Most international travelers going to Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) know exactly why they’re there.
The Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑, Bīngmǎyǒng).
Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng).
The ancient city walls.
The Muslim Quarter (回民街, Huímín Jiē).
But Dad had another question.
What if we kept going?
Not to another blockbuster attraction.
Not to another city everybody already knows.
But farther into the history that Xi’an had started opening for us.
That’s how Dad and Elaine ended up in:
Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
in southern Shanxi (山西, Shānxī).
And here’s the surprise.
Linfen isn’t actually very far from Xi’an.
A direct train can take roughly 1 hour 40 minutes from Xi’an North Railway Station (西安北站, Xī’ān Běizhàn) to Linfen West Railway Station (临汾西站, Línfén Xīzhàn).
The example Dad checked was:
Xi’an North (西安北站, Xī’ān Běizhàn)
10:27
↓
Linfen West (临汾西站, Línfén Xīzhàn)
12:07
1 hour 40 minutes
CNY 106
Train schedules and fares change, of course — check your actual travel date.
But look at the geography of the decision.
You can leave Xi’an after breakfast…
and be in Linfen around lunchtime.
So Why Bother?
Because Xi’an introduces you to one of the biggest turning points in Chinese history:
221 BCE.
Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) unifies China.
Linfen asks a completely different question:
What came before that?
And then it keeps going backwards.
Before Qin (秦, Qín).
↓
the Warring States period (战国时期, Zhànguó Shíqī)
↓
the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó)
↓
the Zhou dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo)
↓
Shang (商, Shāng)
↓
and eventually more than 4,000 years back to:
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
An enormous archaeological settlement.
Elite burials.
Jade.
Ritual music.
Astronomical observation.
And a tantalising connection with the ancient traditions surrounding:
Yao (尧, Yáo).
That’s why Dad came.
Xi’an showed us the China that became unified.
Linfen made us ask what existed before it.
But Elaine had a more immediate concern.
Breakfast.
Good Morning from Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
Forget 4,000 years of history for a minute.
Come outside with us.
🎥 Follow Elaine to Breakfast
Elaine crosses a normal Linfen street.
Cars pass.
Electric scooters weave through the traffic.
People are already sitting outside at little tables.
There’s porridge.
Eggs.
Freshly fried dough.
This isn’t a tourist food street.
It’s just breakfast in Linfen.
And that’s exactly why we want you to see it before we take you into the museum.
Linfen isn’t an archaeological site.
It’s a living Chinese city sitting on top of layer after layer of history.
Wait… Those Are Youtiao (油条, Yóutiáo)?
Elaine walks toward a shop selling:
油条
Yóutiáo
— fried dough.
Except these didn’t look quite like the youtiao (油条, Yóutiáo) Dad was used to seeing.
They were shorter.
single than double.
Very tempting.
Elaine asks:
现在有油条吗？
Xiànzài yǒu yóutiáo ma?
“Do you have youtiao now?”
Then:
可以带走吗？
Kěyǐ dàizǒu ma?
“Can we take it away?”
This is another reason Dad likes traveling beyond China’s headline destinations.
You don’t necessarily get another Terracotta Army.
You get something else.
Ordinary China.
And then, sometimes only a few kilometres away…
extraordinary China.
🐇
After breakfast, Dad and Elaine went to Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn).
That’s when we discovered just how deep the rabbit hole went.
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) — Our Coat Rack for 4,000 Years of Chinese History
After breakfast, Dad and Elaine went to Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn).
[PHOTO — Dad & Elaine outside Linfen Museum]
If you’re coming to Linfen (临汾, Línfén) for the first time, we’d strongly recommend doing the same.
Not because you need to become an expert in Chinese history.
Quite the opposite.
The museum makes everything else easier to understand.
Because Linfen has a problem.
It has too much history.
Yao (尧, Yáo).
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng).
The State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó).
The State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó).
Different names.
Different periods.
