Things to do in Yanchuan

No. 11 of Best Things to Do in Northern Shaanxi

Yanchuan Yellow river Qiankun Bay Scenic Area

Qiankun Bay lies in the Tugang Township, Yanchuan County, Yan'an City, and is a national geological park. Stepping out over Qiankun Bay and walking into the Qiankun Pavilion, you will have a panoramic view of the Qiankun Bay. They bay is shaped like the yin-yang fish of the Tai Chi Diagram, surrounded by lush green hills. People live on the mountain and yellow cattle on the grassy shore drink from the river. In addition to its magnificence and beauty, Qiankun Bay also paints a picture of life on the Loess Plateau.

Liangjiahe Scenic Area

Qingshui Bay Scenic Area

Qingshui Bay is located 38 km south of the county seat and is the second largest bay after Qiankun Bay, with a curvature reaching 305 degrees. Starting from Xuanwo Bay in the north and extending to Qingshui Bay in the south, it has a total length of 68 km and a total area of 86 square kilometers. Qingshui Bay is part of the Yellow River Shequ National Geopark, which is located in the northeastern part of Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, in the middle section of the Yellow River Qin-Jin Canyon—the Yanchuan section.

Yellow River Shequ National Geopark

The park is situated along the banks of the Yellow River, where large mountains and deep ravines crisscross the landscape, creating a fragmented and highly complex terrain. The park primarily consists of the Yingxiongwan Valley Terrace and Canyon Landform Tourist Area, Yongheguanwan Valley Terrace and Canyon Landform Tourist Area, Guojiawan Loess Plateau Ecotourism Area, Qiankunwan Meander Landform Tourist Area, and Xianrenwan Meander Landform Tourist Area.

Liangjiahe Educated Youth Site

Luyao Former Residence

Located in the Lu Yao Cultural Industry Park, this is a cluster of original earthen cave dwellings from rural northern Shaanxi, featuring multiple cave exhibition rooms, an exhibition of materials about Lu Yao, a bookstore, and a reading room.

2026 Global 100 - Best Things to Do

Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum

Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum is a large site museum built on the site of the Terracotta Army pits, which are located approx. 1.5 km east of the mound of Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum. In March 1974, farmers from Xiyang Village accidentally unearthed fragments of terracotta figures while digging a well, and archaeological exploration confirmed Pit 1; in 1976, Pits 2 and 3 were successively discovered to the north of Pit 1. This army, which had slumbered for over 2,000 years, was thus brought back to light, and the discovery of the Terracotta Army has been hailed as "one of the great discoveries in the history of 20th-century archaeology." Pit 1 is the main military formation among the three pits, stretching over 200 m from east to west, with an estimated 6,000 pottery figurines and horses buried inside. Standing at the edge and looking down, armored warrior figurines, war chariots, and pottery horses are arrayed eastward in battle formation. A closer look at each figure reveals different facial shapes, hairstyles, beards, and even hand gestures. The figurines were originally painted all over, but most of the paint has peeled off and discolored due to fire and long burial. Pit 2 is L-shaped, with crossbowmen, cavalry, and charioteers arranged in a mixed formation; the vividly expressive kneeling archer was unearthed here. Pit 3 is small in scale, and scholars believe the ceremonial guard figurines and war chariots unearthed there indicate it served as the command center—known in ancient times as a "military tent"—directing the formations in Pits 1 and 2. The bronze swords, pi halberds, spears, crossbow triggers, and large quantities of arrowheads unearthed from the pits—many still sharp after more than 2,000 years—demonstrate the sophistication of Qin dynasty metallurgy. The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum and the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum at the foot of Mount Li were originally one integrated whole. After Qin Shi Huang ascended the throne at the age of 13, he began constructing the mausoleum, conscripting hundreds of thousands of laborers over a period spanning more than 30 years; the terracotta army, which replaced human sacrifice with figurines, served as the underground guard for this imperial mausoleum. To avoid the crowds during your visit, you might want to see Pit 3 and Pit 2 first, and then take your time to experience the awe-inspiring scene of Pit 1 last. After viewing the terracotta pits, you can also take the attraction's shuttle bus to Lishan Garden, where Emperor Qinshihuang's mausoleum is located; the Acrobats Pit, the Civil Officials Pit, and the Bronze Chariots and Horses Museum are all within the garden. The two painted bronze chariots and horses, cast at half the scale of real chariots, are exquisitely crafted with brilliantly gleaming gold and silver fittings, and are well worth a special trip to see.

Liangjiahe Village

Liangjiahe Village, affiliated to Wen'anyi Town, Yanchuan County, Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, is located 5 kilometers southeast of Wen'anyi Town. It is one of the pilot villages for new rural construction. The village has 2 villager groups with a total population of 80 households with 347 people, including 42 households with 110 permanent residents in the village; there are 22 party members, including 20 males and 2 females, with an average age of 41 years old. With the strong support of governments all over the country and at all levels, Liangjiahe's parents and villagers are changing the face of their hometown with their simple and tolerant minds and hard-working and pragmatic hands.

