Taiyuan

Taiyuan
太原
—  Prefecture-level city  —
太原市
Downtown Taiyuan
Nickname(s): Bingzhou(并州); Jinyang(晋阳); Dragon City(龙城)
Taiyuan (red) in Shanxi province (orange) and China
Coordinates:
Country People's Republic of China
Province Shanxi
Government
 • Mayor Lian Yimin (廉毅敏)
Area
 • Prefecture-level city 6,959 km2 (2,686.9 sq mi)
 • Urban 1,460 km2 (563.7 sq mi)
Elevation 800 m (2,625 ft)
Highest elevation 2,670 m (8,760 ft)
Lowest elevation 760 m (2,493 ft)
Population (2010 census)
 • Prefecture-level city 4,201,591
 • Density 603.8/km2 (1,563.7/sq mi)
 • Urban 3,212,500
 • Urban density 2,200.3/km2 (5,698.9/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s) 351
GDP ¥ 177.8 billion (2010)
GDP per capita ¥ 50,802 (2010)
Major Nationalities Han
County-level divisions 10
Township-level divisions 83
Licence Plate Prefixes 晋A
Website www.taiyuan.gov.cn
Taiyuan
Chinese 太原
Literal meaning great plains

Taiyuan (Chinese: 太原; pinyin: Tàiyuán; Mandarin pronunciation: [tʰaɪ̯˥˩ɥɛn˧˥]) is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River leaves the mountains.

Contents

History

Pre-1911

From around 859BC the area was held by the Rong people. In 662 they were driven out by the Beidi.[1]

Taiyuan was an ancient capital, constructed by Zhaojianzi (simplified Chinese: 赵简子; traditional Chinese: 趙簡子) in 497 BC, named Jinyang (t 晉陽, s 晋阳). It served as the capital of Zhao. It was renamed Taiyuan following its conquest by the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC. Under the later Han dynasty, it was the capital of Bing (province)Bingzhou. For a time in the 6th century, the city was a secondary capital of Eastern Wei and Northern Qi states, growing into a fairly large city and also becoming a center of Buddhism. A new city was built in AD 562, which was later linked to the old city during the Tang Dynasty in AD 733. From that time until the middle of the Tang dynasty (618–907), the construction of the cave temples at Tianlong Mountain just southwest of the city, continued. The dynastic founder of the Tang began his conquest of the empire with Taiyuan as a base and using the support of its local aristocracy. It was periodically designated as the Tang's northern capital and grew into a heavily fortified military base.

The old city was at Taiyuanzhen, a few miles east of the modern city. After the Song conquest in 960, Emperor Taizong of Song ordered its destruction. However, a new city was set up on the banks of the Fen River in 982.[2] The city became a superior prefecture in 1059 and administrative capital of Hedong (northern Shanxi) in 1107. It retained this function, with various changes in its name and status, down to the end of the Mongol period. At the beginning of the Ming dynasty, it was renamed Taiyuan Fu (府, fu, meaning "chief town") and retained this name until 1912. During the Ming Dynasty, the city wall was reconstructed in 1568. Under the Ming dynasty and in the Qing period, it was capital of Shanxi. Under the Republic, its name was changed to Yangqu, a name it retained until its capture in 1947 by Communist forces.

In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, seventy-seven unarmed Western missionaries were executed in front of the provincial governor. This incident became known as the Taiyuan Massacre.

In 1907 the importance of Taiyuan was increased by the construction of a rail link to Shijiazhuang in Hebei on the Beijing to Wuhan trunk line. Soon thereafter Taiyuan suffered a serious economic crisis. In the 19th century, the merchants and local banks of Shanxi had been of national importance, but the rise of modern banks led to the rapid decline of this system — with disastrous effects upon Shanxi and its capital.

Several Emperors came from this city, the most famous being Li Shimin and his father Li Yuan during the Tang Dynasty. Many ancient Chinese poets were also from Taiyuan. The oldest existing building in the city is the Temple of the Goddess (simplified Chinese: 圣母殿; traditional Chinese: 聖母殿) inside the Jin Ci Complex; it was originally built in AD 1023 and reconstructed in 1102.

The city has been deliberately flooded several times, including in 453 BC and AD 969. It was also destroyed by war in AD 1125.

1911–1949

After 1911, Shanxi remained under control by warlord Yen Hsi-shan who retained control of the area from 1913 to 1948. Taiyuan consequently flourished as the center of his comparatively progressive province and experienced extensive industrial development. It was also linked by rail both to the far southwest of Shanxi and to Datong in the north.