Sometimes separated by thousands of years.
So before we go any deeper, here’s Dad’s coat rack.
The Only Timeline You Need
If you’ve just come from Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān), use Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) as your anchor.
You already know:
221 BCE — Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) unifies the competing states.
Now walk backwards:
Qin unification (秦统一, Qín Tǒngyī) — 221 BCE
↑
Warring States period (战国时期, Zhànguó Shíqī) — 475–221 BCE
↑
Spring and Autumn period (春秋时期, Chūnqiū Shíqī) — 770–476 BCE
↑
Western Zhou dynasty (西周, Xī Zhōu) — 1046–771 BCE
↑
Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāngcháo) — c. 1600–1046 BCE
↑
Xia dynasty (夏朝, Xiàcháo) — traditionally before Shang
↑
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) — c. 2300–1900 BCE
Don’t memorise it.
Just remember:
Qin is our handrail.
Most of what we’re about to discover in Linfen happened before Qin.
Wait — Where Did “Pingyang” (平阳, Píngyáng) Come From?
One of the first museum panels Dad photographed was titled:
PINGYANG AND ITS LONG HISTORY
[PHOTO — Pingyang and Its Long History panel]
An international traveler could reasonably ask:
“What’s Pingyang? I thought we were in Linfen.”
We are.
Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng) is an important historical name associated with this area.
Chinese cities, counties, prefectures and administrative boundaries changed names repeatedly over the centuries.
So the place written in an ancient history book doesn’t necessarily have the same name you’ll type into a railway app today.
For our journey, keep it simple:
Modern map → Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
Ancient history → watch for Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng)
And Pingyang immediately led Dad to another character:
晋
Jìn
Why Does Shanxi (山西, Shānxī) Still Use 晋 (Jìn)?
Today, 晋 (Jìn) is the common one-character abbreviation for Shanxi (山西, Shānxī).
You’ll even see it on vehicle licence plates.
But the name goes back more than 2,500 years to the:
State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó).
During the Zhou dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo), don’t imagine China as today’s single country divided into provinces.
Think instead of a wider Zhou political order containing numerous hereditary states.
They had rulers.
Armies.
Territories.
Alliances.
And plenty of wars.
One of the most powerful became the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó).
By the Spring and Autumn period (春秋时期, Chūnqiū Shíqī), Jin (晋, Jìn) had become a major power.
And the Linfen (临汾, Línfén) region became part of that story.
[PHOTO — Linfen Museum panel on the State of Jin]
Dad immediately recognised the rabbit hole.
We’d encountered the beginnings of Jin (晋, Jìn) before.
At Jinci (晋祠, Jìncí) near Taiyuan (太原, Tàiyuán).
There, Dad and Elaine followed the traditional story of Shuyu of Tang (唐叔虞, Táng Shūyú) and the early origins of Jin (晋, Jìn).
[EMBED VERIFIED LIVE JINCI ARTICLE LINK HERE]
That’s one reason traveling through Shanxi (山西, Shānxī) is so rewarding.
One city starts the story.
Another city continues it.
Then Jin (晋, Jìn) Broke Apart
Over time, powerful aristocratic families inside the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó) gained increasing control.
Eventually three families divided Jin.
This famous event is remembered as:
三家分晋
Sānjiā Fēn Jìn
“The Three Families Partition Jin.”
Out of Jin emerged three important states:
State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó)
State of Zhao (赵国, Zhào Guó)
State of Wei (魏国, Wèi Guó)
Think of it like this:
State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó)
↓
Three Families Partition Jin (三家分晋, Sānjiā Fēn Jìn)
↓
Han (韩, Hán) — Zhao (赵, Zhào) — Wei (魏, Wèi)
All three became major players in the Warring States period (战国时期, Zhànguó Shíqī).
And now we’re approaching the world that Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) would eventually conquer.
Careful — Which Han?
This is one Chinese-history trap worth learning.
