Shanxi

Fogong Temple: timber pagoda

Shanxi province

Shanxi, Wade-Giles romanization Shan-hsi, conventional Shansi, sheng (province) of northern China. Roughly rectangular in shape, Shanxi is bounded by the provinces of Hebei to the east, Henan to the south and southeast, and Shaanxi to the west and by the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north. The name Shanxi (“West of the Mountains”—i.e., west of the Taihang Mountains) testifies to the rugged terrain of the territory. The largest city and provincial capital, Taiyuan, is located in the centre of the province.

Shanxi has always held a strategic position as a gateway to the fertile plains of Hebei and Henan. Since ancient times it has also served as a buffer between China and the Mongolian and Central Asian steppes. A key route for military and trading expeditions, it was one of the major avenues for the entrance of Buddhism into China from India. Today it is important for its vast reserves of coal and iron, which form the basis of heavy industrial development. Area 60,700 square miles (157,100 square km). Pop. (2020) 34,915,616.