Shanxi Province in the context of "Jin Chinese"

Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China. It is located in the Datong Basin at an elevation of 1,040 metres (3,410 ft) and borders Inner Mongolia to the north and west and Hebei to the east. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 3,105,591 of whom 1,790,452 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 2 out 4 urban districts of Pingcheng and Yungang as Yunzhou and Xinrong are not conurbated yet.

The Datong Basin (Chinese: 大同盆地) is located between the northern Shanxi Province and the inner/outer Great Walls, China. It occupies the western part of the Sanggan Basin, which has been created by the erosion of the Loess Plateau by the Sanggan River and its tributary, Yuhe.

The basin is at about 1,100 meters above sea level. It has thriving agriculture and animal husbandry, and is rich in mineral resources, such as coal.

The Fen River drains the center of Shanxi Province, China. It originates in the Guancen Mountains of Ningwu County in northeast Shanxi, flows southeast into the basin of Taiyuan, and then south through the central valley of Shanxi before turning west to join the Yellow River west of Hejin. The Fen and the Wei Rivers are the two largest tributaries of the Yellow River. The river is 694 kilometers (431 mi) long and drains an area of 39,417 km (15,219 sq mi), 25.3% of Shanxi's area. The Fen River is the longest in Shanxi. It is also the second-longest tributary of the Yellow River. Within Taiyuan, the Fen runs from north to south; the prefecture includes one-seventh of the river's course.

The courtyard houses of Shanxi or the Shanxi family compounds are located in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China, approximately 500 km south of Beijing. "These castle-like structures were constructed in the Qing dynasty by local merchants, and offer a glimpse into the architecture and traditional building techniques of the times."

The Taiyuan–Jiaozuo or Taijiao railway (simplified Chinese: 太焦铁路; traditional Chinese: 太焦鐵路; pinyin: tàijiāo tiělù), is a major trunkline railroad in northern China. The railway is named after its terminal cities, Taiyuan in Shanxi Province and Jiaozuo in Henan Province. The line, 434 km (270 mi) in length, lies mainly in Shanxi, running from Taiyuan in the center of the province to Jincheng in the southeast corner. Jiaozuo is just across the southern border from Shanxi in northern Henan. The Taijiao railway was built from 1970 to 1978. Major cities and towns along route include Taiyuan, Yuci, Jinzhong, Changzhi and Jincheng.

The Handan–Changzhi railway or Hanchang railway (simplified Chinese: 邯长铁路; traditional Chinese: 邯長鐵路; pinyin: háncháng tiělù), is a major railroad in northern China for the transportation of coal. The railway is named after its terminal cities, Handan in Hebei Province and Changzhi in Shanxi Province. The line is 221.7 km (138 mi) in length and was built from 1971 to 1983.

Shanhua Temple (Chinese: 善化寺; pinyin: Shànhùa Sì) is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. The temple was first founded during the early 8th century of the Tang dynasty, but its earliest surviving building dates from the 11th century. The temple was heavily repaired over the years, and today three original halls and two recently rebuilt pavilions survive. The largest, and earliest hall, dating from the 11th-century Liao dynasty, is the Daxiongbao Hall and is one of the largest of its kind in China. Also historically significant are the Main Gate and Sansheng Hall, both dating from 12th century during the Jin dynasty.