The Han we’re talking about here is:
韩
Hán
The State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó).
It existed before Qin unification.
It is completely different from:
汉
Hàn
the later Han dynasty (汉朝, Hàncháo).
So:
韩 Hán → Warring States → before Qin
汉 Hàn → Han dynasty → after Qin
Different character.
Different tone.
Different Han.
Dad wishes somebody had explained that to him much earlier. 😂
And Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng) Became a Capital
This is where Linfen becomes more than somewhere simply near ancient history.
The historical Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng) was an early capital of the State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó) during the Warring States period (战国时期, Zhànguó Shíqī).
So if you’ve just come from Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān), you’re effectively traveling backwards through the story.
Xi’an gives you:
Qin unification (秦统一, Qín Tǒngyī)
Linfen begins showing you:
the political world Qin eventually destroyed and absorbed.
That alone would have made the museum worthwhile.
But then Dad entered another gallery.
And our timeline didn’t go back another 200 years.
It went back more than 2,000 years.
On the wall were four characters:
远古足迹
Yuǎngǔ Zújì
“Ancient Footprints.”
And suddenly the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó), the State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó) and even Qin (秦, Qín)…
felt surprisingly recent.
🐇
Before the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó), Before the Zhou Dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo), Before the Shang Dynasty (商朝, Shāngcháo) — Linfen (临汾, Línfén) Takes Us Back to Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
Dad walked into the next gallery at Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) and saw:
远古足迹
Yuǎngǔ Zújì
“Ancient Footprints.”
[PHOTO — 远古足迹 (Yuǎngǔ Zújì) / Ancient Footprints gallery]
This was where the timeline of Linfen (临汾, Línfén) became almost ridiculous.
We had just been talking about the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó) and the Warring States period (战国时期, Zhànguó Shíqī).
Now Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) took us back thousands of years earlier.
Before There Were States
The Linfen Basin (临汾盆地, Línfén Péndì) has evidence of human activity stretching deep into the Paleolithic period (旧石器时代, Jiùshíqì Shídài).
Dad saw stone tools and other objects excavated from sites around the Linfen Basin (临汾盆地, Línfén Péndì).
[PHOTO — Paleolithic stone grinding slab / 石磨盘 (Shímópán)]
[PHOTO — Paleolithic stone points / 尖状器 (Jiānzhuàngqì)]
These aren’t the glamorous objects people normally fly halfway around the world to see.
But stop and think about what they represent.
People were living in this landscape long before:
Qin (秦, Qín)
the State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó)
the Zhou dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo)
or even the earliest Chinese writing we can read today.
Then Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) moved us forward.
The objects changed.
And so did the society behind them.
Then Dad Found Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) dates broadly to around 2300–1900 BCE, during the Neolithic period (新石器时代, Xīnshíqì Shídài).
For travelers coming from Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān), here’s the easiest comparison.
Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng) unified the competing states in 221 BCE.
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) was already there roughly two thousand years earlier.
And inside Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) were objects from that world.
First, Music
[PHOTO — Taosi stone chime / 石磬 (Shíqìng)]
Dad saw a stone chime (石磬, Shíqìng) associated with Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà).
That’s a very different object from a Paleolithic stone tool (旧石器, Jiùshíqì).
A stone tool tells us:
people survived here.
A stone chime (石磬, Shíqìng) starts suggesting:
ritual (礼仪, Lǐyí)
ceremony (仪式, Yíshì)
music (音乐, Yīnyuè)
specialised craftsmanship
organised social life
People weren’t simply surviving.
They were building a complex society.
Then Came Authority
[PHOTO — Taosi stone yue-axe / 石钺 (Shíyuè)]
Another object was a stone yue-axe (石钺, Shíyuè) excavated from Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
The yue-axe (钺, Yuè) became associated in ancient China with status, power and authority.
Then came jade.
