[2025 Hancheng Attraction] Travel Guide for Dang Jia Village (Updated Jul)

Life's journey must include a stroll on Hancheng's bluestone-paved roads, don't you think?! The breeze here carries the rings of time from ancient architecture; every wall is etched with the wisdom our ancestors couldn't contain~ Hancheng Ancient Town is a must-visit! The brick seams along Ming-Qing Old Street are inlaid with stories~ The bluestones gleam from centuries of footsteps, as vintage shop signs sway gently overhead. Turn a corner and you might bump into a restaurant wafting with the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns—bite into their flaky pastry corners so crisp they crumble at the touch! At dusk, the Shiji Cultural Block transforms with lanterns, instantly transporting you to a bustling ancient marketplace~ Take your time exploring Sima Qian Temple! Climbing the ninety-nine steps feels like conversing with "Records of the Grand Historian" at every turn~ Nestled against cliffs, the temple's red walls and dark tiles contrast beautifully with blue skies—every angle is photo-worthy! From the summit, the glistening Yellow River in the distance makes you suddenly grasp the grandeur of "exploring the boundaries of heaven and earth, connecting the changes of past and present"~ Dangjia Village holds the code to ancient dwellings! Its courtyard gatehouses are adorned with animated brick carvings of flora and fauna~ Wandering narrow alleys where sunlight filters through roof tiles into golden fragments, watching elders fan themselves on doorsteps—time slows down here~ Don't forget to touch the "fortune" character screen wall; legend says it transfers ancient blessings! The Rui State Ruins Museum is awe-inspiring! Glass cases display dazzling gold-and-jade ornaments, while bronze patterns still radiate warmth from 3,000 years ago~ These exquisite artifacts vividly reconstruct aristocratic life—proof that ancient aesthetics were trendier than we imagined! Our stay at Qianlong Joy Hotel was a delightful surprise! Minimalist rooms with smart mood lighting, motion-activated nightlights, and the star feature—a projector! Movie nights in bed with surround sound surpassed theaters~ The cloud-like mattress revived us after long exploration days. Drawing automated curtains to morning sunlight felt utterly healing~ Hancheng is that rare place you never want to leave—and can't stop longing for once gone~ Ready for your date with history?!

🚄High-speed train Xi'an Station-Hancheng: 2h20min to arrive (not North Station‼️) ✅What to eat ◾️Old Courtyard Pig's Trotters in the Ancient City: The pig's trotters and pig's head are both delicious. The best thing is the spicy pancake. You can eat a whole pancake just for this bite of spicy food. The more you eat, the more delicious it is. ◾️Peppercorn yogurt: It is sold everywhere on the streets of the ancient city. It tastes like ice cream and has a strong pepper flavor. I love it. ◾️Jinhuafu: One store to eat all over Hancheng, there are many kinds of snacks, and they are all small portions, you can try more, high selection ◾️Sanshe Mansion: An old shop located at the entrance of the ancient city street. It also sells various Hancheng specialty snacks. The cold dishes taste very good and are worth checking in. ◾️Laoxiangcun: If you want to eat stir-fried dishes, you can try it. The rice in Hancheng is generally very strong, so it is especially delicious with rice. ◾️Brother Half Round Pancake: A big pancake with dried fish, eggs, meat, etc. of your choice. It's so satisfying after one bite. ◾️Luyuan Spicy Hot Pot: It is also an old shop in Hancheng. Iron skewers are 1 yuan/skewer and bamboo skewers are 1 yuan/3 skewers. The average price per person is 30 yuan. You can try the Hancheng specialty page. You can eat it after just rinsing it in the pot. There is also a Qishan Saozi Noodles next to it, which is also delicious. ◾️Hancheng Night Market: A must-visit midnight snack. The barbecue smells very strong, and the casserole and eight-treasure dishes are delicious. If you are hungry at night, you must go there. ◾️Mutton dishes, mutton soup, red sweet noodles, etc. are all Hancheng's special snacks. Don't miss them. ✅What to play ◾️Hancheng Ancient City: 🎫 Tickets are free. You can stroll along the ancient streets with bluestone pavement under your feet. You can see many time-honored shops and taste special foods such as pepper yogurt. There are also ancient sites such as the Confucian Temple and the City God Temple, which are charged separately💰 ◾️Liangdai Village Rui State Ruins Museum: 🎫Ticket price: 50 yuan/person. The museum exhibits 798 precious cultural relics including bronze, gold, jade, etc. The treasure of the town is the jade pig dragon dating back 5,000 years. The whole museum is not large in scale. Those who like to take their children to learn about history can go there. ◾️Dangjia Village: 🎫Ticket price: 50 yuan/person. This is a traditional village with an ancient flavor. It preserves a large number of courtyards from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The buildings are neatly laid out and beautifully carved. Walking in the village, you feel like you have traveled back to ancient times and feel the strong historical charm and atmosphere of fireworks. ◾️Sima Qian Temple: 🎫Ticket price: 80 yuan/person. It was built to commemorate the historian Sima Qian. The building is built on the cliff and rises layer by layer. It takes 99 steps from the bottom of the slope to the top. Standing on the top of the temple, the view is very good. 🌈Travel around Xi'an, Hancheng is really a treasure town. Whether it is two or three days, you can arrange it fully. The key is that it is delicious haha