After the Japanese invasion in 1937, Taiyuan's industries continued to develop further. In 1945 the Japanese army in Shanxi surrendered to Yen Xi-shan and continued to fight for him until 1948. Eventually, the Chinese communist armies captured Taiyuan.

1949–present

Since 1949, Taiyuan has developed a large industrial base with heavy industry (notably iron and steel) of prime importance; local coal production is considerable. Taiyuan is also an engineering center, as it produces cement, and has a large chemical-industrial complex. It is also a center of education and research, particularly in technology and applied science.

According to “the twelfth five-year planning”, Taiyuan is today making every endeavor to build the city into “the first-rate capital city in China and regional modern metropolis with international influence”. The combination of the urban target and spirit of “compatibility, harmony, honesty and outstanding”makes Taiyuan city with more development potential and attraction. We are looking forward to a still better Taiyuan, and cordially welcome friends from both China and abroad to come and experience Taiyuan and work together for greater developments.

Geography

Taiyuan
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
3.2
 
2
−12
 
 
5.2
 
5
−8
 
 
13
 
12
−2
 
 
20
 
20
5
 
 
33
 
26
11
 
 
56
 
29
15
 
 
102
 
29
18
 
 
107
 
28
17
 
 
52
 
24
11
 
 
26
 
18
4
 
 
11
 
10
−3
 
 
3.2
 
3
−9
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
Source: CMA[3]

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 commands the north-south route through Shanxi, as well as important natural lines of communication through the mountains to Hebei province in the east and (via Fenyang) to northern Shanxi province in the west. It is considered to be one of the world's most polluted cities, although factory shutdowns related to global economic downturn may have reduced environmental hazards somewhat.[4]

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.

Monthly mean temperatures range from −5.5 °C (22.1 °F) in January to 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in July, for an annual mean of 10.0 °C (50.0 °F).

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).[5]

Administrative divisions

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population (2003 est.) Area (km²) Density (/km²)
City Proper
1 Xinghualing District 杏花岭区 Xìnghuālǐng Qū 530,000 170 3,118
3 Yingze District 迎泽区 Yíngzé Qū 490,000 117 4,188
Suburban
2 Xiaodian District 小店区 Xiǎodiàn Qū 470,000 295 1,593
4 Jiancaoping District 尖草坪区 Jiāncǎopíng Qū 330,000 286 1,154
5 Wanbailin District 万柏林区 Wànbǎilín Qū 500,000 305 1,639
6 Jinyuan District 晋源区 Jìnyuán Qū 180,000 287 627
Satellite cities
7 Gujiao City 古交市 Gǔjiāo Shì 210,000 1,540 136
Rural
8 Qingxu County 清徐县 Qīngxú Xiàn 300,000 607 494
9 Yangqu County 阳曲县 Yángqǔ Xiàn 140,000 2,062 88
10 Loufan County 娄烦县 Lóufán Xiàn 120,000 1,290 93

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. Taiyuan is the largest coal mining center in China. It also houses several large corporations in Taiyuan, such as the Taiyuan Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) which is the largest stainless steel producing plant in Asia. Also, the Shanxi Heavy Machinery Factory and Fenxi Machinery Factory are major manufacturers for the People's Liberation Army and Navy, producing submarine missiles for them. The largest local bank of Taiyuan is ICBC( Industrial and Commercial Bank of China).

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

Railway The newly constructed high-speed railway has shortened the transitting time between Taiyuan and Beijing to less than three hours on a distance of 600 km.

Food

Taiyuan's local specialties include:

Tourism

Several tourist attractions in and around Taiyuan include the Liu Xiang Lane, which contains ancient Chinese houses of important heritage, and several temples, such as the Chongshan Monastery, the Jinci Temple, the Twin Pagoda Temple, and the Shaunglin Monastery Longtan Park and Yinze Park are also popular tourist destinations.[7]

Taiyuan is also known for its Liuxiang shopping district and the construction of parks and recreational areas that are praised by the UN Environmental Programme for their role in the improvement of the environmental condition of Taiyuan. Taiyuan's environmental improvement project is being copied in many other Chinese cities and urban areas around the world.

Education

Major schools

Colleges and universities

See also

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Twin towns — Sister cities

Taiyuan is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ 先秦史籍中的“太原” (Chinese)
  2. ^ 宋太宗平毁太原 盗墓史上那些挖别人祖坟的事(4)
  3. ^ a b "中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）" (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/index3.jsp?tpcat=SURF&dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&pageid=3. Retrieved 2009-03-17. 
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ "Ambient Air Quality in Main Cities (2004) in China Statistics 2005". http://www.allcountries.org/china_statistics/12_7_ambient_air_quality_in_main.html. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
  6. ^ 太原名吃头脑
  7. ^ Taiyuan Attractions

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