[PHOTO — three-linked jade bi / 三联玉璧 (Sānlián Yùbì)]
The museum displays a reproduction of a three-linked jade bi (三联玉璧, Sānlián Yùbì) excavated from Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
Now look at what the archaeology of Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) is beginning to show us:
music (音乐, Yīnyuè)
ritual (礼仪, Lǐyí)
jade (玉, Yù)
elite objects
social hierarchy
authority
We’re getting much closer to something that looks like an organised political society.
And then Dad came face-to-face with someone who had actually lived in it.
A Face From More Than 4,000 Years Ago
[PHOTO — Taosi-period elite facial reconstruction / 陶寺时期贵族肖像复原 (Táosì Shíqī Guìzú Xiàoxiàng Fùyuán)]
This display stopped Dad.
Researchers used human remains from an elite burial of the Taosi period (陶寺时期, Táosì Shíqī) to produce a facial reconstruction.
Suddenly:
2300 BCE
wasn’t just a date.
There was a face.
Someone had lived here.
Walked here.
Belonged to the society of Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
But there’s an important distinction.
This is not a portrait of Yao (尧, Yáo).
It doesn’t prove that this person was Yao (尧, Yáo), Shun (舜, Shùn) or anyone else named in later Chinese historical tradition.
It is a reconstruction of a person who belonged to the archaeological world of Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
And that distinction becomes very important.
Because the next museum panel makes a very big claim.
Is Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) the “Earliest China” (最初中国, Zuìchū Zhōngguó)?
[PHOTO — Linfen Museum panel connecting Taosi with 最初中国 (Zuìchū Zhōngguó) / “Earliest China”]
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) strongly connects Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) with:
Yao (尧, Yáo)
Shun (舜, Shùn)
an early political centre
and the development of the idea of:
中国
Zhōngguó
Today we translate China (中国, Zhōngguó) simply as “China.”
But the meaning and use of Zhongguo (中国, Zhōngguó) changed across Chinese history, so we should be careful about projecting the modern nation-state backwards more than 4,000 years.
The museum presents the Linfen Basin (临汾盆地, Línfén Péndì) and Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) as important to understanding an early political concept of the centre of the land (地中, Dìzhōng) and the formation of an early “China.”
That’s fascinating.
But this is where Dad puts on the brakes.
Archaeology Is Archaeology
What archaeologists have uncovered at Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) is already extraordinary:
a huge settlement
elite burials
social hierarchy
ritual objects
jade (玉, Yù)
specialised craftsmanship
stone chimes (石磬, Shíqìng) and ritual music
and sophisticated astronomical observation.
We don’t need to exaggerate any of that.
The harder question is:
Can we identify this archaeological society directly with Yao (尧, Yáo) and Shun (舜, Shùn)?
That’s much more difficult.
Even one display inside Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) raises an intriguing possibility.
[PHOTO — 尧舜之族 (Yáo Shùn Zhī Zú) / Yao and Shun Clan panel]
Were Yao (尧, Yáo) and Shun (舜, Shùn) simply names of individual rulers?
Could Yao (尧, Yáo) and Shun (舜, Shùn) also have represented larger groups or clans?
Or did those names function in ways we no longer fully understand?
Now Dad was hooked.
🐇
But then he found an object that made us want to leave Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) and actually go to Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
The Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo) — Measuring the Sun
[PHOTO — Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo) / measuring system display]
At first glance, it doesn’t look particularly dramatic.
A long measuring rod.
Bands of colour.
But it connects with one of the most extraordinary things Dad and Elaine would see around Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
The ancient Chinese astronomical system is called:
圭表
Guībiǎo
Think of the Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo) as a system for measuring the Sun’s shadow.
Very simply:
Biao (表, Biǎo)
→ an upright post or gnomon casts a shadow
Gui (圭, Guī)
→ a horizontal measuring scale records the shadow’s length
As the Sun’s position changes through the year, the shadow changes.
