Zhangbi Ancient Castle in Jiexiu City, Jinzhong

Zhangbi Ancient Castle, AAAA-grade scenic spot, is located in Zhangbi Village, Longfeng Township, southeast of Jiexiu City. The entire castle was built in a favorable area, which is an ancient compact "castle" that is well-preserved in China. There are three deep ditches extending from the left, center and right of Zhangbi Castle.
English Name: Zhangbi Ancient Castle in Jiexiu City
Chinese Name: 介休市张壁古堡
Opening Hours: 8 am- 18 pm
Ticket Price: 50-60 RMB
Best Time: All year round
Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 or 3 hours
Location: Zhangbi Village, Longfeng Township, Jiexiu City, Jinzhong City

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Zhangbi Ancient Castle or Zhangbi Ancient Fortress

Zhangbi Ancient Castle is located in Zhangbi Village, Longfeng 10 km in the southeast of the urban area of Jiexiu City, Jinzhong City. The main features of the one-thousand-year ancient castle as shown in the inscription of an expert: the deities in the ancient temple are extraordinary, the castle in light and the underpasses in dark are peculiar.

Introduction of Zhangbi Ancient Castle

History

Zhangbi Ancient Castle was inferred that the Zhangbi Ancient Castle constructed at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty should be actually a military fortress. There is a set of huge underpasses in it, and the total length of the underpasses is nearly ten thousand meters if the opening positions as said by the villagers are joined together. There are quite a few villages having underpasses around Shanxi, but the second one so complicated and huge as that in Zhangbi has not been encountered.

Achievements

The domestically existing very rare “Ancient Pocket Town” which is a collection of military, religion, folk custom and dwellings accumulates profound historical and cultural connotation, and is honored as “The deities in the ancient temple are extraordinary, the castle in light and the underpasses in dark are peculiar”. It is different from the “Courtyard Culture” of the courtyards of Jin-Merchant, and also different from the “Ancient City Culture” of the Pingyao Ancient City, and is a special case of the Shanxi province merchant culture. The most famous landscapes are the castle in light and the underpasses in dark for one thousand years, Khan Temple, One Thousand of Chinese Scholar Trees Arming One Hundred of Willow Trees, Kong Wangxing Temple with Peacock Blue Azure Stone Hip Roof, and Ancient Tombs of Jin Dynasty.

Three features of Zhangbi Ancient Castle

Pocket size castle, a city overground- Zhangbi Ancient Castle is the only castle relics in China with dual-usage for both military and civil; it is also a best-preserved pocket castle in the country which combining military, inhabitancy, production and religion.
A mazy tunnel, a city underground- under the ground, Zhangbi presents another amazing city, which is a mighty defense system as well as a mystery equipping with manger, general kiln, wells, granary, flood discharge and anti-blocking facilities, air holes, communication facilities and assassinate organ.
Temples and amusement palace, a rare intensive construction- apart from the sizable military fortress, numerous temples are the distinctive feature of Zhangbi Old City. Most of the existing 16 temples were built on the city wall nearby the South Gate and North Gate. It is unique and mysterious that such a small village possesses so many Buddhist and Taoist temples.

How to Get There

Take a high-speed train to Jiexiu East Railway Station first. The trains are available in Pingyao, Taiyuan, Xi’an, Beijing and many other nearby cities. And when you get there, take bus line 223 and get off at Traffic Police First Squadron Station. Then take bus line 310 and get off at Longfeng Town Zhangbi Road Station.

Useful Travel Tips

Opening Hours
Low season: November 1st – March 31st, 08:00-17:00, peak season: April 1st – October 31st, 8:00-18:00.
Ticket Price
April – October: CNY 60

November – March: CNY 50
It is appropriate to visit and take pictures of the ancient surface structures and underground trestle road along cliff of the Zhangbi Ancient Castle all year-round.