Shanxi—“Cities on Plateaus”

Shanxi, literally meaning west of the mountains, was named for its location - west of the Taihang Mountains. It lies in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and on the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau. The Yellow, Haihe and Fenhe rivers flow across Shanxi, whose splendid landscape is graced by the celebrated Taihang and Luliang ranges and Hengshan and Wutai mountains. Most parts of the land are more than 1,000 meters above sea level. Shanxi's long history is traced back to the days when it was a major cradle of Chinese civilization. A rich cultural heritage mingles with natural wonders to form Shanxi's bustling tourist scene, but visitors tend to be more in favour with the province's many folklore-rich travel programs.
     Shanxi is continental in climate. Because it is higher than regions of the same latitude in the North China Plain, it has a lower temperature and a drier climate. It has cold winters but mild summers. From north to south, its mean annual temperature is from 5oC. to 15oC., and its frost-free period lasts 4 to 7 months. The greater part of the province has a mean annual precipitation of 400-650 mm., increasing gradually from northwest to southeast.

Tourist Attractions

There are numbers of tourist zones in Shanxi Province, among which the hottest destinations are Mount Wutai tourist zone, Datong tourist zone and the ancient town Pingyao.

     - Mount Wutai Tourist Zone：With a vast assemblage of natural scenery, historical and cultural heritage, classic architecture, Buddhism, and peculiar folkways, Mount Wutai Tourist Zone in the county of the same name in northeast Shanxi is a welcome resort for those who come for sightseeing, holidaymaking and recuperation purposes. Mount Wutai (literally "Five Plateau Mountain";), also known as Wutai Mountain, located in Shanxi, China, is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism.Each of the four mountains are viewed as the abode or place of practice of one of the four great bodhisattvas. Wutai is the home of the Bodhisattva of wisdom. It takes its name from its unusual topography, consisting of five rounded peaks (North, South, East, West, Central), of which the North peak, called Beitai Ding or Yedou Feng, is the highest, and indeed the highest point in northern China.The center of the zone, Taihuai Town, is nestled in the mountains. Buddhism is thriving at Mount Wutai, which is the domain of Bodhisattva Manjusri. Construction of Buddhist temples began during the Eastern Han, and today 48 of them are still there, with several hundred monks and nuns. Mount Wutai is a showcase of classical Chinese architecture, sculpture and painting. Mount Wutai International Tourist Month is a major tourist event, which takes place annually from July 25 to August 25.
In 2008 Chinese authorities hope that the shrine at Mount Wutai will be considered for designation as a Unesco world heritage site. Local residents, however, claim they have been forced from their homes and relocated away from their livelihoods in preparation for the bid.
     - Datong Tourist Zone: Major attractions: Yungang Grottoes, Mount hengshan (Northern Holy Mountain), Xuankong (Overhanging) Monastery, and Wooden Pagoda in Yinxian County. Huayan and Shanhua monasteries of the Liao and Nine-Dragon Wall of the Ming are in Datong, the provincial capital. On the outskirts: a section of the Great Wall which served as the boundary between two states in ancient times, watch towers, volcanoes, and the ruins of an ancient battlefield at Jinshatan.
     Yungang Grottoes: The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the Chinese province of Shanxi. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient sculptural sites of China. The others are Longmen and Mogao.The site is located about 16 km south-west of the city, in the valley of the Shi Li river at the base of the Wuzhou Shan mountains. The grottoes were mainly constructed in the period between 460-525 AD during the Northern Wei dynasty. They are an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. All together the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 Buddha statues and statuettes. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site The Yungang Grottoes is considered by UNESCO a "masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art... [and] ...represent the successful fusion of Buddhist religious symbolic art from south and central Asia with Chinese cultural traditions, starting in the 5th century CE under Imperial auspices.
     Overhanging Monastery: It is just outside the town of Hunyuan, 75km southeast of Datong. It is located in Golden Dragon Canyon at the foot of the Mount Heng, built precariously on sheer cliffs in the later period of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 -534).The halls and pavilions were constructed along the contours of the cliff face between 26 to 50 meters from bottom up by using the natural hollow and outcrops. The buildings are connected by corridors, bridges and boardwalks and contain more than 80 bronze, iron and stone statues of gods and buddhas from different dynasties. Another feature of the temple is its Three Religious Hall where Buddha, Laotzu (laozi), and Confucius sit side by side, which is rarely seen in China.
     - Ancient Town Pingyao: It lies about 715 km from Beijing and 80 km from the provincial capital, Taiyuan. During the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao was a financial center of China. It is now renowned for its well-preserved ancient city wall, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
     Pingyao Ancient Town is famous for its ancient city wall, which was built in 1370, with a total length of about six kilometers. The town is protected by a city moat, both three meters deep and wide. Outside the city gate is a drawbridge. Within the city, four big streets and eight small streets radiate to join with 72 lanes. The 3,797 original quadrangle residential houses are all of the same black-colored bricks and gray-colored tiles. Out of the total, over 400 of these courtyard houses are still well preserved. 
     There are also temples of varying size and old-fashioned stores. The earliest bank in China, Piaohao (a firm for exchange and transfer of money) was born in Pingyao. During the fairly long period of late 19th century and early 20th century, merchants from Shanxi Province nearly dominated all finance in China. While playing an outstanding role in business circles, they painstakingly built the eye-catching courtyards one after another, thus came into being the typical house culture of Shanxi. Pingyao boasts plenty of cultural relics. Outside the town are the well-preserved Shuanglin Temple, built in 571, Xiaoxu Temple, built in 657, Thousand-Buddha Hall of Zhengguo Temple and Dacheng Hall of the Wenmiao Temple, built in 963, and the Huiji Bridge, built in 1671. 
     Tourists see the Wooden Pagoda, Nine Dragon Screen, Heng Mountain in Datong; Jinci Temple, Double-Tower Temple in Taiyuan; Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River in Linfen apart from those hot attractions mentioned above.

