Shanxi Province
Chinese : 山西省 Shānxī Shěng
Abbreviations: 晋  (pinyin: Jìn)
Origin of name	山 shān - mountain 西 xī - west "west of the Taihang Mountains"
Administration type	Province
Capital (and largest city)	Taiyuan
CPC Ctte Secretary	Zhang Baoshun 张宝顺
Governor	Meng Xuenong 孟学农 (acting)
Area	156,800 km² (60,500 sq mi) (19th)
Population (2004)  - Density	33,350,000 (19th) 213 /km² (550 /sq mi) (19th)
GDP (2006)  - per capita	CNY 474. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use The Taihang Mountains ( are a Chinese Mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei A province, in the context of China, is a translation of sheng ( which is an administrative division Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China. The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the A committee (some of which are titled instead as a "Commission" or other terms discussed below in) is a type of small Deliberative assembly that is usually intended Meng Xuenong ( born August 8, 1949) is a politician of the People's Republic of China. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. This is a list of the first-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China (PRC including all provinces autonomous regions special administrative In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume This is a list of the first-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China (PRC including all provinces autonomous regions municipalities This articles lists of the first-level administrative divisions of People's Republic of China (P Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 7 billion (18th) CNY 14,106 (15th)
HDI (2005)	0. This is a list of the first-level administrative divisions of Mainland China (including all provinces autonomous regions and municipalities in order of their total Gross This is a list of the first-level administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China (PRC including all provinces autonomous regions and municipalities in order of The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 753 (medium) (16th)
Major nationalities	Han - 99. The following is a list of ethnic groups in China where "China" is taken to mean areas controlled by either of the two states using "China" in their formal Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. 7% Hui - 0. The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam. 2%
Prefecture-level	11 divisions
County-level	119 divisions
Township-level†	1388 divisions
ISO 3166-2	CN-14
Official website www.shanxigov.cn (Chinese)
Source for population and GDP data: 《中国统计年鉴—2005》 China Statistical Yearbook 2005 ISBN 7503747382 Source for nationalities data: 《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》 Tabulation on nationalities of 2000 population census of China ISBN 7105054255 † As at December 31, 2004

Shanxi (help·info) (Chinese: 山西; pinyin: Shānxī; Wade-Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shansi) is a province in the northern part of the People's Republic of China. Prefecture, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China. In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) Township ( is the basic level of political divisions in China. ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Wade-Giles (ˌweɪdˈʤaɪlz) sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization system (phonetic notation and Transcription) for the Mandarin Chinese Postal Map Romanization ( Traditional Chinese: 郵政式拼音 Simplified Chinese: 邮政式拼音 Pinyin: Yóuzhèngshì Pīnyīn refers to the See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted Northern China or North China ( literally "China's north" is a Geographical region of China. Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Its one-character abbreviation is Jin (晋 pinyin jìn), after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Jin ( Traditional Chinese: 晉 Simplified Chinese: 晋 Pinyin: Jìn was one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC

Shanxi's name literally means "mountains' west", which refers to the province's location west of the Taihang Mountains. The Taihang Mountains ( are a Chinese Mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei ^[1] Shanxi borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the north. ( Postal map spelling: Hopeh) is a northern province of the People's Republic of China. Henan ( is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol The capital of the province is Taiyuan. Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China.