In Weinan, two hours away from Xi'an by train, I found a truly living small city on the Yellow River in Shaanxi called "Hancheng". "Hancheng in the Records of the Grand Historian, the Wind Chasing Sima" This is the hometown of Sima Qian, the author of Records of the Grand Historian, and it was also the low-key and prosperous Rui State in the Spring and Autumn Period. With its well-preserved ancient city from the Ming and Qing dynasties, Dangjia Village, a treasure of residential buildings, and one-sixth of the country's existing Yuan Dynasty buildings, Hancheng still stands out even in the Guanzhong Plain with its profound cultural heritage. Trip Planning Day 1: Yuxiu Bridge - Hancheng Ancient City - Confucian Temple (Hancheng Museum) - Dongying Temple - Chenghuang Temple - Beiying Temple - Jiulang Temple - Sima Qian Temple Day 2: Dayu Temple - Rui State Ruins Museum - Puzhao Temple (Yuan Dynasty Architecture Museum) - Fawang Temple - Dangjia Village Attractions 1. Hancheng Old Town: Hancheng Old Town is still one of the few ancient towns I have visited that has not been overdeveloped. It starts from the Yuxiu Bridge of the Qing Dynasty, passes through three Yuan structures and two Ming structures, and ends at the Ganggangzhai Tower. The ancient city of Hancheng is using six national protected sites, intricate bracket sets and colorful glazed feasts to feast the eyes of visitors. 2. Liangdai Village Rui State Ruins Museum: The excavation of the jade pig dragon has made this vassal state that existed from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn Period full of unsolved mysteries. Tens of thousands of exquisite gold and bronze wares present this low-key and wealthy Rui Kingdom to the world. 3. Puzhao Temple: Based on Puzhao Temple, many Yuan Dynasty buildings were moved here to form the Yuan Dynasty Architecture Museum. The mountain gate is the former offering hall on the top of the hanging mountain of Tianyuan Temple. The main hall has colored sculptures of Buddha and painted caissons from the Yuan Dynasty. 4. Dangjia Village: A 700-year-old ancient village dominated by the Dang and Jia surnames. Influenced by the Shanxi merchant culture on the other side of the Yellow River, most villagers are engaged in business. Walking along the ancient roads from the Ming and Qing dynasties here, and looking at the original dwellings, ancient towers, and ancestral halls, you can feel that Bailuyuan is still "alive." 5. Sima Qian Temple: It was first built in the third year of Yongjia in the Western Jin Dynasty (310 AD) to commemorate Sima Qian. There are ancient stone tablets and Sima Qian's tomb in the Sima Qian Temple. The roads leading up the mountain are all ancient, and the ruts left by carriages and horses are marks of the long river of time, which is very impressive. Useful Information 🎫Tickets: Free for the ancient city, 50 for the Confucian Temple, 20 for the Puzhao Temple, and 80 for the Sima Qian Temple. 🚄Transportation: Xi'an → Hancheng, drive for 2 to 3 hours. It is recommended to rest at Fuping Service Area. You can also take the bullet train, but there are fewer trains. The taxi fare in Hancheng is not high, you can take a taxi for the entire journey, and you can ride shared electric motorcycles in most areas. 🍕Delicious food: mutton noodles, mutton soup with steamed buns, pepper and black yogurt. I heard that the local wontons are also very delicious. 🏨Accommodation: The hotel is located near Hancheng Central Plaza, with lively surroundings, convenient transportation, and a full range of food and drinks.

