Shanxi

史History & character

Shanxi is one of the densest concentrations of pre-Qing architecture in China. The loess plateau here was settled by Han Chinese long before the Yangtze regions, and the dry climate plus relative inland isolation meant that wooden temples, courtyard houses, and walled towns survived where they would have rotted away further south.

Pingyao Ancient City — UNESCO listed — is the most complete Ming–Qing walled city left in the country. It functioned as China's banking capital in the 19th century; the modern Chinese banking-business model was effectively invented in its courtyards. Datong, in the north, sits beside the Yungang Grottoes — Northern Wei Buddhist cave sculptures from the 5th century, predating Mogao at Dunhuang. Wutai Shan, one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism, has dozens of working monasteries.

The economy has long depended on coal — Shanxi remains the country's largest producer — and the air quality has historically been poor. Recent years have seen aggressive shutdowns of small mines and a tourism push that has rebranded the province around its heritage rather than its industry.