That helps identify important seasonal points such as:
Summer Solstice (夏至, Xiàzhì)
and
Winter Solstice (冬至, Dōngzhì).
Repeated observations could help people understand the solar year (太阳年, Tàiyángnián) and construct a calendar (历法, Lìfǎ).
So now Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) wasn’t only giving us:
ritual (礼仪, Lǐyí)
music (音乐, Yīnyuè)
jade (玉, Yù)
social hierarchy
political authority
It was giving us:
time.
And Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) Had Another Way to Watch the Sun
Outside Linfen (临汾, Línfén) lies the:
Taosi Ancient Observatory (陶寺古观象台, Táosì Gǔ Guānxiàngtái).
Dad and Elaine went there.
The reconstructed Taosi Ancient Observatory (陶寺古观象台, Táosì Gǔ Guānxiàngtái) uses a central observation position facing a curved arrangement of pillars and narrow sighting gaps.
The principle is different from the Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo).
Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo)
→ measure the Sun’s shadow
Taosi Ancient Observatory (陶寺古观象台, Táosì Gǔ Guānxiàngtái)
→ observe sunrise positions against the horizon
Different methods.
Same enormous problem:
How do you organise time?
For an agricultural society, that’s not an abstract question.
When do the seasons change?
When should agricultural work begin?
When is the Summer Solstice (夏至, Xiàzhì)?
When is the Winter Solstice (冬至, Dōngzhì)?
How do you construct a calendar (历法, Lìfǎ)?
And once a society can organise the calendar, another question appears:
Who controls that knowledge?
Now astronomy (天文, Tiānwén) begins touching political authority (政治权力, Zhèngzhì Quánlì).
That’s when Dad knew we couldn’t understand Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) by looking through museum glass.
We had to go there.
→ [Go deeper: Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) — Dad & Elaine Go Looking for the China Before China](INSERT VERIFIED LIVE TAOSI ARTICLE URL)
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) Gave Us the Objects. Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) Gave Us the Place.
That’s why we’d pair Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn) with a visit to Taosi (陶寺, Táosì).
Inside Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn), you see:
stone chimes (石磬, Shíqìng)
yue-axes (钺, Yuè)
jade bi (玉璧, Yùbì)
the Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo)
the archaeological timeline
and the interpretations.
Then you go outside Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
And suddenly you’re standing in the landscape where the people of Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà) actually lived.
That’s a very different feeling from simply reading:
“c. 2300 BCE.”
And it changed the question Dad had originally brought Elaine to Linfen (临汾, Línfén) to investigate.
We started with:
What was here before the Qin dynasty (秦朝, Qíncháo)?
Now we were asking:
How far back can we actually follow the story of organised society in the Linfen Basin (临汾盆地, Línfén Péndì)?
And one ancient name kept appearing:
Yao (尧, Yáo)
There’s a reason for that.
Modern Linfen (临汾, Línfén) hasn’t forgotten Yao (尧, Yáo).
In fact, the central district of Linfen (临汾, Línfén) still carries his name:
Yaodu District (尧都区, Yáodū Qū)
Yaodu (尧都, Yáodū) literally means:
“Yao’s Capital.”
🐇
Why Does Modern Linfen (临汾, Línfén) Still Call Its Centre “Yao’s Capital” (尧都, Yáodū)?
After seeing the Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà) displays inside Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn), something about modern Linfen (临汾, Línfén) suddenly made more sense.
The central urban district is officially called:
Yaodu District (尧都区, Yáodū Qū)
Break that name apart:
Yao (尧, Yáo)
+
du (都, dū) — capital
So:
Yaodu (尧都, Yáodū)
literally means:
“Yao’s Capital.”
That’s quite a name for a modern city district.
And it tells you how deeply Yao (尧, Yáo) remains embedded in Linfen’s identity.
But Who Was Yao (尧, Yáo)?
Yao (尧, Yáo) belongs to China’s traditional deep antiquity, before the conventional dynastic timeline most travelers encounter.