Looking down from the slope, Dangjia Village is worth the ticket price. After bypassing the slope and entering the village, you will find that the village is very quiet and almost free of commercial atmosphere. Villagers sit along the street, quietly observing passing tourists. This is a niche tourist destination, so there are only a few tourists. You won't know Dangjia Village until you visit Hancheng. As the name suggests, I thought it would be a red tourism destination, but it turned out to be a well-preserved ancient village in the Ming and Qing styles. The Dangjia Village courtyard is a typical representative of Hancheng dwellings. After nearly 700 years of vicissitudes, Dangjia Village still has 123 well-preserved courtyards and more than 20 ancient alleys. It is a rare cultural landscape, known as a living "fossil" of the ancient traditional residential villages of the East, and is also the best-preserved Ming and Qing architectural village to date. Dangjia Village, with its long and rich history, also had a prosperous past. Hancheng was known as the "Little Beijing" of Shaanxi during the Qianlong period, and Dangjia Village was known as "Little Hancheng" because of its prosperous economy. This shows how prosperous it was in those days. The overall architecture of Dangjia Village is elegant and exquisite, with a rich cultural and artistic atmosphere. The distinctive architectural features and traditional cultural connotations complement each other. Brick carvings, stone carvings, and wood carvings are the essence of Dangjia Village dwellings and have high artistic value. The ancient stone-paved alleys, the tall and varied gatehouses, the exquisite mounting stones, the solemn ancestral halls, the towering Wenxing Pavilion, the mysterious Bichenzhu, the magnificent Jiexiaobei, and the well-arranged courtyards all tell the story of the prosperity of Dangjia Village in the past. Practical Information 🚄Transportation: There are bullet trains from downtown Xi'an to Hancheng, which take two hours. ⚠️The small commodity sellers and restaurants are also in the courtyard, and the buildings are not exquisite enough, so the experience is not good. If you are not interested, you can skip it. 🎫Ticket: CNY 50/person. After getting off the train and passing through the parking lot, you will see the entrance. After entering, you will first see the viewing platform, then go downhill and follow the tour route. The roads are all ancient stone roads, the courtyards are close to each other, and the steps are high, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes.

I didn't know much about Weinan's culture and tourism before, and I only knew about Mount Hua, one of the Five Sacred Mountains. However, when I visited Xiyue Temple, Ruiguo Museum, and Hancheng Ancient City during the National Day holiday, I was deeply attracted by the historical, architectural, and cultural attractions. I couldn't help but admire the rich resources of this important Qin and Han area. Today's visit to Dangjia Village can be regarded as a cultural, architectural, and historical tour. Dangjia Village was built in the Yuan Dynasty, nearly 700 years ago, and was continuously developed and built by the ancestors of the Dang and Jia families. Walking in the alleys of the village, whether it is a large courtyard or a single-family house, there are smooth and exquisite door piers, exquisitely carved brick carvings, wood carvings, and stone carvings; there are watchtowers to guard against thieves, and there are also archways to commend women's virtues. The unique village rules are engraved on the door lintels of the houses; when you enter the Family Style and Family Instructions Museum, you resonate with the ancient people's philosophy of life, and when you look up at the Wenxing Pavilion, you share the same expectations with tourists for their children's academic success; the folk flower buns are all attractive, and the Silver Yard experience is full of joy.

🌄Hidden in the deep mountains and valleys of Shaanxi is a mysterious ancient village—Dangjia Village. Located on the Loess Plateau, it miraculously maintains its freshness and tranquility, and is close to the Yellow River but is not affected by floods, as if it is a fairyland forgotten by time. 🎖️The bell in Dangjia Village can predict weather changes and is regarded as the patron saint of the village. There are more than 100 well-preserved quadrangle courtyards here, known as the "treasure of oriental houses", and even listed on the World Heritage List. 🚶‍♀️Stroll through the ancient stone lanes, admire the various tall gate buildings, solemn ancestral halls, and the tall Wenxing Pavilion, the mysterious dust avoidance bead, the gorgeous filial piety monument... Every place is a witness to history, and every step reveals the prosperity of the past. 🏯Those exquisite door lintels, wood carvings, brick carvings, and wall carvings of family instructions not only make people admire, but also contain the humanistic wisdom of Chinese Confucian tradition. Here, you can truly feel the profound philosophy of life. 🌟Dangjia Village, Shaanxi, a mysterious village worth your personal exploration.

