White Dagoba,  Mt.Wutai

Chinese Name: 忻州市 (xīn zhōu shì)

Population: 3,000,000  

Area: 25,180 square kilometers (9,722 square miles) 

Nationalities: Han  

Administrative Division: 1 district (Xinfu); 12 counties (Dingxiang, Wutai, Daixian, Fanzhi, Ningwu, Jingyue, Shenchi, Wuzhai, Kelan, Hequ, Baode, Pianguan); 1 county-level city (Yuanping) 

Seat of the City Government: 18, Changzheng Jie, Xinfu District, Xinzhou City 

Useful Telephone Numbers: 
Tourist Assistance: 0350-3028354  
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184

Bank of China Xinzhou Branch: 2, Changzheng Zhong Jie, Xinfu District, Xinzhou City

China Post Xinzhou Branch: Beiguan Da Jie, Xinfu District, Xinzhou City 

Shancai Cave, Mt.Wutai

Location: Xinzhou City lies in north-central Shanxi Province, neighbors Datong in the north and Taiyuan in the south. In the west, it is separated from Shaanxi Province and Inner Mongolia by the Yellow River, and is separated from Hebei Province by Taihang Mountains in the east. 

History: Xiurong was the ancient name for Xinzhou. Before it was brought into the shires that the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) established in this region, it successively belonged to the Jin and Zhao kingdoms. It gained the name of Xinzhou in the early Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD). Since the Tang and Song dynasties, it had become a town of great military importance in northern Shanxi.     
 
Physical Features: Xinzhou is a part of the Loess Plateau with a mountainous region occupying over fifty percent of the city's territory. The interior of the city is rugged and uneven. The terrain is higher in the northeast from the Taihang Mountains; Mt. Wutain is situated in eastern Xinzhou. 

Climate: Enjoying a temperate continental monsoon climate, Xinzhou has an annual average temperature of 4.3-9.2℃ (39.7-48.6℉). The weather is favorable, warmer in winter and cooler in summer.  

Yuanzhao Temple, Mt.Wutai

Shuxiang Temple, Mt.Wutai

When to Go: Summer and autumn are the best seasons to admire the beautiful natural sceneries of Xinzhou under bright sky.   
  
Special Local Products: mushrooms, Codonopsis Root (Dang Shen), Mt. Wutai mineral water, apricots, pears and Daixian County yellow wine, sea buckthorn fruit

 Attractions in Xinzhou:
Mt. Wutai located in northeast Wutai County, can be considered the top natural scenery in Shanxi. It is also a famous sacred Buddhist mountain in China characterized by a grand Buddhist temple complex, beautiful mountain scenery and folk customs. The mountain is made up of a cluster of five peaks with the north peak being the highest, 3,058 meters (10,033 feet) above sea level, ranking at the head of the four famous Buddhist mountains in China. There were more than 360 temples in Buddhism's prime. Among the extant temples, the oldest was constructed in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220). Wanghai Peak in the east, Guayue Peak in the West, Jinxiu Peak in the south, Yedou Peak in the north and Cuiyan Peak in the center are galaxies of Mt. Wutai.  

Xiantong Temple, Mt.Wutai

Bronze Hall, Xiantong Temple, Mt.Wutai

Other Scenic Spots: Guancen Mountain
 
Travel Tips:
Transportation in Xinzhou is convenient. Taiyuan is only 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the city and can be reached in thirty minutes. With the construction of an expressway network around this area, only two to four hours are needed from Xinzhou to Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan and many other cities in Hebei Province.

Visitors can take a bus from Taiyuan Bus Station and Taiyuan Railway Station directly to Mt. Wutai, a trip of three hours. Xinzhou city proper is about two hours' drive to the mountain. During the sixth to the seventh lunar month, high season to travel to Mt. Wutai, towns and counties around the mountain will open tourist bus lines.

Xinzhou Bus Station: 5, Wutaishan Nan Lu, Xinfu District
Xinzhou Passenger Transport station: 1, Yingbin Jie, Qiyi Bei Lu, Xinfu District