Jincheng occupies the southeastern corner of Shanxi, squeezed between the Taihang Mountains and the provincial borders with Henan. It is not on most travellers' itineraries, which is partly its appeal — the area around the city contains a cluster of remarkably intact Ming and Qing fortified villages that receive far fewer visitors than the more famous courtyard architecture of Pingyao. The high-speed rail connection to Taiyuan (about 90 minutes) and Zhengzhou makes it accessible as either a day trip or an overnight stop.
The standout sight is the Huangcheng Chancellor's Residence, a walled compound 40 km northeast of the city, built between 1632 and 1703 for Chen Tingjing, a high Qing official and scholar. The complex spreads across several hectares of courtyards, towers, and residential halls on a hillside above a stream — it is comparable in ambition and preservation to the Wang Family Compound further north, and considerably less crowded. Nearby, Guoyu Ancient Village preserves an entire walled settlement of Ming and Qing courtyard houses, and Xiangyu Castle, a 17th-century fortified hamlet, has barely changed since it was built.
The old city of Jincheng itself contains the Yuhuang Temple, a large Song-dynasty Taoist complex whose most unusual feature is a set of astronomical sculptures — representations of the 28 lunar mansions and celestial officials — that rank among the finest examples of Song religious carving. Autumn is the best season: the Taihang Mountain edges east of the city turn vivid red and orange from October, and the cooler temperatures make walking the village sites far more pleasant than a summer visit.