Want to avoid the crowds and find a truly off-the-beaten-path destination? Dangjia Village is a rare treasure. Dangjia Village, located in Hancheng, Shaanxi, has a history of over 700 years and is known as the "living fossil of the traditional human civilization village in the East" and the "treasure of the world's houses". Far away from the hustle and bustle of commerce, it retains the original village style and is an excellent place to experience traditional northern Chinese residential culture. **Tickets and explanations:** - **Ticket price:** CNY 50/person (free for teachers, half price for retired military personnel and their families). - **Explanation service:** CNY 100/time, about 1 hour, very worthwhile. **Travel suggestions:** - **Recommended travel time:** About 2 hours, enough for you to explore this ancient village. - **Precautions:** Pets are not allowed in the park. **Travel experience:** The layout of Dangjia Village is neat and orderly, and the panoramic view from the top of the mountain is shocking. Here, you can stroll around and learn about local history, culture, and social background. Children can shuttle between various courtyards and find fun. There are still a few elderly people living in the village, they are the guardians of this ancient land. **Characteristic houses:** For the first time to visit the traditional northern houses mainly based on Siheyuan, you will find that the Siheyuan in Dangjia Village is different from the Siheyuan in Beijing. The courtyard is narrower and lacks the pool or landscape in the southern courtyard. The central courtyard space is mainly used for lighting and passages. **Architectural decoration:** The architectural decoration of Dangjia Village has strong local characteristics, exquisite craftsmanship, rich styles, and auspicious meanings. The wood carvings on the gate tower, the stone carvings on the column base, the brick carvings on the archway, and the wood carvings on the window lattice are all witnesses to the ingenuity of the craftsmen at that time. In Dangjia Village, you can experience the most authentic historical culture and feel the tranquility and beauty of traditional villages. If you are interested in traditional culture, Dangjia Village is definitely worth your visit. Bring this guide and start your historical journey!

Dangjia Village is known as the "living fossil of the ancient traditional civilization residential village of the East". The ancient village retains a complete set of Ming and Qing dynasty residences, making it a prominent ancient village in Shaanxi. 1. Long history: Dangjia Village was founded in the second year of Zhishun of the Yuan Dynasty (1331), nearly 700 years ago. The villagers of Dangjia Village are simple and honest. The village has 123 courtyard houses, 11 ancestral halls, 25 watchtowers, as well as temples, opera stages, Wenxing Pavilion, watchtowers, Biyang Fort, and Jie Xiao Stele, among other ancient buildings, making it a "world residential treasure". The outstanding ancient architectural complex of Dangjia Village was included in the "China World Cultural Heritage Tentative List" by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on March 28, 2008. "World Residential Treasure".

🔹Dangjia Village has a history of over 700 years and is hailed as the 'Treasure of World Residential Buildings'. Overlooking the panoramic view of Dangjia Village from the mountaintop is truly stunning and admirable. 🔹The overall layout of the village is very neat, without a strong scent, allowing for a leisurely stroll to understand the local history, culture, and social background. To this day, a small number of elderly people still live here, guarding this ancient land. 🔹Coming here, you will see what it feels like to witness 'a thousand tile-roofed houses, untainted by dust'. Here, you can experience the tranquility and beauty of the ancient village. 🔹There are 123 courtyard houses and 11 ancestral halls, 25 watchtowers, temples, opera stages, Wenxing Pavilion, watchtowers, and monuments to filial piety and integrity among other buildings.

Dangjia Village in Hancheng was first built in the second year of Zhishun in the Yuan Dynasty (1331 AD) and has a history of nearly 700 years. The village is located on the north bank of the east-west Bishui River, facing the water and close to the mountain. It has excellent feng shui. The architectural layout of the ancient building complex follows the "ritual system" and has a strong cultural atmosphere. It has extremely high historical, scientific, artistic and ornamental value. It is praised by domestic and foreign experts as a "treasure of folk houses" and a "living fossil of ancient traditional residential villages of Eastern humans." It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit. Wandering in the village, you will find that every household values ​​poetry, books, and family traditions. “The only way to pass on a family tradition is to be kind, and to do things simply and directly” is deeply imprinted in my mind. As early as the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the family implemented the "integration of commerce and agriculture" and the "joint-stock system". Its business scope extended to Xining and Lanzhou in the west, Hohhot and Beijing in the north, Foshan in the south, and the coastal provinces in the east. It was quite far-reaching. Therefore, every family in the entire village lived a prosperous life, everyone was well-read and polite, becoming a truly prosperous family in Hancheng, and Dangjia Village became a well-known village far and wide.