He is counted among the:
Five Emperors (五帝, Wǔdì)
within the larger traditional grouping:
Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (三皇五帝, Sānhuáng Wǔdì).
Later Chinese tradition associated Yao (尧, Yáo) with ancient Pingyang (平阳, Píngyáng) — the historical landscape around today’s Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
But Yao (尧, Yáo) wasn’t remembered mainly as a conqueror.
He became an ideal of:
virtue (德, Dé)
good government
responsibility toward the people
and choosing a worthy successor.
That leads to one of the most famous succession stories in early Chinese tradition.
Yao (尧, Yáo)
↓
Shun (舜, Shùn)
↓
Yu the Great (大禹, Dà Yǔ)
In the traditional story, Yao (尧, Yáo) doesn’t simply hand rulership to his own son.
He yields to the worthy Shun (舜, Shùn).
Shun (舜, Shùn) in turn yields to Yu the Great (大禹, Dà Yǔ).
This ideal is known as:
Shanrang (禅让, Shànràng)
— yielding rulership to someone considered worthy.
And then the story changes.
With Yu the Great (大禹, Dà Yǔ) and his son Qi (启, Qǐ), Chinese tradition moves toward hereditary succession (世袭, Shìxí) and the traditional beginning of the:
Xia dynasty (夏朝, Xiàcháo).
That’s a huge political idea hiding behind three ancient names.
Who should rule next?
The ruler’s son?
Or the person considered most worthy?
🐇
Our Old Friend Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān) Appears Again
And if you’ve been following Dad and Elaine through China, an old friend turns up here.
Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān).
Writing during the Han dynasty (汉朝, Hàncháo), Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān) began the Basic Annals (本纪, Běnjì) of his great:
Records of the Grand Historian (史记, Shǐjì)
with the:
Five Emperors (五帝, Wǔdì).
And there we meet Yao (尧, Yáo).
But remember our earlier lesson.
Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān) was writing roughly two millennia after the period traditionally associated with Yao (尧, Yáo).
So we now have different kinds of evidence sitting beside each other:
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
→ archaeology
Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān) and the Records of the Grand Historian (史记, Shǐjì)
→ inherited historical tradition
Yaodu (尧都, Yáodū) and Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)
→ continuing cultural memory
They can illuminate one another.
But they aren’t interchangeable.
So Dad Took Elaine to Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)
The museum had shown us archaeological objects.
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) had shown us an archaeological landscape.
But if we wanted to understand why Yao (尧, Yáo) still mattered to modern Linfen (临汾, Línfén), there was another place we needed to visit.
Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào).
[PHOTO — Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)]
And this is where we’d send you into another rabbit hole rather than repeat the whole story here.
At Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào), Dad and Elaine encountered something different from archaeology.
Ancient trees.
Ceremonial architecture.
Stories about Yao (尧, Yáo), Shun (舜, Shùn) and Yu the Great (大禹, Dà Yǔ).
Surname traditions.
People still commemorating Yao (尧, Yáo) today.
And that’s when the name Yaodu (尧都, Yáodū) started making emotional sense.
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) and Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào) Ask Different Questions
This is the distinction we’d keep in your head while traveling around Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
At Taosi (陶寺, Táosì), ask:
What can archaeology actually show us?
At Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào), ask:
What did later generations choose to remember?
At Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn), ask:
How are people today trying to connect those two stories?
That’s much more interesting than simply declaring:
“Taosi was Yao’s capital.”
The uncertainty is part of the adventure.
And That’s Why Linfen (临汾, Línfén) Is Worth the Detour From Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān)
Now we can finally answer the travel question we started with.
Why bother leaving Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān)?
Because Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) gives you one of the great turning points:
Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇, Qín Shǐhuáng)
↓
Qin unification (秦统一, Qín Tǒngyī)
↓
221 BCE
But Linfen (临汾, Línfén) invites you to keep walking backwards.
