Shanxi: Rich with historical heritage

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As we continue our tour of Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, today brings us to the Shanxi province.

Shanxi is located in North China. Its capital is Taiyuan.

The province lies on a plateau. To the east are the Taihang Mountains and in the west are the Lvliang Mountains. There are a series of valleys in the center through which the Fen River runs. The Yellow River forms its western border.

Shanxi is rich with historical heritage. Over 70 percent of the total ancient architecture comes from before the Song Dynasty, around the mid 10th century. The Shanxi merchants culture was famous for centuries from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. They ranged far and wide from Central Asia to the coast of eastern China.

The ancient town of Pingyao, was the center of China's banking industry in the Qing Dynasty and is famous for its city walls.

Buddhist culture here is also important with Wutai Mountain, one of the famous four Buddhism centers in China, and the Yugang stone grottoes.

Shanxi's nominal GDP in 2008 ranked eighteenth in China.

Agriculture is greatly limited by the province's arid climate and dwindling water resources.

Industry here is centered around heavy industries such as coal and chemical production, power generation, and metal refining.