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Loess and coal are the most distinguishing
geographical features of Shanxi. Looked at from above the province appears scarred with
long deep fissures, slashed across the brown or yellow soil. The Gobi Desert
(Gebi tan shamo), that sits to the north/northwest of Shanxi, is highly
influential towards this changing landscape, and the frequent, yet mild sandstorms that
rip through this area are testament to this. It was, however, in a soil somewhat similar
to this that early settlers of the Chinese civilisation first took root. Today, many of
these Neolithic sites, that are dotted across the vast expanse, can still be seen. The Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD), taking Datong as its capital, saw
the start of imperial favour for the province. The area was considered worthy for a number
of reasons, part secular, from the prosperity that the area had shown linked to its
lifeline the Yellow River, and part religious, with the famous Buddhist mountain in the
north, Wutaishan,
considered as a haven for the pious believer. Shanxi"s name, translated as "west of the mountain",
derives from the Taihang Mountain Range that lies on its eastern
boundary. It was this natural barrier to the east that made Shanxi, with its neighbor Shaanxi, the ideal routes for
rebellious northern nomadic tribes to make their harries into the prosperous and Han
established south. For centuries this route had been blocked, partially by the Great
Wall (Changcheng) that still winds past Shanxi"s northern border, but
mostly by efficient imperial forces who were defending their capital. These strains were
beginning to tell by the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), however, and the
capital was wisely moved further south, to Henan. Shanxi was to fall out of
favour for many centuries, with the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) placing
their capital in Kaifeng,
the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) taking Beijing as its capital, the
Han Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) moving to Hangzhou and then back to Beijing, and so it goes on... The 20th century saw huge industrial and provincial changes in Shanxi. In the years of
the Republic (1911-1950) the province first succumbed to provincialism, under the strong
rule of the warlord Yan Xishan, who held the province in the nominal name
of the Republic of China (Kuoming tang), but who in fact was the
final say in almost all matters. The Japanese, expanding their influence
into the Chinese empire, were next to infiltrate the area, bringing modern technical
know-how, and initiating the first, large-scale industrial campaign. Coal thus made its
major entrance into the history of Shanxi. After the communist takeover in 1950, the
number of coal and iron plants mushroomed, mainly in the areas around Taiyuan and Datong. Nowadays the
province produces around 30% of China"s output of coal, and it provides electricity to a
number of other provinces, including Beijing. Shanxi today is a relatively backward land, made worse by hostile
climatic conditions and often drab, yellow landscapes. Thankfully, signs of
ancient magnificence and beauty can still be found, usually in hard to access
areas well off the tourist route. The more obvious of these include the Buddhist
wonders of the Yungang Grottoes & Wutaishan and the
whistling rage of the Yellow River"s Kettle
Spout Falls (Hukou pubu). Less obvious sights, and for this reason
possibly more of a reason to visit, are those little hidden towns and temples,
such as the ancient town of Pingyao and the remote Guansheng Temple, upon whom
arrivals are normally worth the long journeys. |
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