History

Shanxi was the location of the powerful state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC - 403 BC), which underwent a three-way split into the states of Han, Zhao and Wei in 403 BC, the traditional date taken as the start of the Warring States Period (403 BC - 221 BC). Jin ( Traditional Chinese: 晉 Simplified Chinese: 晋 Pinyin: Jìn was one of the most powerful states in the Spring and Autumn Period The Spring and Autumn Period ( was a period in Chinese history which roughly corresponds to the first half of the Eastern Zhou dynasty (from the second half of the 8th century BC Events and trends 728 BC — Piye invades Egypt, conquering Memphis, and receives the submission of the rulers of the Nile Events By place Greece Thrasybulus leads the democratic resistance to the new oligarchic government known as the Thirty Han (韓國 Hánguó) ( 403 BC - 230 BC) was a kingdom during the Warring States Period in China. Zhao ( Pinyin: zhào Traditional Chinese: 趙 Simplified Chinese: 赵 was a Chinese State during The following details the state of Wei of the Warring States Period. Events By place Greece Thrasybulus leads the democratic resistance to the new oligarchic government known as the Thirty The Warring States Period ( also known as the Era of Warring States covers the period from some time in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Events By place Greece Thrasybulus leads the democratic resistance to the new oligarchic government known as the Thirty Events By place Carthage The Carthaginian general Hasdrubal is murdered by a Celtic assassin while campaigning to increase By 221 BC all of these states had fallen to the state of Qin, which established the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). Events By place Carthage The Carthaginian general Hasdrubal is murdered by a Celtic assassin while campaigning to increase Qín or Ch'in ( Wade-Giles) (秦 ( 778 BC - 207 BC) was a State during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods Not to be confused with the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty of China Events By place Carthage The Carthaginian general Hasdrubal is murdered by a Celtic assassin while campaigning to increase Events By place Roman Republic In the Battle of Ilipa ( Alcalá del Río, near Seville) in Spain, the

The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) ruled Shanxi as the province (zhou) of Bingzhou (幷州 Bīng Zhōu). The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Events By place Roman Republic In the Battle of Ilipa ( Alcalá del Río, near Seville) in Spain, the Events By Place Roman Empire The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans. The zhōu (州 was a historical political division of China. First established during the Han Dynasty, zhou continued to exist until the establishment During the invasions of northern nomads during the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304 - 439), what is now Shanxi was controlled one after the other by several regimes, including Later Zhao, Former Yan, Former Qin, and Later Yan. The Sixteen Kingdoms ( or less commonly the Sixteen States, were a collection of numerous short-lived sovereign states in China proper and its neighboring areas Events By Place Roman Empire The Roman colony of Konstanz is founded Events By Place Western Roman Empire Licinia Eudoxia, wife of the Emperor Valentinian III, is granted the title of ''Augusta'' The Later Zhao ( 319 - 351) was a State of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 in China. The Former Yan ( 337 - 370) was a State of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. The Former Qin ( 351 - 394) was a State of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. The Later Yan ( 383 - 407 or 409) was a Murong - Xianbei state locate in north-east of current China during the era of Sixteen They were followed by Northern Wei (386 - 534), a Xianbei kingdom, which had one of its earlier capitals at present-day Datong in northern Shanxi, and which went on to rule nearly all of northern China. The Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏 Pinyin: běi wèi 386 - 534) also known as the Tuoba Wei (拓拔魏 Later Wei (後魏 or Events By Place Roman Empire Theodosius I concludes peace with Persia, dividing Armenia between them Events By Place Byzantine Empire January 1 — Decimus Theodorius Paulinus is appointed Consul (the last to hold this The Xianbei ( were a significant nomadic people residing in Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, or Xianbei Shan. Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of

During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) and after, the area was called Hédōng (河東), or "east of the (Yellow) river". The Tang Dynasty ( Middle Chinese: dhɑng (June 18 618&ndashJune 4 907 was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by Events By Place Asia The Sui Dynasty ends and the Tang Dynasty begins in China. Events By Place Asia Oleg leads the Kievan Rus' in a campaign against Constantinople (see Rus'-Byzantine

