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Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of North China's Shanxi province. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km2, from whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1460 km2. The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River leaves the mountains.

Pre-1911
From around 859 BC the area around modern Taiyuan was occupied by the Rong people. In 662 BC the Rong were driven out by the Beidi people.

During the late Spring and Autumn period Taiyuan became the capital of Zhao. It was constructed by Zhao Jianzi in 497 BC. The city's original name in Zhao was "Jinyang", but it was renamed "Taiyuan" following its conquest by Qin in 228 BC.

During the Later Han dynasty (25−220 AD), Taiyuan was the capital of Bing province. The city was a secondary capital of the Eastern Wei (534−550) and Northern Qi (550−577) dynasties, during which it grew into a fairly large city and became a center of Buddhism. A new city was built in 562, which was later linked to the old city during the Tang dynasty (618–907), in AD 733.

The dynastic founder of the Tang dynasty, Li Yuan, was from Taiyuan. Li began his conquest of China with Taiyuan as a base, and relied heavily on the support of its local aristocracy. Li's successor, Li Shimin, was also from Taiyuan. The cave temples at Tianlong Mountain, just southwest of the city, were constructed during the mid-to-late Tang dynasty. Taiyuan was periodically designated as the Tang's northern capital under the name Beidu (北都) and grew into a heavily fortified military base as the dynasty progressed.

The old city was at Taiyuanzhen, a few miles east of the modern city. After the Song dynasty conquered China in 960, Emperor Taizong ordered the old city's destruction, but a new city was set up on the banks of the Fen River in 982.

In 1375, near the beginning of the Ming dynasty, it became the headquarters of the surrounding region.

In 1900 the Taiyuan Massacre occurred, when a number of western missionaries were killed.

The oldest existing building in the city is the Temple of the Goddess inside the Jin Ci Complex: it was originally built in 1023 AD and reconstructed in 1102. Taiyuan was deliberately flooded several times, including in 453 BC and 969 AD.

1911–1949
The warlord Yan Xishan retained control of Shanxi from the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 to the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Taiyuan consequently flourished as the center of his comparatively progressive province and experienced extensive industrial development. It was linked by rail both to the far southwest of Shanxi and to Datong in the north. Until the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 Yan's arsenal in Taiyuan was the only factory in China sufficiently advanced to produce field artillery. Because Yan succeeded in keeping Shanxi uninvolved in most of the major battles between rival warlords that occurred in China during the 1910s and 1920s, Taiyuan was never taken from Yan by an invading army until the Japanese conquered it in 1937. Yan was aware of the threat posed by the Japanese; and, in order to defend against the impending Japanese invasion of Shanxi, Yan entered into a secret "united front" agreement with the Communists in November 1936. After concluding his alliance with the Communists he allowed agents under Zhou Enlai to establish a secret headquarters in Taiyuan. Yan, under the slogan "resistance against the enemy and defense of the soil" attempted to recruit young, patriotic intellectuals to his government from across China, so that by 1936 Taiyuan became a gathering point for anti-Japanese intellectuals who had fled from Beijing, Tianjin, and Northeast China. A representative of the Japanese army, speaking of the final defense of Taiyuan, said that "nowhere in China have the Chinese fought so obstinately".

From the Japanese occupation of Taiyuan to the Japanese surrender in 1945, the Japanese continued to develop Taiyuan's industries and resources. After the Japanese army in Shanxi surrendered to Yan Xishan, 10,000-15,000 Japanese troops, including both enlisted men and officers, decided to fight for Yan rather than return to Japan. Yan also retained the services of experienced and foreign-educated Japanese technicians and professional staff brought into Taiyuan by the Japanese to run the complex of industries that they had developed around Taiyuan. Taiyuan was the last area in Shanxi to resist Communist control during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War. The city fell on April 22, 1949, after the Communists surrounded Taiyuan and cut it off from all means of land and air supply, and taking the city required the support of 1,300 pieces of artillery. The fall of Taiyuan was one of the few examples in the Chinese Civil War in which Nationalist forces echoed the defeated Ming loyalists who had, in the 17th century, brought entire cities to ruins resisting the invading Manchus. Many Nationalist officers committed suicide when the city fell. The dead included Yan's nephew-in-law, who was serving as governor, and his cousin, who ran his household. Liang Huazhi, the head of Yan's "Patriotic Sacrifice League", had fought for years against the Communists in Shanxi until he was finally trapped in the massively fortified city of Taiyuan. For six months Liang led a savage resistance, leading both Yan's remaining forces and those of the warlord's thousands of Japanese mercenaries. When Communist troops finally broke into the city and began to occupy large sections of it, Liang barricaded himself inside a large, fortified prison complex filled with Communist prisoners. In a final act of self-sacrifice, Liang set fire to the prison and committed suicide as the entire compound burned to the ground.

