Wanbailin District on the western bank of the Fen River is Taiyuan's newer cultural and institutional quarter, home to the Shanxi Museum, the Art Museum, the Grand Theatre, and a broad riverside park. The district was developed with public investment over the last two decades and has a cleaner, more spacious feel than the older eastern districts — wider streets, newer buildings, and the green corridor of the river embankment running along its eastern edge.
The Shanxi Museum is the anchor of any visit to this district, but the riverside walk from the museum north to the Grand Theatre and south to Binhe Park is pleasant in good weather. Several good restaurants have opened near the museum over the last few years, catering to the cultural visitors rather than the surrounding residential population.