Shanxi, Merchants and Their Residences - Panoramic China

Shanxi Province, called 'Jin' for short, lies on the loess plateau, a land of varied topography, crisscrossed by gullies, and dubbed
a 'world created by a crazy god.' But, tucked away in this land of yellow earth stand many magnificent ancient courtyards, their owners
mostly Shanxi merchants-a unique group of business tycoons in China.
Through its lively text and illustrations, this book takes the
reader through the various courtyards throughout Shanxi,focusing on architectural arts, culture and customs and revealing many old family stories. It brings home to the reader the hardships endured by the courtyard owners when they started up in business, the rise and fall of Shanxi merchants over the centuries and the political, economic and historical reasons for this.