Plan at a glance
Location and entrance
Longxing Temple is at No. 2 Longxing Road in Xinjiang County, Yuncheng, in the town centre. Navigate to “Longxing Temple” for the scenic-area main gate. The old-town streets are narrow and parking is limited, so use a public car park or public parking space nearby and walk to the mountain gate.
Tickets and tower access
Admission is CNY 10 per person. Climbing Longxing Pagoda usually costs another CNY 5 per person; if free entry or another policy adjustment applies, check with staff on arrival. Summer hours (April–October) are 08:00–18:00, and winter hours (November–March of the following year) are 08:00–17:30. Pagoda access requires on-site QR-code registration, is limited to set time windows and is available only to visitors under 65.
How much time to allow
Allow about 30 minutes for the Bilu Stele, the painted sculptures in the Mahavira Hall and the exterior of the pagoda. Add the Song–Jin brick-carved tombs and the pagoda climb for 1–1.5 hours. The pagoda’s internal stairs are narrow and steep, so climbing is optional; visitors with a fear of heights, claustrophobia, reduced mobility or limited fitness can stay on the ground route.
Tickets and visit details
View visit options for this attraction and confirm the visit date and current arrangements before you go.
Choose your visit
The Bilu Stele
The Bilu Stele is a Tang-dynasty stele in seal script, with forms influenced by oracle-bone script, bronze inscriptions and other early writing styles. Look slowly at the structure of the characters and the brushwork from outside the conservation area. Rather than spending the visit chasing legends, begin with the stele itself and the on-site explanation.
Song–Jin painted sculptures in the Mahavira Hall
The Mahavira Hall’s beam frame is a surviving Yuan-dynasty structure, and the hall preserves seven painted sculptures from the Song–Jin period. Their drapery and facial expressions reward a close look. The interior is dim, so slow down as you enter and follow the posted rules for photography, viewing distance and where you may stand.
Longxing Pagoda and the Song–Jin brick-carved tombs
Longxing Pagoda was first built in the Tang dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing dynasty. Whether it can be climbed and which time windows are available can change; when open, the internal wooden stairs provide views over the old city of Jiangzhou. To the west of the Mahavira Hall are two Song–Jin brick-carved tombs relocated from elsewhere, with everyday subjects such as “Lady Opening a Door” and Jin-dynasty music and dance. Treat the tombs as a separate experience from the pagoda climb.
Build your day
An approximately 30-minute short route
Enter through the main gate, follow the central axis to the Bilu Stele, continue to the Mahavira Hall for the Song–Jin painted sculptures, then finish below Longxing Pagoda with an exterior view. Leave towards the main gate. This route does not depend on a pagoda time window and works well as a short stop in Xinjiang County town before lunch or on the way back.
A 1–1.5-hour complete route
Follow Main Gate → Bilu Stele → Mahavira Hall sculptures → Longxing Pagoda → Song–Jin brick-carved tombs. If a pagoda time window is available, your age qualifies and you are physically comfortable, add the climb after seeing the sculptures. After coming down, visit the brick-carved tombs and leave through the main gate; do not put the climb at the very end of the visit.
Deciding whether to climb
Pagoda climbing requires on-site QR-code registration. Example windows include 08:00–09:50, but the actual window, price, age limit and temporary closures can change, so confirm them after registering. The internal wooden stairs allow only one person through at a time and become narrower higher up; some sections may require using both hands and feet. The climb does not suit visitors with a fear of heights, claustrophobia or reduced mobility, and the three ground-level highlights are enough for the short route.
Get there
Walking from town and parking
Longxing Temple is in the town centre, where streets are narrow and spaces are limited. Use a more distant public parking location and walk to No. 2 Longxing Road. The car-park name and fee are not fixed; do not block entrances used by old-town residents, and allow time for the walk from wherever you park.
Connecting with Fusheng Temple
Fusheng Temple is about 12 kilometres and roughly 20 minutes by car from Xinjiang County town, so the two can form a Xinjiang heritage day. Longxing Temple’s pagoda registration, time windows and physical restrictions apply only here; Fusheng Temple has separate township transport, hanging-sculpture photography rules and ticket arrangements.
Food in town
Huolala Jiangzhou Hot Pot serves local copper hot pot, costing around CNY 48 per person. Wangzhuang flatbread is a local snack, but it is mostly sold in the morning. Arrange water and food before walking or climbing; restaurant hours and scenic-area hours are separate.
Know before you go
Pagoda safety
The internal stairs are narrow and steep, with less space at each higher level. Assess your physical condition before climbing, wear flat shoes with good grip and avoid skirts that could catch on the wooden stairs. Do not push, go against the flow, climb the exterior walls or lean over the pagoda edge for a photograph; if the climbing route closes temporarily, use the ground route.
Heritage photography
The Bilu Stele, painted sculptures and brick-carved tombs are protected heritage. Do not touch the steles, sculptures, brick carvings or timber, and do not use flash. Follow no-photography signs. If staff allow photographs, use a phone’s night mode instead of flash and keep the passage clear.
Weather and crowds
Shade and parking space are limited in the old town. Avoid the strongest midday sun in summer and plan around the 17:30 winter closing time. Pagoda-climbing slots and time windows may increase the wait, so see the ground-level exhibits first and decide whether to climb after the registration result.