Superior Shanxi, a destination you can't miss

Updated: 2015-08-17
By Holger Briel ( chinadaily.com.cn)

[Photo by Isidoro Ramirez/For chinadaily.com.cn]

With an area of 156,000 square kilometers, Shanxi is not a small province and there is much to see, so a functioning transport system is of utter importance. Travel on these buses was a pleasant experience as a well-developed road infrastructure is in place. Shanxi boasts a new and extensive highway system, again, with destination names also in Latin script.

While 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.

The immense size of the province does call for much traveling and it is therefore good to see that the government authorities, in collaboration with local tourism authorities, have anticipated many of the problems that could occur. One issue remains, but it is not one Shanxi province can solve by itself. This is the restriction on self-driving for international travelers.

At the moment, China does not recognize international driving licenses so in most places tourists do not have the option to rent a car and set off on their own.

It would be most welcome if this restriction were lifted as, by doing so, many of the beautiful provinces would be much more easily accessible. I am convinced that this will happen in the near future, as all would benefit from it and magical places such as Shanxi would become even more of a tourism magnet for international travelers.

If you plan to travel in China, do not miss Shanxi.