Ancient Villages of Ming and Qing Dynasties-Dangjia Village, Hancheng Early yesterday morning, I went to Dangjia Village, which is my favorite tourist attraction. There are many preserved ancient buildings in Hancheng. In terms of economic and population size, the residential buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties in Guanzhong should have been more numerous and exquisite at the same time, but they have not survived due to historical reasons. Therefore, it is even more difficult for Hancheng to preserve the ancient residential buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Dangjia Village is located in Xizhuang Town, northeast of Hancheng City, Shaanxi Province. During the Yuan Dynasty, the area was named after the ancestors of the Dang family who moved here and then multiplied their descendants. In fact, in addition to the surname Dang, there is also the surname Jia in Dangjia Village. Dangjia Village, with a history of more than 690 years, has formed a unique village spatial form. There are more than 100 Qing Dynasty residential courtyards, ancestral halls, forts and other buildings preserved in the village, as well as more than 20 ancient alleys. The location of Dangjia Village is particularly particular. It is located in the flat depression between the plateau and the river, close to the plateau and the water. There are tablelands on both the north and south sides. The northern tableland is higher, which can avoid cold winds in winter, while the southern tableland is lower. In front of the village is the Bishui River, a first-level tributary of the Yellow River. It is located in the southern part of the village, making it convenient for water collection. At the same time, the moist valley wind will also blow into the village. The residential courtyards in Dangjia Village usually cover one-fourth of the area, are elongated from north to south to facilitate lighting, and are narrow from east to west to leave room for more residents. Most of the villages are quadrangles with a living room on the upper floor and side rooms on both sides, with the gatehouse facing the living room. The courtyard house in Dangjia Village is different from the square layout of the courtyard houses in Beijing. It is a long and narrow courtyard. It is also different from the single-sloped roof of the wing rooms of the courtyard houses in Guanzhong. Here, the gables are mostly shaped like a "human" slope. The gate tower in the village is the front of a household, so the builders put more effort into it and it is naturally exquisite. The gatehouse in the village is built with blue bricks and covered with blue tiles, the same materials used for the main houses. There is a wooden plaque in front of the gatehouse with words like "humility" and "farming and reading" engraved on it to show respect. Behind the gatehouse is a screen wall to block external sight and protect privacy. Walking in Dangjia Village, you will find that its architectural decorations are very local in character, exquisitely made and rich in styles, most of which express the auspicious meanings of people's hopes for blessings, wealth, longevity and happiness. Especially the wood carvings on the gatehouse, the stone carvings on the column bases, the brick carvings on the archways, and the wood carvings on the window frames, these architectural accessories are all ingeniously designed, and one can imagine the intentions of the skilled craftsmen at that time. Hancheng's ancient buildings have a Jin flavor, and Shanxi's ancient buildings should also have a Shaanxi flavor. It is probably difficult to say which of them influenced the other. There are fundamental differences between Dangjia Village and the Wangjia and Qiaojia courtyards in Shanxi in terms of construction attributes. Compared with the Wang and Qiao family compounds, which were built by each family, the buildings in Dangjia Village are naturally not as exquisite and luxurious as theirs. But in Dangjia Village, every household carefully builds their own house, but they also consciously maintain a certain coordination with the neighboring buildings. As a result, the village houses built collectively by hundreds of households have similar architectural styles, but due to the preferences of the owners of the houses, the buildings inside each household are still very different.

One leaf knows the autumn, and every autumn I think of the red leaves of Hancheng Xiangshan. The autumn fragrant mountain is like a fire in the mountains, the red leaves of a tree and a tree are red like a flame, burning the most brilliant autumn colors. Hancheng Xiangshan is located in Xuefeng Township. I have heard that Xiangshan Hongye is the strongest autumn color in Beijing. I know Shaanxi Hancheng. There is also a fragrant mountain. Every year in late October, it attracts a large number of tourists to enjoy the scenery!