State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó)
↓
State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó)
↓
Zhou dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo)
↓
Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāngcháo)
↓
Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà)
↓
the traditional world of Yao (尧, Yáo)
Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) helps you understand:
How was China unified?
Linfen (临汾, Línfén) makes you ask:
What was China before unification?
And eventually:
When did something resembling “China” begin at all?
That’s a very big historical reward for a city that can be reached from Xi’an North Railway Station (西安北站, Xī’ān Běizhàn) to Linfen West Railway Station (临汾西站, Línfén Xīzhàn) in roughly two hours on some direct trains.
So no, we’d probably not recommend Linfen (临汾, Línfén) to someone racing through China ticking off ten famous attractions in ten days.
But if you’ve already seen the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑, Bīngmǎyǒng) and found yourself wondering:
“What happened before Qin?”
Then Dad has a suggestion.
Get on the train.
🐇
Because Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
It can be the beginning of a much deeper one.
How We’d Actually Visit Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
If this article has convinced you to leave Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) for Linfen (临汾, Línfén), here’s the important part:
Don’t turn Linfen into a rushed day trip.
Yes, the train journey can be short.
That doesn’t mean you should arrive, race around three historical sites and catch the last train back.
Dad’s rule applies:
Possible ≠ enjoyable.
How Many Days?
We’d give Linfen (临汾, Línfén) at least 2 days / 2 nights.
That gives you time to experience the three pieces that made Linfen work for us:
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn)
→ gives you the coat rack
Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)
→ gives you the cultural memory
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
→ gives you the archaeology
Together, they tell a much bigger story than any one attraction can.
Day 1 — Arrive, Eat and Understand Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
Take a morning train from Xi’an North Railway Station (西安北站, Xī’ān Běizhàn) to:
Linfen West Railway Station (临汾西站, Línfén Xīzhàn).
[PHOTO — Xi’an North → Linfen West train search]
On some direct services, the journey is around 1½–2 hours.
Check current schedules and fares for your actual travel date.
Drop your bags at the hotel.
Have lunch.
Then go to:
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn)
We’d do the museum before Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) if possible.
Why?
Because when you later stand at Taosi, you’ll already understand what you’re looking for.
You’ll have seen:
Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà)
stone chimes (石磬, Shíqìng)
jade bi (玉璧, Yùbì)
yue-axes (钺, Yuè)
the Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo)
and the museum’s interpretation of the relationship between Taosi (陶寺, Táosì), Yao (尧, Yáo) and early China (中国, Zhōngguó).
The landscape makes much more sense after you’ve seen the objects.
Then Visit Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)
If time and opening hours work, we’d make Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào) the second major stop.
Don’t go there looking for a 4,000-year-old building.
Go there asking:
Why did later Chinese generations keep remembering Yao (尧, Yáo)?
Then have dinner in Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
Eat noodles.
Walk around.
Let the history lesson stop for the evening.
Day 2 — Go Out to Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
This is the day we’d leave central Linfen (临汾, Línfén).
Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) lies in Xiangfen County (襄汾县, Xiāngfén Xiàn), outside the city centre.
We’d arrange a car or use DiDi (滴滴, Dīdī) rather than trying to make this a complicated local-bus expedition.
Give Taosi time.
Today, the visitor experience is also different from the one Dad and Elaine had in October 2023.
When we visited, the new:
Taosi Site Museum (陶寺遗址博物馆, Táosì Yízhǐ Bówùguǎn)
was still under construction.
Dad actually filmed it being built.
Modern visitors can now combine the museum experience with the wider archaeological landscape.
And we’d definitely include:
Taosi Ancient Observatory (陶寺古观象台, Táosì Gǔ Guānxiàngtái).
That’s where the Guibiao (圭表, Guībiǎo) and astronomical material you saw in Linfen Museum begin connecting with an actual landscape.
