Ancient Architecture: Best Place for Ground Cultural Relics

There is a saying in China that "Underground relics in Shaanxi, while above-ground relics in Shanxi." This means that Shaanxi has the most underground relics unearthed, as many dynasties had their capitals in Xi'an and there are numerous tombs. Shanxi, on the other hand, has preserved many historical buildings.

Shanxi is known as the "Treasure House of Ancient Chinese Art" and the "Museum of Ancient Chinese Architecture". The ancient buildings that still exist in the province are unrivaled in the country in terms of quantity, historical, artistic and scientific value. Shanxi has preserved architectural masterpieces of various types from the Northern Wei Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties in ancient China. There are over 540 wooden structures from the Liao and Jin Dynasties or earlier, accounting for more than 70% of the existing similar buildings in the country. Among the five wooden structures from the Tang Dynasty in China, four are in Shanxi. There are nearly a hundred famous buildings from the Song, Liao and Jin Dynasties in Shanxi, and even more from the Yuan Dynasty and later. There are 12,712 ancient sculptures and over 24,000 square meters of ancient murals still in existence, both ranking first in the country.

Shanxi is the region with the longest time span of existing ancient Great Wall, preserving over 3,400 kilometers of the Great Wall dating back to the Warring States Period and beyond. Among them, the Great Wall of the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui and Song Dynasties is unique to Shanxi. Shanxi has 2,888 existing ancient opera stages, among which the Yuan Dynasty opera stages and Yuan Dynasty opera murals are unique to Shanxi.

Shanxi Province boasts a large number of ancient cities, among which five have been listed as National Historical and Cultural Cities, namely Datong, Pingyao, Qixian, Dai County and Xinjiang. Pingyao has been inscribed on the World Heritage List for its outstanding humanistic architectural features of "one city and two temples", making it one of only two World Heritage Sites in China named after a city. Pingyao Ancient City is an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has preserved all its features and presents an extraordinary and complete picture of cultural, economic, social and religious development in Chinese history. The streets and shops within Pingyao Ancient City retain their historical appearance. The design and layout reflect the urban planning concepts and form distribution of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, showcasing the evolution of Chinese architectural styles and urban planning over five centuries. It is known as a living sample for studying ancient Chinese cities and holds rich and unique value in architecture, religion, commerce, folk customs and folk art.

There are over 24,000 square meters of murals in temples and tombs remaining in Shanxi Province, ranking first in China. The murals date from the Han and Tang Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with continuous and excellent works in each period. There are 12,712 painted sculptures remaining in Shanxi since the Tang Dynasty, with the largest quantity and the highest quality in China, earning it the title of "Museum of Painted Sculpture Art".