This is the fourth post of my Shanxi civilian castles (山西民间古堡) series. So far, I already took you to the deserted stone fortress of Xiangyu (相峪堡), within the lost walls of Douzhuang (窦庄) castle and more recently into the imperial manor of Kangxi in Huangcheng Xiangfu (皇城相府).
When travelling through China, I take the train and the bus as much as possible, but once in a while I end up hiring a driver for the day. Hiring a driver is more expensive, but it is definitely a faster and more convenient way (I can stop anytime, anywhere) and I can enjoy the insights of a local. Thanks to driver Zhang, I was able to visit places that are off-radar to most people.
The Fortified Church of Our Lady of the Rosary
Driver Zhang was a native of Daqi (大箕), a small village in Zezhou county (泽州县), just south of the town of Jincheng (晋城) which was my base to visit the castles of the Qinhe River (沁河) basin where most civilian castles of south Shanxi are concentrated.
He decided to drive by his hometown because he had not been there in a while (he moved to the city with his family more than a decade ago) and because there was another castle-like old structure to show to that foreigner who like ancient Chinese architecture. This is how we ended up pulling in front of the fortified church of Our Lady of the Rosary (玫瑰圣母天主教堂).