Local Culture and Art

Shanxi enjoys a long history and a reputation for a rich culture. Zaju Opera was very popular in Shanxi during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). In the southwest of the province, stages and frescoes depicting operas of the Yuan Dynasty still remain. They reflect the golden age of opera. Today the province is still called "the art museum of ancient times," for its splendid Yellow River culture that was developed in the ancient land of Shanxi.
     - Shadow Play is very popular among the local people in Shanxi Province. Figures, settings and stage properties made of donkey or ox skin are manipulated by people, as in puppet shows, to cast the images onto a screen on a stage, namely the "shadow skin". Music and narrations, in addition to the skillful manipulations, make the performance of the shadow figures very lively to watch.
     - Paper-cuts of Fushan County: Fushan is known as the "Home of the Paper-cut"' is famous for its rich variety of paper-cuts. These folk handicrafts, steeped in local flavor, are either bold or maginative, simple and vibrant, or delicate and pretty.

Food

It has been said that Marco Polo brought Chinese noodles with him to Italy in the 12th Century, introducing the Italians to what would become the staple of their diet. Though no historical rcords confirm this story, it is true that noodles have been eaten in China for thousands of years, and that the residents of Shanxi Province rank first in China for making them. Noodles and Laochencu (Long preserved vinegar) is a trademark of Shanxi cuisine.
     Shanxi has a great variety of foods made of wheat flour. Noodles made in a special way and served with a rich sauce and sliced vegetables are very popular.
     - La mian La mian is a kind of noodle pulled by hands. The noodle is soft, smooth and chewy and is served with a rich assortment of vegetable and rich sauces.
     - Daoxiao mian Peeled with a knife, the noodle in the shape of willow leaves, is soft and chewy. Served with a rich sauce or stir-fried, it is delicious.
     - Mao er duo (cats' ears) is shaped like its name and made by pressing the dough with two fingers. Cooked in boiling water or fried with oil, it can then be served with a rich sauce.
     - Taiyuan cakes enjoys a great variety of cakes made of wheat flour by way of steaming, boiling, roasting baking and frying. There are more than 20 varieties of cakes, including rosy pancakes, taishi cakes, yiyo crisp biscuits, fragrant-flower garlic pies, haw pancakes and silver-thread-like cakes.

Shopping

     - Folk Arts and Crafts: Shanxi's folk arts and crafts, including embroidery and paper-cuts, are marked for their variety and craftsmanship.
     - Glazed Objects: Shanxi's glazed ornaments are unique building materials and works of art that sell briskly at home and abroad.Pingyao's Hond-polished Lacquer ware: The hand-polished lacquer ware produced in Pingyao are known for their elegant finish and graceful designs.
     - Shanxi Fruits and nuts: These include grapes from Qingxu, walnuts from Fenyang, pears from Tongchuan, red persimmons, and chestnuts from Jishan. Herbal Medicines: The root of membranous milk vetch and dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula) are famous herbal medicines native to Shanxi Province, which is also known for such Chinese patent drugs as Guilingji, a first-rate tonic, and Dingkundan, a fine gynaecologic medicine.

Transportation

     - Taxi: The taxi fare is CNY 7 for the first three kilometers (1.9 miles) and CNY 1 for the succeeding kilometer.The taxi types are various from Charade to Santana and the Hongqi, and fares are the same for each model.
     - Public Bus: The road conditions in the major cities of Shanxi Province are rather good, so the transportation is convenient. For instance, There are public buses No. 308 and 804 in front of the Railway Station Square heading for the Jinci Temple. The bus fare is CNY 1 for 308 and CNY 2 for 804.