# Qikou National Scenic Area (碛口国家级风景名胜区)

Taiyuan, Shanxi Province · North China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/qikou-national-scenic-area
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Free
- **Opening hours:** Open all day (all year 2026)
- **Time needed:** 1 day
- **Address:** Yellow River Tourist Highway No. 1, Qikou Town, Linxian County, Lüliang, Shanxi Province
- **Getting there:** Buses to Qikou depart from Taiyuan West Railway Station (太原西客站); departure times vary.
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Old Towns & Villages, Photography

## About Qikou National Scenic Area

Qikou is an ancient river crossing on the Yellow River. The water is deep and calm, making it a natural harbor and a golden waterway. Qikou rose to prominence in the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty and for more than 200 years afterwards was a famous commercial hub in northern China, with a five-li (about 2.5 km) long street lined with shops and crowded with merchants. As the saying goes, “a bustling port the size of a small city, the first town on the winding Yellow River.” Qikou’s former prosperity radiated to a wide area and drove the rise of many surrounding villages. Its Ming and Qing architectural complex still survives in relatively good condition, and both its form and style and its artistry are highly refined.

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1801. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
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