Discovering Shanxi

Just scramble up the steep walkway that winds past the waterfall and you find yourself on a cantilevered wooden pathway perched precariously over the valley below, which you can glimpse through the cracks between the planks or logs. On one inward side are the basic, rudimentary dwellings of the village, on the other, a remarkable view of the valley below.

Or perhaps you're wondering where lao niu wan, or Old Cow Bay, is and if so you're probably not alone. But, considering the fact that it's where the Yellow River meets the Great Wall, it's amazing that it's managed to remain so undeveloped and relatively unknown.

Up atop the steep cliffs that run down to the river lies an old fortress, once an indispensable part of the defense against northern invaders, from which you can gaze across the river to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

What's most remarkable, perhaps, is the lack of development. Nonetheless, while the crumbling fort is no doubt just a shadow of what it was in its heydays therein lies its beauty.

There are no boardwalks, no glass walkways, and if you really wanted you could push down part of the ancient walls with your bare hands. And, while restoration does have its merits, you can't help feeling that it's perfect the way it is now.

When you combine the natural beauty of the steep cliffs framing the Yellow River with the fascinating fort in it's natural, undisturbed form, you're unlikely to even pay much attention to the Great Wall lying just across the river.

And reaching these places might not be easy - it's likely going to involve a long bus ride or hiring a private car - but the payoff is that you get to see things in their natural state, without adornment and without throngs of tourists. Shanxi province just may be the China you've long been looking for.

The author is an Australian and a web editor at International Business Unit, Ctrip.com.