Armenian student falls for Shanxi's 'infinite scenery'

In the eyes of Armenians, China is a magical country. Many friends from around the world come to China to explore the ancient legends. As I have been in Shanxi for almost 10 years, I can tell you that the mountains and rivers in Shanxi have infinite scenery, and visitors must come to Shanxi when they travel in China.

When I came to China 10 years ago, I think I was so lucky. I was admitted to Shanxi University and I started to learn Chinese there. After finishing my courses, I didn't want to leave. I continued to study for a master's degree at Shanxi University. After graduation, I started studying for a doctorate there.

Shanxi became my second home. I married a Shanxi man. Now that we have two beautiful Chinese-Armenian babies, my blood is truly integrated into China. This is another deeper relationship between me and Shanxi.

If I want to talk about Shanxi, I have to talk about the people first. Shanxi people are enthusiastic, sincere, kind and hardworking. Shanxi men take care of their families and love their wives and children. Because of this, my life in Shanxi is more at ease and comfortable.

Shanxi has given me many opportunities to make my life much more interesting and much more exciting. I had the honor of hosting Shanxi University's 110th anniversary with famous hosts Sun Zhengping, Lei Lu and Ye Peilong. I also had chance to take part in movies and TV programs, as well as publish articles and participate in other interesting activities.

With regard to food, I need to say you will get used to the local food very fast because the food here is like the mix of Asian and Western food. I thought that I would not get used to China before I came here. However, I gained 5 kg in a month after arriving in Shanxi.

Shanxi people love adding vinegar to their food. It tastes sour, but it's really delicious to eat dumplings, buns and noodles with a little vinegar. In fact, Shanxi people like to eat noodles, pancakes and buns.

My husband is from Yuncheng, Shanxi. People there love to eat noodles, and I learned that Shanxi has the most types of noodles in the whole country. The most famous of them is called daoxiaomian, or knife-cut noodles. There is a saying that the world's best noodles are in China, and the best of them all are in Shanxi.

One of the first folk songs I heard when I came to Shanxi was called People Say That Shanxi Has Good Scenery. I have been to many places here and found that Shanxi does have a lot of good scenic sites. For example, there are three world cultural heritage sites in Shanxi－Pingyao Ancient City, Yungang Grottoes and Wutai Mountain.

Yuncheng is a city you must visit if you come to Shanxi. It is one of the most amazing places to learn about Chinese history. One Chinese historical celebrity is Guan Yu, also known as the God of Wealth. He is famous because people believe that he can guarantee safety and bring wealth.

Shanxi is also the place where the Yellow River－the mother river of China－runs through. The magnificent Yellow River can be seen in scenic spots such as the Hukou Waterfall in Jixian county, the ancient town of Qikou in Linxian county and Qiankun Bay in Yonghe county.

The writer is a PhD student at Shanxi University in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.