During the first part of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 - 960), Shanxi supplied three of the Five Dynasties, as well as the only one of the Ten Kingdoms to be in northern China. Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms ( 907-960 was an era of political upheaval in China, beginning in the Tang Dynasty and ending in the Song Dynasty. Events By Place Asia Oleg leads the Kievan Rus' in a campaign against Constantinople (see Rus'-Byzantine Events By Place Europe Edgar the Peaceable is crowned King of England. Shanxi was initially home to the jiedushi (commander) of Hedong, Li Cunxu, who overthrew the first of the Five Dynasties, Later Liang Dynasty (907 - 923) to establish the second, Later Tang Dynasty (923 - 936). The Jiedushi ( were regional military governors in China during the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Li Cunxu was King of Jin, China (908-923 and later became Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (923-926 The Later Liang ( ( June 5, 907 - 923) was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Events By Place Asia Oleg leads the Kievan Rus' in a campaign against Constantinople (see Rus'-Byzantine Events By Place Europe June 15 — Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the The Later Tang Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty that lasted from 923 to 936 one of the five dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period Events By Place Europe June 15 — Battle of Soissons: King Robert I of France is killed and King Charles the Events By Place Asia King Taejo of Goryeo (Wanggeon defeats Hubaekje. Another jiedushi of Hedong, Shi Jingtang, overthrew Later Tang to establish the third of the Five Dynasties, Later Jin Dynasty, and yet another jiedushi of Hedong, Liu Zhiyuan, established the fourth of the Five Dynasties (Later Han Dynasty) after the Khitans destroyed Later Jin, the third. Shi Jingtang 石敬瑭 (892-942 was the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty (936-946 the third of the Five Dynasties that controlled much of northern China from Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" (see clarification here. Gaozu of Later Han or Liu Zhiyuan (895-948 was the Shatuo Turk founder of the Later Han Dynasty, the fourth of the Five Dynasties in the Five Dynasties Finally, when the fifth of the Five Dynasties (Later Zhou Dynasty) was established, the jiedushi of Hedong at the time, Liu Chong, rebelled and established an independent state called Northern Han, one of the Ten Kingdoms, in what is now northern and central Shanxi. The Later Zhou Dynasty ( Simplified Chinese 后周 Traditional Chinese 後周 Pinyin Hòu Zhōu was the last a succession of five dynasties Liu Min (劉旻 (895 - 954 also known as Liu Chong was the founder of the Northern Han kingdom of China ’s Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, This article is about the Northern Han in the Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Shi Jingtang, founder of the Later Jin Dynasty, the third of the Five Dynasties, ceded a large slice of northern China to the Khitans in return for military assistance. Shi Jingtang 石敬瑭 (892-942 was the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty (936-946 the third of the Five Dynasties that controlled much of northern China from Note that there are four periods of Chinese history using the name "Jin" (see clarification here. The Khitan (or Khitai,) were a Nomadic people, located in Mongolia and modern Manchuria (Northeast China from the 4th century dominating much of it This territory, called The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, included a part of northern Shanxi. The ceded territory became a major problem for China's defense against the Khitans for the next 100 years, because it lies to the south of the Great Wall. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th

During the Northern Song Dynasty (960 - 1127), the sixteen ceded prefectures continued to be an area of hot contention between Song China and the Liao Dynasty. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Events By Place Europe Edgar the Peaceable is crowned King of England. The Liao Dynasty ( 907 - 1125, also known as the Khitan Empire (契丹國 was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria The Southern Song Dynasty that came after abandoned all of North China to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in 1127, including Shanxi. The Song Dynasty ( Wade-Giles: Sung Ch'ao was a ruling dynasty in China between 960&ndash1279 CE it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Northern China or North China ( literally "China's north" is a Geographical region of China. The Jurchens ( were a Tungus people who inhabited the region of Manchuria ( Northeast China) until the 17th century when they adopted the name Manchu This is an article for the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115–1234 For other Chinese dynasties whose names are also rendered "Jin" in Pinyin, see Jin Dynasty

The Mongol Yuan Dynasty divided China into provinces but did not establish Shanxi as a province. The Yuan Dynasty ( Pinyin: Yuáncháo Dai Ön Ulus (Дай Юан Улс was a ruling Dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Shanxi was formally established with its present name and approximate borders by the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led During the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), Shanxi was extended northwards beyond the Great Wall to include parts of Inner Mongolia, including what is now the city of Hohhot, and overlapped with the jurisdiction of the Eight Banners and the Guihua Tümed banner in that area. Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China Year 1911 ( MCMXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol Hohhot ( Mongolian:, Kökeqota; lit "Blue Town") occasionally spelled Huhehot or Huhhot, is a city in North-central China and the The Eight Banners (In Manchu: jakūn gūsa, In Chinese: 八旗 baqí were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed This article is about a type of administrative division in Inner Mongolia China

