The Fen River runs through the centre of Taiyuan from north to south, and the landscaped embankment on both banks has been developed into a continuous riverside park stretching several kilometres through the city. In the evening the embankment lights up with LED installations, food vendors, and the general foot traffic of a Chinese city enjoying its outdoor space — the atmosphere is lively and the views across the illuminated water are better than the city's industrial reputation might suggest.
The embankment is also a good place to watch Taiyuan's ordinary life: older residents doing slow exercises in the morning, couples walking in the evening, children with toy boats at the lake sections. The western bank path passes the Shanxi Museum and connects to Binhe Park further south. The river itself has been substantially cleaned up over the last decade — it is no longer the open sewer it was described as in earlier travel accounts — though it is not a natural waterway.