Chinese Name: 晋城市 (jìn chéng shì)

Population: 2,189,600 

Area: 9,490 square kilometers (3,664 square miles) 

Nationalities: Han

Administrative Division: 1 district (Urban District); 4 counties (Zezhou, Qinshui, Yangcheng, Lingchuan); 1 county-level city (Gaoping) 

Useful Telephone Numbers: 
Tourist Complaints: 0356-2057555
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0356-2022329

Location: Located in southeastern Shanxi Province, Jincheng is bordered by Henan Province to the east and south, and neighboring Changzhi City to the north.

History: It is where the Shen Nong Divine Farmer helped Chinese ancestors make the transition from a pastoral-nomad way of life to farming. Jincheng was known as Zezhou in ancient times. The Tang (618-907) Court established Jincheng County.
 
Physical Features: Mountains and hills constitute the major part of the city. Mountainous areas are mainly distributed in the western, eastern and southern territories of the city, while the northern and central land is occupied by undulating hills interweaving with basins.

Climate: Situated in the warm temperate zone, the city enjoys a semi-humid continental monsoon climate. It has four distinct seasons. It seldom rains in spring. The weather is usually windy and droughts may happen in this period. Summer is torrid and rainy. Autumn is overcast and rainy with cool temperatures. Winter is cold with light precipitation. Jincheng enjoys abundant sunshine and an annual average temperature of 10℃ (50℉).

When to Go: April to October

Special Local Product: Hua Gu (a kind of Chinese mushroom) and monkey-head mushroom of Qinshui County, pears, persimmons, and hawthorn fruit.

 Attractions:    
Manghe Macque National Nature Reserve: Located in Sanglin Town, Yangcheng County, this nature reserve was established for the protection of macaques (a species of monkey) and subtropical vegetation. Its ten kilometers long calcified landscape is the only calcified valley in Eastern China. 

As an old cultural city, Jincheng has a great many historical relics:
Jade Emperor Temple: A Taoist site famous for the twenty-eight tutelary gods of the twenty-eight constellations in Taoism.
Dai Temple: The earliest theatrical stage in Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).   
Huangcheng Prime Minister's Mansion: A royal residence of the Prime Minister Chen Jingting once visited by the Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A castle complex of buildings with more than 500 years' history and a great number of Chen Jingting's posthumous works and the emperor's handwritings.

Travel Tips:
1. Three main bus stations serve within downtown Jincheng, the passenger transport central station in Zezhou Dong Lu, Jincheng Provincial Bus Station in Jinhui Lu and Jincheng City Bus Station in west section of the Hongxing Lu. All these stations operate intercity and interprovincial bus routes and the station in Hongxing Lu also provides buses to counties and towns surrounding the city.     

2. Jincheng is five hours from the capital city of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan. Jincheng is only 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Zhengzhou by expressway, and visitors can reach the Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport  in about one hour and the Changzhi Airport in about two hours. Due to the great distance to Taiyuan and fewer flights in Changzhi, people usually choose Zhengzhou as the transfer station to Jincheng.