忻州市

Why this place

Xinzhou is the city you pass through to reach Wutai Shan, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China and the one associated with Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. The mountain has temples from the Tang dynasty onward, including two of the earliest surviving timber buildings in China.

What to see

• Wutai Shan's Tayuan Temple and its great white stupa, the mountain's symbol
• Nanchan Temple and Foguang Temple — Tang-dynasty timber halls from 782 and 857 CE
• Xiantong Temple, the largest and oldest complex on the mountain
• Yanmen Pass, one of the great wall gateways, south of the mountain

What to eat

• Vegetarian temple food on Wutai Shan — the mountain is a pilgrimage site
• Shanxi oat noodles and mountain mushrooms in Xinzhou

How to plan

Two or three days on the mountain. Stay in Taihuai town and walk between the temples.

Best time

June–September; Wutai is high and cold even in midsummer

Practical tips

• Wutai Shan is at 2,000m+ — bring a jacket even in July
• The Tang halls (Nanchan, Foguang) are away from the main town and need a car