1949–present
Since 1949, Taiyuan has developed a large industrial base with heavy industry (notably iron and steel) of prime importance.

Geography
Taiyuan is one of the great industrial cities of China and lies on the Fen River in the north of its fertile upper basin. It is centrally located in Shanxi and commands the north-south route through the province, as well as important natural lines of communication through the Taihang Mountains to Hebei in the east and (via Fenyang) to northern Shanxi in the west.

Climate
Taiyuan experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Spring is dry, with frequent dust storms, followed by early summer heat waves. Summer tends to be warm to hot with most of the year's rainfall concentrated in July and August. Winter is long and cold, but dry and sunny. Because of the aridity, there tends be considerable diurnal variation in temperature, except during the summer. Conditions are much cooler than comparable-latitude cities, such as Shijiazhuang, due to the moderately high altitude. The monthly 24-hour average temperature range froms −5.5 °C in January to 23.4 °C in July, while the annual mean is 9.96 °C. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 51% in July to 61% in May, there are 2,502 hours of sunshine annually.

Environment
According to the 2005 statistical book issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, Taiyuan scored the fourth worst among China's main cities in air quality, with only 224 days (2004) of ambient air quality equal to or above grade II, after Lanzhou (worse, 204), Jinan (210) and Changsha (219), with 0.175 milligrams/m2 of particulate matter (the most/worst of all main cities) and 0.087 milligrams/m2 of sulphur dioxide (4th worst).

While the city remains heavily polluted, the situation has improved as a result of factory shutdowns arising from China's hosting of the Olympic Games and the global economic downturn.

Demographics
The Taiyuan - Yuci built up area is home to nearly 4,000,000 inhabitants in 2010.

Economy
In 2008, Taiyuan's nominal GDP was 146.8 billion yuan, a growth of 8.1% from the previous year. Taiyuan's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 2 billion yuan, 63.9 billion yuan, and 59.6 billion yuan respectively in 2007.

Shanxi produces a quarter of China's coal, and Taiyuan is the location of the China Taiyuan Coal Transaction Center, which began trading in 2012.

Residential Area
The most populated area in Taiyuan is Yinze District which is the downtown of Taiyuan City. Wanbailing and Xinhualing Districts are the other major residential districts. Apartments in high rises are the most common residence for the civics. Rare houses occupied by the government officials can be found along part of the Fen River and the suburbs except the northern area of the city for the high density of heavy industry in the north. The city's most expensive housing area currently is the part of Beidajie Avenue between Fen River and Wuyi Road for the CBD (Central Business District) of the metropolis is being built along the street. The Taiyuan area's most luxurious hotels and restaurants have been built along the avenue with some shopping malls and huge supermarkets surrounding. The City Revenue Agency, the City Procurator Fiscal, City Hall, and several telecommunication companies, such as China Telecom and China Mobile are located along the avenue. The housing price has reached 20000 RMB/m, roughly equal to $300/ft.

Transportation
Inner City transportation The Fen River flows through the city from north to south, dividing the city into two parts: Qiaoxi (West of the Bridge) and Qiaodong (East of the Bridge). As of 2007, there are five bridges across the Fen River within the city limits: the Shengli Bridge (1970), the Yifen Bridge (1990), the Yingze Bridge (1954), the Nanneihuan Bridge (1988), and the Changfeng Bridge (2001). About ten kilometers to the north of the Shengli Bridge, there is the Chaicun Bridge. Two more bridges are being planned: Beizhonghuan Bridge and Nanzhonghuan Bridge.

Air The primary airport of the city is Taiyuan Wusu Airport. The airport has been expanded for the landing of Airbus A380.

Highway
 * A highway circling the metropolis of City of Taiyuan has been built.
 * China National Highway 208

Railway The newly constructed Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan High-Speed Railway has shortened the travel time between Taiyuan and Beijing to less than three hours on a distance of 600 km.

The Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan Railway, opened in 2011, provides a direct connection with western Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, Ningxia, and points west.

Food
Shanxi, especially Taiyuan, has the most famous noodle cuisine in China. Also,Taiyuan's local specialties include:
 * Local Dish: guoyourou (过油肉 stir fried meat)
 * Yang za (羊杂), stir fried mixed mutton offal, is the featured dish in many popular restaurants.
 * Starch- or flour-made food: liang len (see grass jelly), mian pi (面皮)
 * Noodles: daoxiaomian (刀削面, knife-sliced noodles), lamian, maoerduo (猫耳朵, cat-ear shaped noodle), tomato egg noodles (西红柿炒鸡蛋面, noodles with tomato and scrambled eggs), tijian (剔尖, scraped noodles)
 * Soup:
 * Tounao (头脑, "brain" soup): Contains mutton, rice wine and vegetables in the soup. This dish was first created by Chinese polymath Fu Shan, who was proficient in medicine, for his old and illness-ridden mother as a food substitute for the ancient medicine Bazhen Tang (literally "Soup of Eight Treasures") using only locally available food materials that have similar effects as the original medicine.
 * Vinegar: Of the four kinds of famous vinegar in China, Shanxi aged vinegar or laochencu in Chinese is considered the best.

