Shanxi Province

Chinese: 山西
Pinyin: Shānxī
English: Mountain west

The Great Wall in Shanxi is divided into these locations:

The Ming Dynasty Great Wall follows near the northern border of Shanxi Province. In addition, large expanses of the Northern Wei Great Wall are still to be found in the area north of Datong, and the only remains of the Song Dynasty Great Wall are located in Shanxi Province.

Shanxi is not to be confused with Shaanxi. Shanxi and Shaanxi are pronounced the same except for the tone. Shaanxi is spelled with a double “a” to indicate that it is pronounced with the third tone, rather than the first tone for Shanxi.

Shanxi receives relatively little rainfall. Average January temperatures are below 0°C (32°F), while average July temperatures are around 21 to 26°C (70 to 79°F). Winters are long, dry, and cold, while summers are warm and humid. Spring is extremely dry and prone to dust storms. Shanxi is one of the sunniest parts of China; early summer heat waves are common. Annual precipitation averages around 350 to 700 millimeters (14 to 28 inches), with 60% of it occurring between June and August. Shanxi has a varied geography and offers many tourist destinations. It has a rich and distinctive history but is not as prosperous as some other areas of China. It has a prominent mining industry. Shanxi's western border is formed by the Yellow River.

Map of the Shanxi Province Great Wall

Shanxi Province has an area of 156,800 square kilometers (60,500 square miles) and is home to about 40 million people.