Weinan

Weinan brings together cultural history and a riverside landscape that features in regional views. Along Weinan Old Street, buildings in the style of the Ming and Qing periods stand on the banks of the Youhe River; at the southern end of the street is the Qin Culture and Heritage Park. There is also a museum with a chronologically arranged exhibition, as well as performing arts such as Huaxian shadow puppetry. This gives you a choice of historic sites, exhibitions and performances for your trip.

Discover history at the Weinan Museum

The Weinan Museum is located on the middle section of Letian Avenue. A comprehensive museum covering 35,874 square metres, it is dedicated to collecting, research and presentation, as well as scientific exchange and leisure activities. Its exhibition is divided into eight chronological sections. Through historical figures, events and achievements, it presents the cultural characteristics of the Weinan region.

The way the exhibits are presented is also part of the museum’s character: it combines scientific and educational elements with artistic and entertaining ones, and includes technology-supported interactive projects for visitors. Families can include this type of exhibition as a different focus alongside historic buildings and performing arts when planning their itinerary.

Old town, architecture and Qin heritage

Weinan Old Street is located at the foot of Changshouyuan, on the banks of the Youhe River, in what was once Weinan’s bustling old-town district. Three buildings define its character: the gatehouse, the stage terrace and the Wenchang Pavilion. They are joined by 25 replica buildings of different sizes and heights, designed in the style of residential architecture from the Ming and Qing periods. The street is rated as a national 3A tourist attraction.

At the southern end of Old Street is the Qin Culture and Heritage Park. It was built on the remains of a Qin-era book-burning platform. The platform is designated as provincially protected cultural heritage and is considered the only surviving example among several platforms of this kind. The site thus brings together two periods: the remains of a Qin-era structure and the modern park built on them.

The Wangyue Tower is one of the best-known sights on Old Street. Visitors can climb it and look out over the surrounding area. Those who want to focus their trip on historic architectural forms, the park and the tower will find several different aspects of Weinan’s cultural heritage here.

Shadow puppetry and performing arts

At the Intangible Cultural Heritage Theatre in the Weinan Culture and Arts Centre, Xue Hongquan, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Huaxian shadow puppetry, and his team regularly perform as the resident guest troupe. In the northern part of Weinan Old Street, the programme features Qin opera, large-scale dance and theatre performances, and displays of folk culture. These offerings give your trip a different cultural emphasis from the museum’s chronological exhibition or the historic buildings.

Shadow puppetry is also on display in Weinan railway station’s concourse: a lightbox display measuring 7 metres high and 6 metres wide showcases a large work of this art form. The exhibition operates regularly, and its content is updated seasonally.

The Youhe River and Linwei’s scenic views

Much of Linwei’s eight famous scenic views are concentrated along the Youhe River. They include Xiangshan in the rain, the moonlit night view of the Youhe, Ruiquan Waterfall, the autumn view from Fengyuan and snow on Fengmen. The names represent different subjects, from water and moonlight to seasonal scenes. There is also a weir and a lit riverside promenade on the banks of the Youhe River by Weinan Old Street.

Whether you would rather shape your trip around culture and historic sites or the riverside scenery, this focus can help inform your choice of a holiday apartment in Weinan.

For more ideas on places to visit, you can also see the pages on Xi'an, Jincheng, Tongchuan, Yulin, Yangquan, Shangluo, Shuozhou and Xianyang.

For the broader travel overview: Shaanxi.