No. 8 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

Little Western Paradise

Little Western Paradise is perched atop Phoenix Mountain in Xi County, Linfen, Shanxi Province. This Buddhist temple, originally named the Thousand Buddha Nunnery, was established during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty. It earned its initial name from the thousand Buddha statues enshrined in its Main Hall of the Great Hero. Later, it was renamed due to the inscription "Entering the Western Paradise" above its gate and to distinguish it from another ancient temple, "Great Western Paradise," located south of the city. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing a river in front, the temple is compact yet ingeniously laid out across its upper and lower courtyards. Ascending the stone steps and passing through the secluded "Heavenly Grotto" corridor evokes a sense of gradually entering a Buddhist paradise. The upper courtyard centers around the Main Hall of the Great Hero, flanked by the Manjusri Hall and Samantabhadra Hall. The Main Hall is the temple's crowning jewel: within its modest 100-square-meter space, nearly 2,000 suspended sculptures adorn niches, gables, beams, and rafters, transforming the hall into a museum of suspended sculpture art. Five interconnected niches dominate the rear wall, housing the Medicine Buddha, Amitabha, Sakyamuni, Vairocana, and Maitreya seated on lotus thrones, with ten principal disciples standing beside them. The southern wall depicts Buddhist narratives featuring the Four Sages and Four Heavenly Kings, while the northern wall portrays the 33 celestial palaces of Mount Sumeru. Flying apsaras, divine birds, and musician bodhisattvas dance among clouds on the beams, their gilded polychrome surfaces retaining vibrant hues after centuries. This rare collection of late Ming to early Qing suspended sculptures has gained wider recognition since the temple became a filming location for the popular game Black Myth: Wukong, attracting many travelers for dedicated visits. The lower courtyard also rewards exploration: the Immeasurable Hall faces east, where dozens of bronze Buddha statues interplay with wooden celestial palaces in what was once the monks' meditation hall. Opposite stands the Skanda Hall, housing a single nanmu-carved statue of Skanda. The temple also preserves thousands of volumes from the Yongle Northern Canon, a Ming imperial gift. Visitors are advised to spend extra time in the Main Hall—dim lighting requires slow, upward gazes to appreciate the intricate details of the high-placed sculptures. After exploring both courtyards, one can ascend Solitary Paulownia Peak via the "Seemingly No Path" route behind Skanda Hall, where the Cloud-Touching Pavilion offers panoramic views of the rural landscape below.

No. 4 of Best Things to Do in Shanxi

The Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area

The Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area is located in the Jin-Shaan Grand Canyon in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and is the Shanxi-side section for viewing Hukou Waterfall. As the Yellow River rushes here, its surface suddenly narrows from several hundred meters wide to just a few dozen meters. The water, laden with silt, churns and pours down like water being poured into a giant kettle, which is how the name "Hukou" (Kettle Mouth) came to be. This is a rare yellow waterfall on the Yellow River, with muddy waves surging skyward and a roar like thunder, displaying magnificent momentum. The attraction is located on the east side of the waterfall, where the bank is relatively low, allowing visitors to look up and take in the full panorama of the Yellow River plunging downward. Below the waterfall, mist rises and fills the air, appearing like smoke or clouds from afar and creating the wondrous sight known as "smoke rising from the water"; on clear days, sunlight refracts through the mist to form a rainbow arching across the river, called "rainbow reaching the heavens." Within the attraction, Dragon Cave is a natural stone cave; following the stone steps down leads to a viewing platform close to the waterfall, where you can look up as the river pours down from above—an ideal spot to feel the force of the waterfall up close. Downstream from the waterfall, the Ten-Mile Dragon Trough is a deep channel formed by the river's long-term erosion of the riverbed; in the dry season, the trough floor is wide and flat, and ancients once used this terrain to haul boats along the bank, leaving behind the unique scene known as "sailing on dry land." Further downstream is Mengmen Mountain, where two huge rocks in the river split the Yellow River in two before the streams merge again; carved on the rock face are the four characters "Wo Zhen Kuang Liu" (Resting Here, Quelling the Raging Flow). The view of Hukou Waterfall is distinctive in each of the four seasons. Every year between April and May, peach blossoms bloom and the ice melts, coinciding with the "March peach blossom flood," when the abundant water volume makes the waterfall particularly spectacular. From September to November, the air is crisp in fall, and rainbows often appear in the mist, a phenomenon known as the "Hukou fall wind." Water volume is greater in spring and fall, and the sound of the water striking the rocks is like thunder, making these the best periods to admire the waterfall. The image of Hukou Waterfall once appeared on the CNY 50 banknote of the fourth series of the renminbi, making it a widely recognized classic symbol of Yellow River culture.