Shanxi province has many sites along the Great Wall, putting it in a lead position in the number of sites, along approximately 3,500 kilometers in all. They have a long history and contain historical and cultural information, with the earliest dating back to around 369 BC. The existing complete walls and historical sites are now accounted for 1,500 kilometers.

Shanxi has eight types of walls, depending on the dynasty in which they were built -- the Warring States Period (475-221BC), Eastern Wei (534 - 550), Northern Qi (550 - 577), Northern Zhou (557 - 581), Sui Dynasty (581 - 618), Song (690 - 1279), Ming (1368 - 1644), and Qing (1644-1911)– with the Ming section being the largest in scale and involving the construction work lasted for 154 years.

Shanxi had great military significance in history thanks to its many passes along its great wall, including those at Yanmenguan, Niangziguan, Pianguan, and Pingxingguan.