four seasons. It seldom rains in spring. The weather is usually windy and drought may happen in this period. Summer is torrid and rainy. Autumn is overcast and rainy, the temperature is cool. Winter is cold with thin precipitation. Jincheng has abundant sunshine and an annual average temperature of 10C (50F).
When to Go: April to October
Special Local product: Hua Gu (a kind of Chinese mushroom) and monkey-head mushroom of Qinshui County, pear, persimmon, hawthorn fruit
Scenic Spots:
Manghe Macque National Nature Reserve: Located in Sanglin Town, Yangcheng County, this nature reserve is established for the well protection of macaques and subtropical vegetation. Its ten kilometers long calcified landscape on the ground is the only calcified valley in Eastern China.
As an old cultural city, Jincheng has a great many historical relics:
Jade Emperor Temple: a Taoist site famous for the twenty-eight tutelary gods of the twenty-eight constellations in Taoism
Dai Temple: the earliest theatrical stage in Jin Dynasty (1115-1234)
Huangcheng Prime Minister's Mansion: a royal residence of the Prime Minister Chen Jingting once the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) visited; a castle complex of building with more than 500 hundred years' history; a great number of posthumous works and the emperor's handwritings
Tourist Tips:
1. Three main bus stations serve within the downtown Jincheng, the passenger transport central station in Zezhou Road (East), Jincheng Provincial Bus Station in Jinhui Road and Jincheng City Bus Station in west section of the Hongxing Road. All these stations operate intercity and interprovincial bus routes and the station in Hongxing Road also provides buses to counties and towns within the city.
2. Jincheng is five hours from the capital city of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan. Jincheng is only 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Zhengzhou by expressway, and visitors can reach the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport for about one hour and the Changzhi Airport for about two hours. Due to the great distance to Taiyuan and fewer flights in Changzhi, people usually choose Zhengzhou as the transfer station to Jincheng.