Shanxi Tourism Day 3 in North Shanxi - Dai County, Ying County Wooden Pagoda

The previous day I stayed in Dai County, and when I woke up in the morning, it had just snowed a little. I walked through the snow to see the Ashoka Pagoda, the Confucian Temple, the Martial Temple, the General's Temple, and the Bianjing Tower in Dai County. The Ashoka Pagoda is located inside the government compound, and you can calmly walk in through the government gate without anyone stopping you. The existing pagoda is a brick pagoda rebuilt during the Yuan dynasty, and it's massive; The gate tower of the Confucian Temple is very beautiful. It was originally built during the Tang dynasty, and reconstruction began from the end of the Yuan dynasty and was completed in the early Ming dynasty, making it the largest Confucian temple in North China; the Bianjing Tower coincided with the Lantern Festival, and it was adorned with many colorful decorations, which diminished its original grandeur. Underneath the city tower, there's a donkey meat bowl shop claiming to be an intangible cultural heritage. After entering, I wanted to buy something to try but was forcefully sold a large portion, and incidentally, I was 'educated' by the boss's father for half an hour. In the afternoon, I set off for Ying County. I really recommend seeing the wooden pagoda early. When we went, there was construction going on far around it, and it feels like in the future, they want to turn it into a huge antique scenic spot. It might be difficult to see the original, quiet, and natural wooden pagoda again in the future. Very close to the Ying County Wooden Pagoda is a Pure Land Temple, with a ticket price of 15, which is not really worth it. It was only when I got to the base of the pagoda that I realized how big it was and how many pigeons there were. On the nearby streets of the ancient city, you can see it standing quietly. A few hundred meters down the street in front of the pagoda, there's a small stall selling braised skewers, which are very delicious. When we went, the stall owner's son, who was reading at university, came back to help his father during the winter vacation. The stall owner was so happy to see us buying a lot that he kept giving us extra skewers.