China Daily journalist Emma at Shanxi Pingyao exhibition guild house. [Photo by Zhang Wei/ For chinadaily.com.cn]

Luigi Di Gennaro, teacher, Canada

The Yungang Grottoes are the largest example of their kind in the world. The cave walls look like charming 3-D paintings with no space wasted. These fascinating images spoke to me of stories from ancient times and the peacefulness of the site made me want to stay longer.

Liubov Kosachevskaya, travel blogger, Russia

Qiao's Grand Courtyard and Pingyao in Shanxi province impress tourists with their cultural history, architecture and food, and the Shanxi residents also leave visitors with lasting memories. They treat tourists, especially foreigners, with warmth and friendliness. During my time in Shanxi, I always felt warmly welcomed by the local people. The province left me with unforgettable memories.

Thanin Yous, freelance photographer, Cambodia

Shanxi boasts a new and extensive highway system, again with destination names also in Latin script. While the larger cities such as Taiyuan and Datong have their share of road congestion, as do all Chinese cities, the highways were relatively free of excessive traffic build-up and offered fantastic scenery to travelers. Impressive and frequent rest stops allow for creature comforts and make for a welcome break while traveling.

Holger Briel, director of communications department of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Germany

Over the past 2,000 years, Wutai Mountain has come to be respected not just among Chinese monks, but also across Asia, with Indian monks earlier on and later, Tibetan and Mongolian monks also making pilgrimages to the site. Wutai Mountain is a perfect example of harmony between Han and Tibetan Buddhism. The site has also had lamaseries and nunneries, some of which remain today, where only the best get the opportunity to study, coming from all over China. It has functioned as the nucleus of Han Buddhism and is in some ways the most sacred of the four Buddhist holy mountains.

Deepankar Aron, consul, India

Related:

Superior Shanxi, a destination you can't miss

The 'Way' to Shanxi