Ｇｅｎｇ　Ｙａｎｂｏ：Ｄａｔｏｎｇ’ｓ　Ｓｃｈｏｌａｒｌｙ　Ｍａｙｏｒ.docVIP

Ｇｅｎｇ　Ｙａｎｂｏ：Ｄａｔｏｎｇ’ｓ　Ｓｃｈｏｌａｒｌｙ　Ｍａｙｏｒ 　　SPEAKING to Geng Yanbo, the new mayor of Datong, it is difficult not to be swept up by his enthusiasm for the history of his city.And it is that enthusiasm which a majority of the city’s residents agree also accounts for Geng’s unique approach to modernizing Datong while preserving its long cultural heritage. Looking about, the evidence of that commitment is everywhere, from the newly opened shops to the freshly paved roads. Since being transferred in March from Taiyuan to Datong to become acting mayor and deputy secretary of the Municipal Committee of the CPC, Geng has acted resolutely to turn this industrious coal town into a cultural showpiece. 　　 　　 　　Playing on a Larger Stage 　　 　　In July, Geng was officially elected as mayor of Datong. The fifty-year-old is a native of Shanxi, and began his political career there. His masterpieces include the Wang Family Mansion and the Changs’ Manor tours, which have whetted the appetite of tourists for Datong’s rich tourism resources of human interest and greatly propelled the city’s travel industry. 　　A scholarly man, Geng has a profound knowledge of culture and history. Speaking at length, he expounded with a rare enthusiasm on the history of Northern Wei (386-534), when Datong was in its heyday. It is Geng’s enthusiasm for traditional culture that drives him to insist on protecting the cultural relics of his city while maintaining an enviable pace of construction. 　　Datong, the second largest city in Shanxi, is well-known as a coal city. But speak to the locals, and they will tell you they are far prouder of their 2,400-year history. As an important Buddhist town in China’s north, the city has an impressive collection of religious artifacts, which are as beautiful as they are spiritually significant.The Yungang Grottoes, for example, represent the peak of Chinese Buddhist grotto art. Other relics include the Hanging Temple, which is suspended from a high cliff, and the Nine-dr