→ [Go deeper: Taosi (陶寺, Táosì) — Dad & Elaine Go Looking for the China Before China](INSERT VERIFIED LIVE TAOSI ARTICLE URL)
Don’t rush back.
This is exactly the sort of place where understanding what you’re looking at matters more than collecting photographs.
What Order Works Best?
If we were doing the trip again:
Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān)
↓
fast train
↓
Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
↓
Linfen Museum (临汾博物馆, Línfén Bówùguǎn)
↓
Yao Temple (尧庙, Yáomiào)
↓
sleep in Linfen
↓
Taosi Site Museum (陶寺遗址博物馆, Táosì Yízhǐ Bówùguǎn)
↓
Taosi Ancient Observatory (陶寺古观象台, Táosì Gǔ Guānxiàngtái)
↓
sleep in Linfen or continue your journey
That sequence works because each place prepares you for the next.
Museum: What did archaeologists find?
Yao Temple: What did people remember?
Taosi: Where did this ancient society actually live?
Who Should Add Linfen (临汾, Línfén) to Their China Trip?
We’d particularly recommend Linfen if:
- you’ve already visited Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) and want to go deeper
- Chinese history interests you beyond the famous imperial dynasties
- you enjoy archaeology
- you’re curious about Yao (尧, Yáo) and China’s traditional sage-rulers
- you’d like to experience a Chinese city with far fewer international tourists
- you’re happy to trade another “must-see” attraction for something you’ll probably still be thinking about after the trip
If this is your first China trip and you only have 7–10 days?
We’d probably keep Beijing (北京, Běijīng), Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) and your other major priorities.
But if you’re the kind of traveler who stands in front of the Terracotta Warriors (兵马俑, Bīngmǎyǒng) and starts wondering:
“What happened before all this?”
Then Linfen (临汾, Línfén) is exactly the sort of detour we’d make.
And Linfen (临汾, Línfén) Doesn’t Have to Be the End
There’s an even bigger journey hiding here.
Dad and Elaine have also traveled through:
Hancheng (韩城, Hánchéng)
→ Sima Qian (司马迁, Sīmǎ Qiān) and the Records of the Grand Historian (史记, Shǐjì)
Yuncheng (运城, Yùnchéng)
→ Shun (舜, Shùn) and another layer of southern Shanxi (山西, Shānxī)
Linfen (临汾, Línfén)
→ Yao (尧, Yáo) and Taosi (陶寺, Táosì)
before looping back toward:
Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān).
That’s too big a journey to squeeze into this article.
So we’re building it separately.
🐇
Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) → Hancheng (韩城, Hánchéng) → Yuncheng (运城, Yùnchéng) → Linfen (临汾, Línfén) → Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān)
A journey through places most international travelers skip…
and through layers of Chinese history that the classic Xi’an itinerary only begins to reveal.
What Linfen (临汾, Línfén) Changed for Us
Dad came to Linfen looking for the China before China.
Elaine went looking for breakfast.
We found both.
We ate youtiao (油条, Yóutiáo) with local people.
We walked through a modern Chinese city.
Then we entered a museum and kept traveling backwards.
State of Han (韩国, Hán Guó).
State of Jin (晋国, Jìn Guó).
Zhou dynasty (周朝, Zhōucháo).
Shang dynasty (商朝, Shāngcháo).
Taosi culture (陶寺文化, Táosì Wénhuà).
More than four thousand years.
And when we came back outside…
Linfen (临汾, Línfén) was still there.
Traffic.
Scooters.
Hotels.
Noodle shops.
Breakfast stalls.
People getting on with their lives.
Maybe that’s what Dad liked most about the place.
The history is incredibly deep.
But Linfen isn’t frozen inside it.
For most travelers, Xi’an (西安, Xī’ān) will remain the obvious destination.
It should.
But for the traveler who keeps asking:
“What comes next?”
or perhaps more accurately:
“What came before?”
there’s a train heading north.
And Linfen (临汾, Línfén) is waiting.
🐇
