Xinzhou

Xinzhou occupies the mountainous north-central part of Shanxi and is famous above all for Mount Wutai, one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains of China and a UNESCO World Heritage Site studded with ancient temples. The rugged Yanmen Pass, a celebrated strongpoint of the Great Wall, guarded the route between the steppe and the interior for over two thousand years. Luya Mountain and its alpine meadows near Ningwu preserve rare virgin forest and the source of the Fen River. The city was the birthplace of the warlord Yan Xishan, who ruled Shanxi for decades. Xinzhou Wutaishan Airport and a Datong-Xi'an high-speed line make the region accessible to pilgrims and tourists.