During most of the Republic of China's period of rule over mainland China (1912-1949), Shanxi was held by warlord Yen Hsi-shan, regardless of the frequent political upheavals that shook the rest of China. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Year 1912 ( MCMXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year starting Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Yen Hsi-shan, ( ( 8 October, 1883 &ndash 22 July, 1960) was a Chinese Warlord who served in the government of the During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan occupied much of the province after defeating China in the Battle of Taiyuan. The Second Sino-Japanese War ( July 7, 1937 to September 9, 1945) was a major war fought between the Republic of China and the The Japanese offensive called 太原作戦 or the Battle of Taiyuan ( was a major battle fought between China and Japan named for Taiyuan (the capital Shanxi was also a major battlefield between the Japanese and the Chinese communist guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army during the war. The Eighth Route Army ( was the larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that formed a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China which

After the defeat of Japan, much of the Shanxi countryside became important bases for the communist People's Liberation Army in the ensuing Chinese Civil War. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China. Yen had incorporated thousands of former Japanese soldiers among his own forces, and these soldiers became part of his failed defense of Taiyuan against the People's Liberation Army in early 1949. Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

For centuries Shanxi was a center of trade and banking, and the term "Shanxi merchant" (晋商 jìnshāng) was once synonymous with wealth; the well-preserved city of Pingyao, in Shanxi, also shows many signs of its former dominance as a center of trade and banking. Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. A banker or bank is a Financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province In modern times, the mining of coal is important in Shanxi's economy.

Geography

Shanxi is located on a plateau, which is in turn made up of higher ground to the east (Taihang Mountains) and the west (Lüliang Mountains), and a series of valleys in the center through which the Fen River runs. The Taihang Mountains ( are a Chinese Mountain range running down the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei The Lüliang Mountain range is a mountain range along the western border of Shanxi. The Fen River ( is a river in Shanxi Province the People's Republic of China. The highest peak is Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) in northeastern Shanxi at an altitude of 3058 m. Mount Wutai () also known as Wutai Mountain, located in Shanxi, China, is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. The Great Wall of China forms most of the northern border of Shanxi with Inner Mongolia. The Great Wall of China ( or ( is a series of stone and earthen Fortifications in China, built rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th Inner Mongolia ( Mongolian:, Öbür mongɣul; occasionally romanized to Nei Mongol is the Mongol

The Huang He (Yellow River) forms the western border of Shanxi with Shaanxi. The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of the Huang He, run north-to-south through the province, and drain much of its area. The Fen River ( is a river in Shanxi Province the People's Republic of China. A drainage basin is an extent of Land where Water from Rain or Snow melt drains downhill into a body of water such as a River, The north of the province is drained by tributaries of the Hai River, such as Sanggan and Hutuo rivers. The Hai River ( previously called Bai He (Chinese 白河 pinyin Bái Hé; literally "white river" Pei Ho in Western sources is a The largest natural lake in Shanxi is Xiechi Lake, a salt lake near Yuncheng in southwestern Shanxi. Yuncheng ( is the southernmost Prefecture-level city in Shanxi Province, China.

Shanxi has a continental monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Continental climate is a Climate that is characterized by Winter Temperatures cold enough to support a fixed period of Snow cover each Year A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months Average January temperatures are below 0 °C, while average July temperatures are around 21 - 26 °C. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Winters are long, dry, sunny and cold, while summer is warm and humid. Spring is bone dry and prone to dust storms. Shanxi is one of the sunniest parts of China; early summer heat waves are common. Annual precipitation averages around 350-700 mm, with 60% of it concentrated between June and August. [1]

Major cities:

• Taiyuan
• Datong
• Changzhi
• Yangquan

Administrative divisions

Shanxi is divided into eleven prefecture-level divisions, all of them prefecture-level cities:

