Go on a virtual tour of Shanxi in this wanderlust-worthy video

While our current movement may be limited, there's no better time than now to plan a trip for the future. Luckily for nature and culture lovers, there's plenty of natural scenery and historic sites to explore without ever leaving China. 

One under-the-radar destination is Shanxi Province. Not to be confused with its neighbour Shaanxi Province, which is famed for its ancient tomb of the terracotta army, Shanxi is a veritable cradle of the ancient Chinese civilisation – with a written history of 3,000 years and home to the ancient capital founded by the very first emperors of China, as well as one of the nine provinces that the Yellow River flows through.

Dubbed the 'ancient architecture museum of China', Shanxi is renowned for a host of relics and ancient structures that have withstood the test of time, including three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Pingyao Ancient City, Wutai Mountain, and Yungang Grottoes. 

Head to the Pingyao Ancient City for a glimpse of what used to be the birthplace of the earliest modern banks that date back to Ming and Qing dynasties; or find some of the oldest existing wooden monasteries in China in the Wutai Mountain, which is considered as one of the big four sacred Buddhist mountains in China; or marvel at the Yungang Grottoes, which has one of the best-preserved Buddhist cave art in China with a total of 53 caves and over 51 thousand stone carving.

Pingyao Ancient City

Wutai Mountains

Yungang Grottoes

What makes Shanxi unique and a must-visit on anyone's China trip is the blend of rich cultural heritage and exquisite natural sights. Among some of its most famous natural wonders is the Hukou Waterfall, aka the world's largest yellow waterfall. Formed when the roiling water of the Yellow River plunges over a narrow mouth on a cliff, it creates a spectacular scene as if water is pouring down from a huge teapot.

Hukou Waterfall

As well as passages of the Great Wall, which were were built by different dynasties throughout history and stretch over 3,500km.

Yanmenguan Pass of the Great Wall

A trip to Shanxi wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Taihang Mountains, of course. The name of Shanxi, literally translated to 'west of the mountains', in fact, refers to the Taihang Mountains, which are also crowned as the 'Ridge under Heaven'. Preserving more than three billion years of geological history, it serves as the natural boundary between the Loess Plateau and the North China Plain. With numerous ancient structures dating back to the Tang and Song Dynasties, it's also a place for Buddhist pilgrimage in China.

Taihang Mountains

500km southwest of Beijing, Shanxi Province makes for the perfect, off-the-beaten-track weekend destination for a glimpse of old China, with its preserved walls, and stunning landscape, as well as vibrant folk cultures such as Jin Opera, Chinese paper-cuttings and woodcut prints.

Want more of what Shanxi has to offer? Check out this wanderlust-worthy video below, courtesy of the Culture and Tourism Department of Shanxi Province.

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