Shanxi Province

Shanxi is a province in North China covering an area of 156,000 km² (60,000 square miles) and has a population of around 35 million people. Its capital and largest city is Taiyuan, while its next most populated cities are Changzhi and Datong. The name Shanxi means ‘west of the mountains’, a reference to its location west of the Taihang Mountains. It borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to the west and Inner Mongolia to the north. Shanxi’s terrain is characterised by a plateau bounded partly by mountain ranges. It is a leading producer of coal in China, possessing roughly a third of China’s total coal deposits. Shanxi’s culture is largely dominated by the ethnic Han majority, who make up over 99% of its population. Jin Chinese is considered by some linguists to be a distinct language from Mandarin and its geographical range covers most of Shanxi. Both Jin and Mandarin are spoken.

The province is located on a plateau made up of higher ground to the east – the Taihang Mountains and the west – the Lüliang Mountains, as well as a series of valleys in the centre through which the Fen River runs. The Great Wall of China forms most of the northern border with Inner Mongolia. The Zhongtiao Mountains run along part of the southern border and separate Shanxi from the east-west part of the Yellow River forming the western border with Shaanxi. The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of the Yellow River, run north-to-south through the province, and drain much of its area. The north of the province is drained by tributaries of the Hai River, such as Sanggan and Hutuo rivers. The largest natural lake in Shanxi is Xiechi Lake, a salt lake near Yuncheng in the southwest.

Yonghe County – ©归零者 CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Shanxi has a continental monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Average January temperatures are below 0 °C, while average July temperatures are around 21–26 °C. Winters are long, dry, and cold, while summer is warm and humid. Spring is extremely dry and prone to dust storms. It is one of the sunniest parts of China; early summer heat waves are common. Annual precipitation averages around 14 to 28 inches, with 60% of it concentrated between June and August.

The outline of Shanxi’s territory is a parallelogram that runs from southwest to northeast. It is a typical mountain plateau widely covered by loess. The terrain is high in the northeast and low in the southwest. The interior of the plateau is undulating, the valleys are vertical and horizontal, and the types of landforms are complex and diverse. There are mountains, hills, terraces, plains, and rivers. The area of mountains and hills accounts for 80% of the total area of the province, and the area of Pingchuan and river valleys accounts for the rest. Most of the province’s is above 5,000 feet, and the highest point is the Yedoufeng, the main peak of Wutai Mountain, with an altitude of over 10,000 feet, which is the highest peak in northern China.

Birding Shanxi

Given the topography and habitat its no surprise to know that birding Shanxi means observing montane and arboreal species on the one hand, and riverine species on the other. Moreover, the relatively mild winters means significant numbers of over-wintering birds. Birding localities include popular visitor attractions as well as more protected areas of pristine and virgin forest etc.

Brown-eared Pheasant Crossoptilon mantchuricum – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Luyashan Nature Reserve is located in Ningwu County and covers an area of 21,453 hectares. It was established to protect the Chinese endemic Brown-eared Pheasant and the forest ecosystem. With large areas of deciduous and spruce forest, the reserve is one of the few areas in Loess Plateau with virtually undamaged ecosystems. The reserve has recorded more than 100 bird species, including Black Stork, Golden Eagle, Lammergeier, Chinese Nuthatch and Chinese Leaf Warbler, etc.

Lishan Nature Reserve is located in west Shanxi and covers 24,800 hectares. It has the largest primeval forest in North China which covers 800 hectares. The flora and fauna in the reserve is of a transition region between south and north which contributes the reserve abundant living resources. Close to 300 bird species have been recorded. Top target species include: Amur Falcon, Brown Shrike, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Yellow-bellied Tit, Silver-throated & Sooty Bushtits, Manchurian, Brownish-flanked & Yellowish-bellied Bush Warblers, Yellow-browed Warbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Plain Laughingthrush, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, White-crowned Forktail, Taiga Flycatcher and Grey-headed Bullfinch.

Panquangou Nature Reserve is located in Fangshan and Jiaocheng Counties. Covering an area of 10,466 hectares, the reserve is one of the eight bird sanctuaries in China aiming to protect Brown-eared Pheasants. Around 200 bird species have been recorded in the reserve. The population of Brown-eared Pheasant here has quadrupled since protection to around 2000 birds. Other species of note include Mandarin Duck, Grey-capped Pygmy, Great Spotted & Black Woodpeckers, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Spotted Nutcracker, Silver-throated Bushtit, Plain Laughingthrush, Chinese Hill Babbler, Chinese Nuthatch, Black-throated, Red-throated & Naumann’s Thrushes, White-winged Redstart, Godlewski’s and Yellow-throated Buntings.

Godlewski’s Bunting Emberiza godlewskii – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Yuncheng Wetlands Reserve is situated in Yuncheng City along the Yellow River. As one of the most important wetlands in the middle reaches of Yellow River and the largest wetland in Shanxi Province, the reserve is the main wintering habitat for migratory birds in north of China. The reserve has recorded around 240 bird species including notable species such as Black stork, Great Bustard, Ruddy Shelduck, Eastern Cattle Egret, Pied Harrier, Grey-headed Lapwing, Hill Pigeon, Brown & Chinese Grey Shrikes, Black-naped Oriole, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Asian Short-toed Lark, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Chinese Hill Babbler and Pallas’s Bunting.

Xuanzhong Temple is situated on Shibi Mountain in the northwest of Jiaocheng County. It is one of birthplaces of Jingtu, one of important sects of Chinese Buddhism. It is the best place to see the endemic Brown Eared-Pheasant and has become one of Shanxi’s most famous birding hotspots. Other special birds include Grey-headed Woodpecker, Azure-winged Magpie, Spotted Nutcracker, Silver-throated Tit, Beijing Babbler, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Pere David’s Laughingthrush, Long-tailed Rosefinch and Godlewski’s Bunting, among others. Other birding locations, in no particular order, include: Sanggan River National Wetland Park in Datong city, Taipingyao Reservoir in Shuozhou city, Luya Mountain in Xinzhou city, Fenhe River No 2 Dam in Qingxu county, Xiaohe Wetland Park in Jincheng city, Lingkong Mountain scenic area in Qinyuan county, Sanwan whooper swan scenic area in Pinglu county, Shunwangping scenic area in Yuanqu county, Huliu River wetland in Guangling county, Shengtian Lake in Ruicheng county and Dongyulin Reservoir in Shuozhou city.