• Changzhi (长治市 Chángzhì Shì)
• Datong (大同市 Dàtóng Shì)
• Jincheng (晋城市 Jìnchéng Shì)
• Jinzhong (晋中市 Jìnzhōng Shì)
• Linfen (临汾市 Línfén Shì)
• Lüliang (吕梁市 Lǚliáng Shì)
• Shuozhou (朔州市 Shuòzhōu Shì)
• Taiyuan (Simplified Chinese: 太原市, Hanyu Pinyin: Tàiyuán Shì)
• Xinzhou (忻州市 Xīnzhōu Shì)
• Yangquan (阳泉市 Yángquán Shì)
• Yuncheng (运城市 Yùnchéng Shì)

The 11 prefecture-level divisions of Shanxi are subdivided into 119 county-level divisions (23 districts, 11 county-level cities, and 85 counties). Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China. Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of Changzhi ( is a Prefecture-level city in the province of Shanxi of the People's Republic of China. Yangquan (阳泉 Pinyin: Yángquán is a Prefecture-level city in the Shanxi province of China See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted A prefecture-level city ( or prefecture-level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and Changzhi ( is a Prefecture-level city in the province of Shanxi of the People's Republic of China. Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of Jincheng ( Chinese: 晋城 Pinyin: Jìnchéng is a Prefecture-level city in Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China. Jinzhong ( Chinese: 晋中 Pinyin: Jìnzhōng is a Prefecture-level city with several 100000 inhabitants in the Linfen ( is a Prefecture-level city in southern Shanxi province People's Republic of China. Lüliang (吕梁; Pinyin: Lǚlíang is a Prefecture-level city in Shanxi province in China. Shuozhou ( Chinese: 朔州 Pinyin: Shuòzhōu is a Chinese city in the north of the Chinese province Shanxi, upstream of the Fen River Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China. Pinyin, more formally Hanyu pinyin, is the most common Standard Mandarin Romanization system in use Xinzhou ( Chinese: 忻州 Pinyin: Xīnzhōu is a Prefecture-level city of the People's Republic of China province of Shanxi. Yangquan (阳泉 Pinyin: Yángquán is a Prefecture-level city in the Shanxi province of China Yuncheng ( is the southernmost Prefecture-level city in Shanxi Province, China. See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted The term district, in the context of China, is used to refer to several unrelated political divisions in both ancient and modern China. A county-level city ( is a county-level administrative division of Mainland China. In the context of Political divisions of China, county is the standard English translation of 县 ( xiàn) Those are in turn divided into 1388 township-level divisions (561 towns, 634 townships, and 193 subdistricts). See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted When referring to Political Divisions of China, town is the standard English translation of the Chinese 鎮 (simplified 镇; pinyin zhèn Wade-Giles Township ( is the basic level of political divisions in China. Subdistrict is a low level Administrative division of a country

See List of administrative divisions of Shanxi for a complete list of county-level divisions. Shanxi, a province of the People's Republic of China, is made up of prefecture-level divisions which are divided into county-level divisions which are then divided See also Administrative divisions of the Republic of China Due to China 's large Population and area the political divisions of China have consisted

Politics

Main article: Politics of Shanxi

The Politics of Shanxi Province is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China. The politics of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in Mainland

The Governor of Shanxi (山西省省长) is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Shanxi. The politics of Shanxi Province in the People's Republic of China is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in Mainland However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than the Shanxi Communist Party of China Provincial Committee Secretary (山西省委书记), colloquially termed the "Shanxi CPC Party Chief". The Communist Party of China ( CPC) ( also known as the Chinese Communist Party ( CCP) is the founding and ruling political party of the In the Politics of the People's Republic of China, a party chief (Chinese 党委书记 variously called a party boss, and officially termed the Communist Party

