7 Days in Weinan

Settle in along the Chouhe park banks and do a street-food loop - shichen baozi steamed buns and shuipen lamb are the local standards. Buy your Huashan tickets and check the cableway schedules tonight.

1. weinan chouhe park
2. weinan city markets

Honestly a full day - the mountain stands in Huayin, about 70 km east or 20 minutes by high-speed rail. The South Peak tops out at 2,154.9 m across five summits; walkers on the classic route start at the Yuquan Temple and climb the Thousand-Foot Precipice, while the West Peak cableway (opened 2013) takes the strain off.

1. weinan huashan
2. weinan yuquan temple

About two hours northeast in Heyang county, the wetland spreads reed beds along the Yellow River; seven artesian springs - the "fen" springs noted since old records - keep stretches ice-free in winter, and the Chunü spring pool is the swimmers' favorite. Poems in the Shijing anthology are traditionally tied to this river reach.

1. weinan qiachuan wetland

Flagged honestly as a long ride north, about 160 km. The shrine to Sima Qian (c. 145-86 BC) was first built in 310 AD; Dangjiacun, founded 1331, keeps some 120 Ming-Qing courtyards. Sleep in Hancheng's old city.

1. weinan simaqian temple
2. weinan dangjiacun

A morning in the old city's lanes and temple compounds, then 30 km north to Longmen, where the Yellow River narrows between cliff walls, and the ride back south to Weinan.

1. weinan hancheng old city

Northwest to Pucheng county, where five Tang imperial tombs line the hills; Qiaoling, the tomb of Emperor Ruizong (662-716), keeps the finest stone figure ranks of the set. An open, easy day with village lunches along the tombs road.

1. weinan qiaoling

A last shichen baozi breakfast by the Chouhe, any luggage posted ahead, and out from Weinan North by rail.

1. weinan city markets