Geography
Shanxi (literally, west of mountain)
is named after its location in the west of the Taihang Mountain Range. It is
situated 34"35"-40"45" north latitude and 110"15"-114"32" east longitude with an
area of 156,300 square kilometers. It is bounded by the North China Plain in the
east and the middle Yellow River in the west. Mountains cover 67.5% of Shanxi
Province, and its highlands, hills and basins stand at about 1,000 meters or
more above sea level, sloping from northeast to southwest.
Climate
Shanxi has a continental monsoonal climate
with distinctive seasons. It has cold winters but mild summers, with a mean
annual temperature of 6oC to 14oC. The greater part of the province has a mean
annual precipitation of 400-650 mm, increasing gradually from northwest to
southeast.
Administrative Division and
Population
It
is divided into 1 district, 10 prefecture-level
cities, 12 county-level cities and 85 counties, with a population
of 32.97 million as of 2000, mainly including ethnic groups of Han,
Hui, Mongolian and Manchu.
Food
Daoxiao Mian (Knife-Pared Noodles), Shaomai
(steamed dumplings with the dough gathered at the top), and Youmian (Naked Oats
Noodles), etc.
Special Local Products
The traditional specialties are Fen wine,
Zhuyeqing wine, Qingxu vinegar and Changzhi ginseng.
Culture
Shanxi Bangzi (a kind of opera in Shanxi),
Huagu (Flower Drum), and Yangge (popular rural folk dance), etc.
Brief Introduction
Shanxi, Jin for short, is situated on the
middle segment of the Yellow River. The land of Shanxi is one of the origins of
Chinese civilization, exhibiting evidence of human settlement over a million
years ago. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), a famous legendary hero, apparently
sojourned in Shanxi, and the earliest rulers, Yao, Shun and Yu, all founded
their capitals there. Datong, known as Pingcheng in ancient times, was the
capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and famous throughout the Southern
and Northern Dynasties (420-581). During the Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907)
Dynasties, Shanxi became very prosperous. In the past, Shanxi people were once
called the Chinese Jews, indicating that they were people of wisdom. The long
history of Shanxi has provided the province with a rich and colorful cultural
heritage.
The basins here are the
main agricultural region. The most important products are wheat, corn, cotton and
peanut. Shanxi is the base of coal industry. The produces of heavy machinery and
textile are very important in the whole country. Also, there is iron and
steel, electric power, chemical industry, textile and food. The communication is
mainly railway. And the highway here is convenient, too.
There are abundant historic reserves in
Shanxi, including Wutai Mountain, Hengshan Mountain, the Jin Ancestral Hall in
Taiyuan, the Yungan Grottos in Datong, the Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao, the
Hanging Temple in Hunyuan, and the Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River.