6 | DISCOVER SHANXI Friday, August 21, 2020 CHINA DAILY Province hits the gas to diversify economy

By YUAN SHENGGAO He said the company has nearly 200 people engaged in R&D, led by The first hydrogen­electric three top scientists from the Chi­ hybrid vehicle in Shanxi — a blue nese Academy of Engineering and and white bus — rolled off the pro­ overseas academies, as well as doz­ duction line of Dezhi Times New ens of other leading experts. Energy Vehicle Corp in Taiyuan on “In addition to the one in Aug 8. The occasion marked the Taiyuan, we also have R&D moment when the province facilities in Beijing, Shanghai, entered the “hydrogen era” of auto­ Suzhou in Jiangsu province and mobile manufacturing, according Shenzhen in Guangdong province to company executives. to make use of the technological The Yellow River flows in the west and south of Shanxi and has nurtured its flourishing local economy and culture. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY To support the operation of the resources in these cities,” Yu said. new energy vehicles, four hydro­ New energy development is a gen filling stations will be built in part of the Shanxi strategy to diver­ the city, according to local officials. sify its economy and reduce its reli­ The facilities can collectively fuel ance on coal, according to Li Dezhi, 50 vehicles at the same time. board chairman and founder of History and culture critical With zero emissions and high the company. efficiency, hydrogen fuel represents “Shanxi is promoting a revolu­ a breakthrough in new energy tionary transformation of its ener­ development for vehicles. Using its gy industry. The development of local hydrogen resources convert­ hydrogen as vehicular fuel is a new to Shanxi tourism success ed from coke and coal­bed meth­ breakthrough,” Li said. ane, Shanxi is planning to step up He said the hydrogen is convert­ the development of hydrogen­pow­ ed from coal­bed methane and gas “The strength of Shanxi’s tourism peace, Great Wall passes are the However, many of these successful ered vehicles, according to local produced in the coking process. industry lies in its long and storied venues of exchange between Han merchants started out as small ven­ officials and industry insiders. “Coal­bed gas and coke gas used history that has played an important people and nomads in the north. dors who traveled as far as Russia, Yu Zhiyuan, general manager of to be lesser­used byproducts of the role in China’s historical develop­ “When wars took place, high hopes selling tea, silk and other commodi­ Dezhi Times, said the prominent coal industry. Hydrogen develop­ ment in the past millennia,” the Party were pinned on the wall in the ties. advantage of hydrogen­electric ment is an innovative inheritance chief said. defense against invaders. And if the “The success of Jinshang mer­ hybrid vehicles is the brief refueling of the traditional industry by He noted Shanxi’s history dates wall was captured by the enemies, it chants was closely related to their time. The charging time for a pure improving the coal’s utilization back more than 5,000 years ago and was always disastrous for the nation,” qualities of hard work, endurance, electric vehicle is much longer. efficiency,” Li noted. More travel routes to is home of such Chinese forefathers Lou said. perseverance and entrepreneurship, “It take less than 10 minutes to He said his company has an be designed so more as Shennong and Emperor Shun. He also mentioned Datong, saying which are still the spiritual wealth of fully fill a hydrogen­electric hybrid annual production capacity of He mentioned how China’s mother Shanxi is one of the provinces and today’s Shanxi people,” Lou said. vehicle, which enables the vehicle to 10,000 large and medium­sized people can visit key river — the Yellow River, which flows regions in China with the largest The Party chief said Shanxi should run about 320 kilometers,” Yu said. hydrogen­electric hybrid buses as sites and attractions in the west and south of Shanxi and is number of cultural sites, and make full use of its historical and cul­ The executive said the company well as 30,000 other special vehicles. a landmark attraction in the province Datong’s Yungang Grottoes is a repre­ tural legacies to increase its appeal to is also developing a new­genera­ “We are planning to expand our — has nurtured a brilliant culture sentative of all the ancient cultural tourists and develop itself into an tion hydrogen­combustion engine, industrial chain to cover such By YUAN SHENGGAO and flourishing economy in the assets in Shanxi. internationally renowned destina­ which is expected to increase pow­ fields as hydrogen storage, trans­ region. A classical masterpiece of Chinese tion with greater influence and er output by 25 percent. portation and filling, in addition to Touring Shanxi is crucial for study­ “For millennia, residents along the Buddhist art, Yungang Grottoes stronger competitiveness. Yu noted that the success of the vehicle production,” Li added. ing the long history and rich culture river have used its water to irrigate played an important role among ear­ “For those who are interested in new vehicle development is a of ancient China, a top leader of the their farmlands. However, the river ly Oriental Buddhist grottoes with a China’s 5,000 years of history and the result of the company’s strength in Guo Yanjie contributed to this province was recently quoted as say­ sometimes destroyed their land and far­reaching effect on Buddhist cave country’s wealth of natural wonders, research and development. story. ing. properties and even took their lives art in China and East Asia, according Shanxi will definitely be a favored Lou Yangsheng, Party secretary of when severe floods happened. to Lou. destination,” Lou said. Shanxi, made the remarks at the “Therefore, the river was some­ Citing the history of renowned According to the Shanxi Cultural launch ceremony for the cultural times praised as the hope and glory of Shanxi merchants or Jinshang, the and Tourism Department, the prov­ tourism promotion campaign called the nation and sometimes cursed senior local leader said the history of ince will design 10 cultural routes for “Touring Shanxi, Learning Chinese when it brought disaster and despair,” Shanxi has been created by ordinary tourists, guiding them to more than History” held in the northern Shanxi Lou said. people, instead of emperors and rul­ 60 sites of historical and cultural city of Datong on Aug 11. Lou said Shanxi had stood at the ers. interest and 30 historical research According to Lou, while promoting forefront of conflicts and exchanges Shanxi is known for its historical sites. And a number of branding and Shanxi’s many cultural attractions, between Han people and northern commerce that was developed by the promotional events will be held at the campaign also aims to raise the nomads. Jinshang merchants, who were said home and abroad to make Shanxi local people’s confidence in their own “The Great Wall in Shanxi is the to have dominated commercial cir­ attractions better known to tourists. culture and help to develop a strong silent witness to many significant his­ cles in North China for about 500 cultural tourism industry in Shanxi. torical events in China. In times of years since the 14th century. Li Yu contributed to this story.

Festive time The first hydrogen­electric hybrid bus built by Dezhi Times New Energy Vehicles Corp. GUO YANJIE / FOR CHINA DAILY

For tourists who want to escape the summer heat, the Ice Cave in Ningwu county, Shanxi Folk songs to highlight province, is an ideal destination. At an altitude of 2,300 meters above sea level, the cave is mountain beauty spot located in Chunjingwa village some 50 kilometers to the west of the county seat. Researchers By YUAN SHENGGAO develop facilities and publicize the from the Institute of Geology and destination to tourists. Geophysics of the Chinese Zuoquan county in Shanxi During the past decade, the sce­ Academy of Sciences asserted province is promoting its main nic area has held a number of pro­ that the cave was formed some 3 attractions by holding an motional campaigns, including million years ago during the international folk song festival in photography contests and other Quaternary Glacial period. It the Lianhuayan Scenic Area. tourism events. Several movies became a national geopark in Scheduled to open on Aug 24, the were also shot on location there, 2005 and was rated as a 4A festival will include a singing con­ according to Zhao. tourist destination by the test with more than 100 partici­ The scenic area, which is situat­ nation’s tourism authorities in pants from home and abroad, ed in a valley and covers about 800 2011. CAO JIANGUO / FOR CHINA DAILY according to Zhao Hui, an official hectares, is now connected to the with the county’s publicity depart­ county seat some 30 kilometers ment. away with a new road. Lianhuayan, the venue, will be a In addition to the lotus­shaped highlight of local tourist promo­ rocks, another selling point of the the carved statues are elaborate and tion, Zhao said. area are the cave dwellings in the detailed. One gigantic Buddha tow­ Lianhuayan, which literally cliffs. So much to see away from the crowds ers above guests at 17 meters. There means “lotus­shaped rocks”, is According to Zhao, dozens of he sits serenely, in the cool shade of located at the heart of the Taihang cave dwellings have been discov­ his cave smiling peacefully. I feel tru­ Mountains in the east of Shanxi ered in Lianhuayan. The caves are By NATASHA The highlights for me, remember­ ly honored to have visited this his­ province. 