Zhangbi Ancient Castle

Zhangbi is an ordinary-looking village of loess and brick on a plateau edge, and beneath it runs a tunnel system of around ten kilometres on three levels, dug in the Sui dynasty in the seventh century for military use, with wells, storage chambers, stables, escape shafts and firing positions connected in a network that reaches the cliff face. Guides lead visitors through a section, ducking and squeezing through passages lit by strung bulbs. Above ground the village keeps its gate, temples and a street layout said to reflect constellations, with Kongwang Temple combining Buddhist, Daoist and folk worship in one building. Around seven hundred people still live there.

What you actually see

• The tunnel network - Sui-era military passages on three levels beneath the village.
• The village above - loess houses, gates and temples still lived in.
• Kongwang Temple - Buddhist, Daoist and folk deities in a single building.
• The plateau edge - the cliff position the tunnels were built to exploit.

When to go

April to October for comfortable weather; the tunnels stay cool year-round. Tours run through the day and are the only way into the underground sections. The village is quiet outside Chinese holidays.

Honest expectations

The tunnels are low, narrow and unlit except for basic wiring, unsuitable for claustrophobia or limited mobility. Tours are in Chinese. The village is small and can be walked in half an hour. Access without a car is difficult.

Nearby

Pingyao lies north; the Wang compound is in the same district.