Yanmen Fort helps Shanxi win the battle for its soul

It's easy to get a certain impression of Shanxi if you've never been there, as the province's reputation goes before it. And that reputation has, for a long time, been bad.

With the growth of clean energy, however, the province is finally shedding its image as a coal-producing, polluting behemoth, and is rebuilding its economy through a long-neglected treasure: Its rich cultural heritage.

Standing on the outskirts of the city of Datong, Yanmen Fort, also known as Yanmen Pass, was the first frontier to separate the empire from nomadic tribes, and it performed this role from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) onwards.