Shanxi is located in the central and eastern part, and has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It is one of the dividing lines between Han nationality and ethnic minorities. The northern part of Shanxi Province has belonged to ethnic minority areas since ancient times, and outside Yanmenguan (now Shuozhou, Shanxi Province) is the gathering place of Xiongnu and Qidan. In Datong, Shanxi, Fan Shi and Daixian in the east of Xinzhou are the gathering places of Xianbei people, so Shanxi people have ethnic origins.
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties in China's history, the northern minorities successively established 16 minority regimes through wars, and then gradually merged with the Han nationality.