Shanxi
- Not to be confused with the unrelated province of Shaanxi
Shanxi (
山西 Hanyu Pinyin: Shānxī,
Wade-Giles:
Shan-hsi,
Postal system pinyin:
Shansi) is a northern
province of the
People's Republic of China. It's one-character abbreviation is Jin (晋
pinyin jìn), after the state of Jin that existed here during the
Spring and Autumn Period. Shanxi has an area of 150,000 km² and a population of 32.97 million.
Shanxi's name literally means "mountains' west", which refers to the province's location west of the Taihang Mountains. Shanxi borders
Hebei to the east,
Henan to the south,
Shaanxi to the west, and
Inner Mongolia to the north. The capital of Shanxi is
Taiyuan.
History
Shanxi was the location of the powerful Jin state during the Spring and Autumn Period. The Han Dynasty ruled Shanxi as the prefecture of Bingzhou (并州 Bìng Zhōu). During the barbarian invasions of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Shanxi was hotly disputed along with the rest of North China, and present-day Datong served for a time as the capital of the Northern Wei, a Xianbei kingdom that went on to rule all of north China. During the Tang and Tang the area was known as He-dong, or "east of the (Yellow) river". It was the Ming Dynasty that formally established the area as Shanxi province.
Subdivisions
Shanxi contains eleven prefecture-level cities:
(Note: "Prefecture-level cities" are large administrative divisions that cover both urban and rural areas, and do not actually refer to "cities" in the strictest sense of the word.\nSee Political divisions of China)
- Taiyuan (太原市 : Tàiyuán Shì)\n* Datong (大同市 : Dàtóng Shì)\n* Yangquan (阳泉市 : Yángquán Shì)\n* Changzhi (长治市 : Chángzhì Shì)\n* Jincheng (晋城市 : Jìnchéng Shì)\n* Shuozhou (朔州市 : Shuòzhōu Shì)\n* Jinzhong (晋中市 : Jìnzhōng Shì) - formerly 榆次 Yúcì\n* Yuncheng (运城市 : Yùnchéng Shì)\n* Xinzhou (忻州市 : Xīnzhōu Shì)\n* Linfen (临汾市 : Línfén Shì)\n* Luliang (吕梁市 : Lǚliáng Shì) - formerly 离石 Líshí\nThese prefectures, in turn, oversee 11 county-level cities, 85 counties, and 23 districts.
Geography
Shanxi is located on a plateau, which is in turn made up of higher ground to the east (Taihang mountains) and the west (Luliang mountains), and a series of valleys in the center through which the Fen River flows. The highest peak is Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) at an altitude of 3058 m. The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of
Huang He (or Yellow River), drain much of the province; the north is drained by tributaries of the Hai River, such as Sanggan and Hutuo rivers.
Shanxi has a
continental monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Annual precipitation averages around 350-700 mm. There is very little precipitation in winter and spring.
Major cities:
Economy
Shanxi depends mostly on agriculture, mainly the cultivation of
wheat, but also
corn and
sorghum.
Shanxi is very rich in natural resources, including
coal and
bauxite. Shanxi has, in fact, one third of
China's
coal, and this has made Shanxi a leading producer of coal within China.
Industry in Shanxi is mostly centered around
coal, power generation, metal
refining, and other heavy industries.
In 2001, Shanxi had a gross domestic product of 178 billion RMB, and a per capita income of 5460 RMB. By market exchange rates, these convert to US$21.5 billion and US$660 respectively.
Demographics
The population is mostly Han Chinese with
minorities of
Hui Chinese,
Mongols, and
Manchus.
Culture
People in most regions of Shanxi speak dialects of Jin-yu, a subdivision of Chinese. People in the southwest speak dialects of
Mandarin.\n(Jin-yu is sometimes classified as a subdivision of Mandarin. For more information, see
Chinese spoken language.)
Vinegar is a very important part of Shanxi cuisine.
Popular forms of traditional entertainment include Shanxi Opera (Jinju), Puju, Beilu Bangzi, Shangdang Bangzi and Shanxi Yangge.
Tourism
In addition to the major cities there are also the following sights:
Ancient City of Pingyao is a town and a World Heritage Site near
Taiyuan noted for its preservation of many features of northern
Han Chinese culture, architecture, and way of life during the
Ming and
Qing Dynasties.
Yungang Grottoes, a
World Heritage Site in
Datong consist of 252 caves noted for their collection of
5th and
6th century Buddhist cave art.
Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) is the highest point in the province. It is known as the residence of the
bodhisattva Manjusri, and as a result is also a major
Buddhist pilgrimage destination, with many temples and natural sights.
Mount Hengshan (Heng Shan), in Hunyuan County, is one of the Wu Yue (Five Great Peaks) of China, and is also a major
Taoist site.
Dazhai is a village in Xiyang County. Situated in hilly, difficult terrain, it was a holy site during the
Cultural Revolution, when it was set out to the entire nation as exemplary of the hardiness of the
proletariat, especially
peasants.
Miscellaneous topics
Major colleges and universities in Shanxi include:
- Shanxi University (山西大学)\n* Taiyuan University of Technology (太原理工大学)\n* Shanxi Agricultural University (山西农业大学)\n* Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学)\n* Shanxi Teachers University (山西师范大学)\n* Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学)\n* North China University of Science and Technology (华北工学院)\n** College Attached to North China University of Science and Technology (华北工学院分校)\n* Taiyuan University of Science and Technology (太原科技大学)\n* Changzhi Medical College (长治医学院)\n* Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (山西中医学院)\n* Xinzhou Teachers University (忻州师范学院)\n* Yuncheng University (运城学院)\n* Taiyuan Normal University (太原师范学院)\n* Jinzhong College (晋中学院)\n* Changzhi College (长治学院)\n* Datong University (山西大同大学)
All of the above universities are under the authority of the provincial government. Institutions not offering full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
External links
\n* http://www.shanxi.gov.cn \n*
China Internet Information Center
