10 Days in Jincheng

The minister's compound grew around Chen Tingjing (1638-1712), chief editor of the 1716 Kangxi Dictionary with its 47,000-odd entries; Guoyu's own walls rose in the same bandit-worried decades, and the two compounds sit minutes apart on foot.

1. jincheng huangcheng xiangfu
2. jincheng guoyu fortress

In Lingchuan county the Taihang ridgelines run above 1,600 metres — cloud seas below the path in season, stone terraces spilling down the flanks.

1. jincheng wangmang ridge

The village spent 30 years — 1962 to 1991 — cutting its 7.5-km windowed road through the cliff; the lower village lanes and riverbed make the second half of the day.

1. jincheng xiyagou cliff road

At Qinshui county, a walled village begun in the 1620s — three-storey house-faces along the inner street and a water gate over the stream.

1. jincheng xiangyu fortress

Founded in the 550s under Northern Qi and rebuilt by Tang patrons, the temple sits under Jue mountain with statue halls from the 618-907 era.

1. jincheng qinglian temple

A slow morning in town, an early dinner, then the molten-iron sparks of Situ Town after dark.

1. jincheng situ town

A Yangcheng valley reserve where rhesus macaques hold the cliffside forest — boardwalks follow the river, and the monkeys keep their distance.

1. jincheng manghe valley

An honest neighbour-city label — Changzhi prefecture, about two hours north; the Huguan gorge walls pinch to a narrow slot in places, and the walkways cling above the water.

1. changzhi huguan canyon

An honest overnight — Luoyang lies 2.5-3 hours south by road; the Longmen grottoes, begun in 493, line a kilometre of river cliff, best entered as the floodlights come on.

1. luoyang longmen grottoes

A second grotto pass in morning shade, then the road back to Jincheng in time for a late HSR from Jincheng East.

1. luoyang longmen grottoes