Tourism




Temple
Located at the southeast of Taiyuan City, there are two 53-meter-tall pagodas. Also known by the name 'Yongzuo Temple', they were built under the Emperor Wanli's order in 1608 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The amazing thing about Twin Pagoda Temple is that they were constructed with bricks.
 * Twin Pagoda Temple (双塔寺)

The best time to pay a visit is in spring (April and May) when all the peony and cloves are in their full bloom. These beautiful flowers are said to have been planted during the Ming Dynasty and their beauty indeed makes the old temple more elegant and appealing.
 * Admission Fee: 	CNY 30 (April 1 to October 31)
 * CNY 20 (November 1 to the next March 31)
 * Opening Hours: 	08:30 to 17:30
 * Recommended Time for A Visit: One hour''
 * Recommended Time for A Visit: One hour''

Chongshan Monastery is a famous Buddhist temple.It is located in Huangmiao Lane, Wuyi Road, Taiyuan City. Initially built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), also known by the name White Horse Monastery (Baima Si)(白马寺）. Chongshan Monastery represents rare artwork of the Ming Dynasty. It is under the protection of Shanxi Province and home to the Buddhist Association of Shanxi Province.
 * Chongshan Monastery (崇善寺）
 * ''Admission Fee: 	CNY 2
 * Bus Routes: 	2, 3, 843, 819, 818''

It is located in northeast of Wuyi Square，Yingze District，Taiyuan City. Initially built in Song Dynasty (960-1279), also known by the name Lúzu Temple.Chunyang Palace was expanded in the Qianlong regin (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty. Through small in size, Chunyang Palace is highly spoken because of its well-conceived layout. The palace is till one of the best place for sightseeing in Taiyuan
 * Chunyang Palace （纯阳宫）
 * Opening Hours: 08:00-18:00 in (summer), 09:00-17:00 (winter)

Museum
This is the only national coal museum in China. Tourists can learn how the coal resources are formed. Besides, the large-scale simulated mine is the only and the largest underground simulated mines in China and throughout the world. The facilities are real. It will vividly show tourists the development history of Chinese coal industry. Moreover, tourists can get the experience of digging coal.
 * The Coal Museum of China
 * Location: No.2 Yingze West Street Taiyuan City
 * Open Time: The museum is open for all year from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
 * Ticket: RMB60 Per Person
 * Bus route: No.1, 38, 611, 809, 813, 822, 855 and 859.

Shanxi Museum is the largest center for the collection, preservation, research and exhibition of cultural property in Shanxi Province. The museum has a fascinating collection of around 200,000 pieces of Shanxi cultural relics.The display of the Shanxi Museum is related to the “Soul of Jin (abbreviated name for Shanxi Province)”. It consists of 7 historical subjects and 5 artistic subjects. The historical subjects include “The Cradle of Civilization”, “The Trace of The Xia and Shang Dynasty”, “The Achievements of the Jin Kingdom”, “The Melting Pot of Different Nationalities”, “The Relics of Buddhism”, “The Hometown of Operas” and “The Shanxi Merchants.” The artistic subjects include “Jades”, “Ancient Chinese Porcelains”, “Ancient Architecture”, “Ancient Chinese Currency” and “Ancient Chinese Painting and Calligraphy”. These cultural relics are the most brilliant representatives of Shanxi's history and culture. * Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (every day except for Monday) * Address: No. 13, north section of West Bin He Road, Taiyuan City (太原市滨河西路北段13号) * Bus Transportation: Visitors can take bus No. 865 to get to the museum.
 * Shanxi Museum
 * Shanxi Art Gallery

Major schools

 * Affiliated High School of Shanxi University (山西大学附中)
 * Taiyuan No. 5 Secondary School (太原五中)
 * Shanxi Experimental Secondary School (山西省实验中学)
 * Taiyuan Foreign Language School (太原外国语学校)

Colleges and universities

 * Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (山西中医学院)
 * Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学)
 * Shanxi University (山西大学)
 * Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学)
 * Taiyuan Normal University (太原师范学院)
 * Taiyuan University of Science and Technology (太原科技大学)
 * Taiyuan University of Technology (太原理工大学)
 * North University of China (中北大学)

International relations
Taiyuan has a friendship pairing with the following cities:
 * 🇦🇺 Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
 * 🇨🇲 Douala, Cameroon
 * 🇩🇪 Chemnitz, Germany
 * 🇯🇵 Himeji, Hyōgo, Japan
 * 🇷🇺 Saratov, Syktyvkar, Russia
 * Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 Nashville, USA