Buddhist statue inside Xuankong Temple. [Photo by Isidoro Ramirez/ For chinadaily.com.cn]

Mineral-rich Shanxi offers much more for intrepid tourists, Emma Gonzalez reports.

As a business reporter for China Daily, I confess that the only thing I knew about Shanxi prior to my visit was that the province was rich in coal resources and the mining and chemical industries were the key economic drivers of the region. Such information is unlikely to appeal to the average traveler, but undoubtedly, Shanxi is a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered.

I wrongly assumed that mineral-rich Shanxi was an industrial hub with few tourist attractions but was pleasantly surprised to discover the province is a place to discover ancient Chinese culture and picturesque landscapes.

Locals boast that the province is one of the regions where Chinese culture originated and written records show that Shanxi's history dates back 3,000 years.

This is reflected in the fact that tourism is becoming the new engine for the province's economic development.

"Shanxi is making important investments to attract tourism and improve the quality of services that are being delivered," said Ma Bin, an official with the Municipal Committee Publicity Department of the city of Datong.