Jinshang Museum, located in the city's Xinghualing district and covering a floor space of 30,000 square meters, displays items related to the famed Shanxi merchants or Jinshang. The facility showcases – in detail – the development of the Jinshang. 

Shanxi is known for its historical commerce that the Jinshang developed. Jinshang dominated commercial circles in North China for about 500 years during the Ming (1368­-1644) and Qing (1644-­1911) dynasties. 

Many of these successful merchants started out as small vendors. They made their fortune by selling goods like tea, silk and porcelain in regions as far away as Russia.