Shanxi, Jin for short, is situated on the middle segment of the Yellow River. It is bounded by the North China Plain in the east and the middle Yellow River in the west, with an area of 156,300 square kilometers and population of over 32 million, including its minority ethnic population. Mountains cover 67.5% of Shanxi Province, and its highlands, hills and basins stand at about 1,000 meters or more above sea level, sloping from northeast to southwest. Its capital is Taiyuan.

The land of Shanxi is one of the origins of Chinese civilization, exhibiting evidence of human settlement over a million years ago. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), a famous legendary hero, apparently sojourned in Shanxi, and the earliest rulers, Yao, Shun and Yu, all founded their capitals there. Datong, known as Pingcheng in ancient times, was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and famous throughout the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581). During the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties, Shanxi became very prosperous. In the past, Shanxi people were once called the Chinese Jews, indicating that they were people of wisdom. The long history of Shanxi has provided the province with a rich and colorful cultural heritage.

Shanxi has continental monsoonal climate with distinctive seasons. It has cold winters but mild summers, with a mean annual temperature of 6oC to 14oC. It has a mean annual precipitation of 400-650mm, increasing gradually from northwest to southeast. The basins here are the main agricultural region. The most important products are wheat, corn, cotton and peanut. Shanxi is the base of coal industry. The produces of heavy machinery and textile are very important in the whole country. Also, there is iron and steel, electric power, chemical industry, textile and food. The communication is mainly railway. And the highway here is convenient, too.

There are abundant historic reserves in Shanxi. Most the ancient structures were built before the Liao and Song Dynasties. There are include: the ancient city of Pingyao which was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO IN 1997, the Buddhist wonder of the Yungang Grottoes in Datong City, the Hanging Temple in Hunyuan, the Jin Ancestral Hall in Taiyuan, the Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao, They are worth visiting for travelers.

There are also a number of natural magnificent and beautiful places in Shanxi. For instance: the most famous Wutai Mountain, the whistling rage of the Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River and one of the Five Sacred Mountain in China- Hengshan Mountain.