6­20 square meters in space, each JARDINE­BINSTEAD ing that we were accompanied by toric place. “The area features a danxia comprising one to three rooms. our 5­year­old son at the time, were The last leg of our trip was spend­ landform. The cliffs here consist of Jiang Haixiao was one of the visi­ Chinese people have a good under­ definitely the Hanging Monastery ing time in the city of Datong. It is a layers of red­colored and lotus­pet­ tors to the scenic area. “I’m a native standing of their country’s natural, or Xuankong Temple, the Yungang city as noisy and busy as any major al­like rocks as a result of water of Zuoquan but I left my home­ historical and cultural treasures. Grottoes and the walled city of city in China. It brims with modern erosion over millions of years,” town when I graduated from a They plan family trips to these special Datong itself. China’s unstoppable expansion and Zhao said. He added that the huge local high school. I learned about sites over school holidays, sometimes Xuankong Temple is a sight that its intensive neon commerce. Yet, rocks also come in the shape of the attraction only recently. saving up for a lifetime to make sure leaves you breathless. The ancient this metropolis incorporates its past frogs, turtles and tigers. “The scenery here is overwhelm­ they have experienced the ancient wooden­structured temple cleaves into its present. A break from the However, the area was known ing, even for a native like me. I rec­ wonders of China. onto the sheer cliffs of Mount Heng­ bustle can be found by walking on by few tourists because of poor ommend the place to my friends,” Foreigners, however, usually have shan. Looking at it from the ground, the historical wall that still stands road connectivity and its location Jiang said. a very narrow view of what it appears to defy the laws of gravity. and snakes through the streets. It in a landlocked mountainous area. interesting sightseeing this vast Exploring its narrow walkways silently cradles the old city in its In 2009, local authorities began to Li Yali contributed to this story. country has to offer. Many tourists Natasha Jardine­Binstead from the top terrifies and enlivens embrace while anchoring new gen­ opt only for visiting areas of the Great your soul. erations to their history. Datong is a Wall, the Forbidden City and the The temple is over 1,500 years old city certainly worth seeing. Summer Palace in Beijing, which are relocate to Shanxi province in 2018. and it is magic to behold. It is also a I will always be grateful that Shanxi always teeming with excited crowds My husband and I were both sight so few outsiders to China have University took the time to show us a of both foreigners and Chinese. employed as English teachers at ever been privileged enough to gaze different China and open our eyes to These are indeed iconic places but Shanxi University in the capital city upon. parts of Shanxi’s treasure trove. I sin­ those looking for a fuller and richer of the province, Taiyuan. The Yungang Grottoes is a UNES­ cerely wish more foreigners have the traveling experience should include The university invited us on a trip CO World Heritage Site. There are opportunity to adventure into little places in the heart of China too. to Datong, Shanxi province. What 252 caves with approximately known places in China. Datong is a I was indeed one of those foreign­ we encountered on that trip was 51,000 carved statues of Buddha. fascinating area to begin that sort of ers that had before seen the famous surprising, illuminating and The caves date back to about 1,600 adventure. I look forward to visiting attractions in Beijing when visiting remarkable in equal measure. We years ago. We spent most of the day more of the incredible Shanxi , which China. I did not possess the knowl­ were treated to some exceptional there walking through the sprawl­ is now my home. edge of the lesser publicized, yet sights that I believe not many for­ ing grounds and admiring the abun­ astonishing landmarks. Luckily eigners have traveled to or have dant artifacts on display. The caves The writer is a South African Lianhuayan, featuring lotus­shaped rocks, is an emerging tourist however my family and I were able even heard of. are extensive and labyrinthine and working at Shanxi University. destination in Zuoquan county. XING LANFU / FOR CHINA DAILY

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