Economy

Important crops in Shanxi include wheat, maize, millet, legumes, and potatoes. Wheat ( Triticum spp is a worldwide cultivated grass from the Levant area of the Middle East. Maize (ˈmeɪz ( Zea mays L. ssp mays) known as corn in some countries is a cereal grain domesticated in Mesoamerica The millets are a group of small- Seeded Species of Cereal crops or grains widely grown around the world for Food and Fodder A legume is a Plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae or a Fruit of these specific plants The potato is a Starchy Tuberous crop Vegetable from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae Agriculture in Shanxi is greatly limited by Shanxi's arid climate and dwindling water resources. [2]

Shanxi contains 260 billion metric tonnes of known coal deposits, about one third of China's total. As a result, Shanxi is a leading producer of coal in China, with annual production exceeding 300 million metric tonnes. The Datong (大同), Ningwu (宁武), Xishan (西山), Hedong (河东), Qinshui (沁水), and Huoxi (霍西) coalfields are some of the most important in Shanxi. Shanxi also contains about 500 million tonnes of bauxite deposits, about one third of total Chinese bauxite reserves. Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and

Industry in Shanxi is centered around heavy industries such as coal and chemical production, power generation, and metal refining. Refining (also called affining) is the process of Purification of a substance.

The mining related companies include Daqin Railway Co. Ltd. , which runs one of the busiest and most technologically advanced railway in China connecting Datong and Qinhuangdao and exclusively for coal shipping. Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of Qinhuangdao ( Postal map spelling: Chinwangtao) is a city in Hebei province China. The revenue of Daqin Railway Co. Ltd. is among the highest in Shanxi Province's companies due to its exporting of coal to Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.

Shanxi's nominal GDP in 2006 was 474. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 7 billion yuan (about US$60 billion), ranked eighteenth in China.

Shanxi is infamous for bad working conditions in coal mining and other heavy industries. Thousands of workers have died every year in those industries. Cases of child labor abuse were discovered recently.

Demographics

The population is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Mongol, Manchu, and Hui. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The following is a list of ethnic groups in China where "China" is taken to mean areas controlled by either of the two states using "China" in their formal The Manchu people ( Manchu: Manju;, Mongolian: Манж Russian: Маньчжуры are a Tungusic people who originated in The Hui people ( Xiao'erjing: حُوِ ذَو) are a Chinese ethnic group, typically distinguished by their practice of Islam.

Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service. The People's Liberation Army ( PLA) ( is the unified Military organization of all land sea and air forces of the People's Republic of China.
Source: Department of Population, Social, Science and Technology Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics of China (国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司) and Department of Economic Development of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of China (国家民族事务委员会经济发展司), eds. Tabulation on Nationalities of 2000 Population Census of China (《2000年人口普查中国民族人口资料》). 2 vols. Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House (民族出版社), 2003. (ISBN 7-105-05425-5)

In 2004, the birth rate was 12. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Crude birth rate is the natality or Childbirths per 1000 people per year 36 births/1000 population, while the death rate was 6. Mortality rate is a measure of the number of Deaths (in general or due to a specific cause in some population scaled to the size of that population per unit time 11 deaths/1000 population. The sex ratio was 105. In Anthropology and Demography, the human sex ratio is the Sex ratio for Homo sapiens (i 5 males/100 females. [3]

Culture

The Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Ying County, built in the year 1056. The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple ( of Ying County Shanxi province China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056 during the

People in most regions of Shanxi speak dialects of Jin, a subdivision of spoken Chinese. However, dialects in the southwest, near the border with Henan and Shaanxi, are classified as part of the Zhongyuan Mandarin subdivision of the Mandarin group rather than Jin. Zhongyuan Mandarin ( lit Official Language of the Central Plain is a dialect of Mandarin Chinese spoken in the central part of Shaanxi, Henan In terms of characteristics, Jin dialects are generally distinguished by their retention of the entering tone from Middle Chinese. Entering tone ( is one of four syllable types in the Phonology in Middle Chinese which are commonly translated as "tone" In this respect they are unique in all of northern China, as most of the surrounding Mandarin dialects (spoken over the remainder of northern China) have lost it. (In central and southern China, it is much more common for the entering tone to be kept. ) Jin is also noted for extremely complex tone sandhi systems. Tone sandhi is the change of tone that occurs in some languages when different tones come together in a word or phrase

