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Chinese name |  ['mountain' 'west'] |
| Population | 33,900,000 | |
| Area | 156,000 | |
| Capital | Taiyuan | |
| Main Industries | agriculture, coal | |
| GDP | 16,898 | |
| Foreign Trade | 6,627 | |
| Ethnic minorities | 0% | |
| Urbanization | 44% | |
Shanxi should not to be confused with its neighbour of 'Shaanxi' (if ever names were devised to confuse a foreigner this is an excellent example). It is the principal coal producing province and is a fairly mountainous province compared to the coastal plains to the East, the Yellow River (Huang He) forms its Western boundary and the Great Wall to the North. Part of the heartland of China from the early days it has a rich range of temples and monasteries with long histories. Wutai Shan is a sacred Buddhist mountain.
It boasts the Yungang Caves at Datong, full of Buddhist sculptures.