Shanxi cuisine is most well known for its extensive use of vinegar as a condiment and for its noodles. Shanxi cuisine (Chinese 晋菜 or 山西菜 is derived from the native cooking styles of the Shanxi region in China and it is famed for Noodles, its fried Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the Fermentation of Ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient Acetic acid (also called ethanoic acid A noodle is food made from unleavened Dough that is cooked in a boiling liquid A dish originating from Taiyuan, the provincial capital, is the Taiyuan Tounao (太原头脑, literally "Taiyuan Head"). Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China. It is a soup brewed using mutton, shanyao (山药, Chinese wild yam), lotus roots, astragalus membranaceus (黄芪, membranous milk vetch), tuber onions, as well as cooking liquor for additional aroma. Dioscorea opposita ( nagaimo, yamaimo, Chinese yam, Japanese mountain yam, Korean yam; syn Astragalus ( As-trá-ga-lus) is a large genus of about 2000 species of Herbs and small Shrubs belonging to the Legume It can be enjoyed by dipping pieces of unleavened cake into the soup, and is reputed to have medicinal properties.

Shanxi Opera (晋剧 Jinju) is a popular form of Chinese opera in Shanxi. Chinese Opera ( Chinese: 戏曲/戲曲 Pinyin: xìqǔ is a popular form of Drama and Musical theatre in China with roots going back It was popularized during the late Qing Dynasty, with the help of the then-ubiquitous Shanxi merchants who were active across parts of China. Also called Zhonglu Bangzi (中路梆子), it is a type of bangzi opera (梆子), a group of operas generally distinguished by their use of wooden clappers for rhythm and by a more energetic singing style; Shanxi opera is also complemented by quzi (曲子), a blanket term for more melodic styles from further south. Puzhou Opera (蒲剧 Puju), from southern Shanxi, is a more ancient type of bangzi that makes use of very wide linear intervals. In Music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitches of two Notes Intervals may be described as vertical

Shanxi merchants (晋商 Jinshang) constituted a historical phenomenon that lasted for centuries from the Song to the Qing Dynasty. Shanxi merchants (Chinese 晋商 jinshang were prominent businessmen from the Song to the Qing dynasty Shanxi merchants ranged far and wide from Central Asia to the coast of eastern China; by the Qing Dynasty they were conducting trade across both sides of the Great Wall. During the late Qing Dynasty, a new development occurred: the creation of piaohao (票号), which were essentially small banks that provided services like money transfers and transactions, deposits, loans, and so on. A banker or bank is a Financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money After the establishment of the first piaohao in Pingyao, the bankers of Shanxi enjoyed nearly one hundred years of financial dominance across China before being eclipsed by the rise of modern, larger banks. Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province

Tourism

A Pingyao street. Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province

• The Ancient City of Pingyao is a World Heritage Site near Taiyuan. Pingyao ( is a Chinese city and county in central Shanxi province A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Taiyuan ( lit "Great Plains" is a Prefecture-level city and the capital of Shanxi province China. Once a great financial center of China, it is noted for its preservation of many features of northern Han Chinese culture, architecture, and way of life during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Han Chinese ( are an Ethnic group native to China and by most modern definitions the largest single Ethnic group in the world. The Ming Dynasty ( or Empire of the Great Ming ( was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol -led Not to be confused with Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of Imperial China

• The Yungang Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in Datong, consist of 252 caves noted for their collection of 5th and 6th century Buddhist grotto sculptures and reliefs. The Yungang Grottoes ( are ancient Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the Chinese province of Shanxi. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

• Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) is the highest point in the province. Mount Wutai () also known as Wutai Mountain, located in Shanxi, China, is one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Chinese Buddhism. 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. In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta Manjusri ( Ch: Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

• Mount Hengshan (Heng Shan), in Hunyuan County, is one of the "Five Great Peaks" of China, and is also a major Taoist site. Heng Shan (Traditional 恆山 Simplified 恒山 PinyinHéng Shān in Shanxi province is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. Taoism (pronounced /ˈdaʊɪzəm/ or /ˈtaʊɪzəm/ also spelled '''Daoism''') refers to a variety of related Philosophical and Religious traditions Not far from Heng Shan, the Hanging Temple is located on the side of a cliff and has survived for 1400 years despite earthquakes in the area. The Hanging Temple ( is a temple built into a cliff near Mount Heng in the province of Shanxi.

• Pagoda of Fugong Temple, in Ying County, is a pagoda built in 1056 during the Liao Dynasty. The Sakyamuni Pagoda of Fogong Temple ( of Ying County Shanxi province China, is a wooden Chinese pagoda built in 1056 during the The Liao Dynasty ( 907 - 1125, also known as the Khitan Empire (契丹國 was an empire in northern China that ruled over the regions of Manchuria It is octagonal with nine levels (five are visible from outside), and at 67 m (220 ft) in height, it is currently the tallest wooden pagoda in the world. It is also the oldest fully-wooden pagoda in China, although many no-longer-existing wooden pagodas have preceded it, and many existing stone and brick pagodas predate it by centuries.

• Hukou Waterfall is located in the Yellow River on the Shanxi-Shaanxi border. The Yellow River or Huang He / Hwang Ho ( Hatan Gol Queen river) is the second-longest river in China (after the Yangtze River) and the ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess At 50 meters high it is the second highest waterfall in China.

• Dazhai is a village in Xiyang County. Dazhai ( Chinese: 大寨 Pinyin: Dàzhài; literally "great outpost" is the name of a mountainous North 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. The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into The proletariat (from Latin la ''proles'' "offspring" is a term used to identify a lower Social class; a member of such a class is proletarian A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground

• The Cloud Ridge Caves are shallow caves near Datong. Datong ( is a city in the northern Shanxi Province in China, and is located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of There are over 50,000 carved images and statues of Buddhas and Boddhisatvas within these grottoes, ranging from 4 centimeters to 7 meters tall. A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International

Colleges and universities

Major colleges and universities in Shanxi include:

• Changzhi College (长治学院)
• Changzhi Medical College (长治医学院)
• Datong University (山西大同大学)
• Jinzhong College (晋中学院)
• Lvliang Higher College
• North China University of Science and Technology (华北工学院)
• Shanxi Agricultural University (山西农业大学)
• Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (山西中医学院)
• Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学)
• Shanxi Teachers University also called Shanxi Normal University (山西师范大学)
• Shanxi University (山西大学)
• Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学)
• North China University (中北大学)
• 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)
• Xinzhou Teachers University (忻州师范学院)
• Yuncheng University (运城学院)

All of the above universities are under the authority of the provincial government. Changzhi College (长治学院 is a college in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Changzhi Medical College (长治医学院 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Datong University (山西大同大学 is a university in Shanxi, China located at Datong Jinzhong College (晋中学院 is a college in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Lishi District ( Chinese: 离石区 Pinyin: Líshí Qū is a district of Lüliang, Shanxi, China North China University of Science and Technology (华北工学院 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Shanxi Agricultural University (山西农业大学 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Shanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (山西中医学院 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Shanxi Medical University (山西医科大学 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Shanxi Teachers University also called Shanxi Normal University (山西师范大学 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial Shanxi University ( is a university located in Shanxi Province, China. Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Taiyuan Normal University is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Taiyuan University of Science and Technology (太原科技大学 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Taiyuan University of Technology (太原理工大学 is a university in Shanxi, China, under the authority of the provincial government Xinzhou Teachers University (忻州师范学院 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Yuncheng University (运城学院 is a university in Shanxi, China under the authority of the provincial government Institutions not offering full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

See also

• List of laojiaos in Shanxi

Notes

External links

• Shanxi Government website
• Shanxi travel guide from Wikitravel
• Photography of Shanxi province