Information AboutShanxi |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SHANXI | |
| shanxi | |
| provinces of the peoples republic of chinashanxi | |
| provinces of the peoples republic of china | |
| provinces of the peoples republic of china | |
Shanxi (; in the northern part of the People's Republic Of China . Its one-character abbreviation is Jin (晋 Pinyin jìn), after the State Of Jin that existed here during the Spring And Autumn Period . 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. 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 ). By 221 BC all of these states had fallen to the State Of Qin , which established the Qin Dynasty ( 221 BC - 206 BC ). The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC - 220 AD) ruled Shanxi as the province ('' Zhou '') of Bingzhou (幷州 Bīng Zhōu). 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 . 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. During the Tang Dynasty ( 618 - 907 ) and after, the area was called ''Hédōng'' (河東), or "east of the (Yellow) river". 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. 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 ). 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. 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. Shi Jingtang , founder of the Later Jin Dynasty , the third of the Five Dynasties, ceded a large slice of northern China to the Khitan s in return for military assistance. 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 Khitan s for the next 100 years, because it lies to the south of the Great Wall . 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 Southern Song Dynasty that came after abandoned all of North China to the Jurchen Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) in 1127 , including Shanxi. The Mongol Yuan Dynasty divided China into provinces but did not establish Shanxi as a province. Shanxi was formally established with its present name and approximate borders by the Ming Dynasty ( 1368 - 1644 ). 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. 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. During the Second Sino-Japanese War , Japan occupied much of the province after defeating China in the Battle Of Taiyuan . Shanxi was also a major battlefield between the Japanese and the Chinese communist guerrillas of the Eighth Route Army during the war. 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 . 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 . For centuries Shanxi was a center of Trade and Bank ing, 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. 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 highest peak is Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) in northeastern Shanxi at an altitude of 3058 m. The Great Wall Of China forms most of the northern border of Shanxi with Inner Mongolia . The Huang He (Yellow River) forms the western border of Shanxi with Shaanxi . The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of the Huang He, run north-to-south through the province, and Drain much of its area. The north of the province is drained by tributaries of the Hai River , such as Sanggan and Hutuo rivers. The largest natural lake in Shanxi is Xiechi Lake , a salt lake near Yuncheng in southwestern Shanxi. Shanxi has a Continental Monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Average January temperatures are below 0 °C , while average July temperatures are around 21 - 26 °C . Annual precipitation averages around 350-700 mm, with 60% of it concentrated between June and August. {Link without Title} Major cities: ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS Shanxi is divided into 11 Prefecture-level Divisions , all of them Prefecture-level Cities :
The 11 Prefecture-level Divisions of Shanxi are subdivided into 119 County-level Divisions (23 District s, 11 County-level Cities , and 85 Counties ). Those are in turn divided into 1388 Township-level Divisions (561 Town s, 634 Township s, and 193 Subdistrict s). See List Of Administrative Divisions Of Shanxi for a complete list of County-level Divisions . ECONOMY Important crops in Shanxi include Wheat , Maize , Millet , Legume s, and Potato es. Agriculture in Shanxi is greatly limited by Shanxi's arid climate and dwindling water resources. {Link without Title} 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. Industry in Shanxi is centered around heavy industries such as coal and chemical production, power generation, and metal Refining . Shanxi's nominal GDP in 2004 was 304.2 billion yuan (US$37.74 billion), ranked 18th in China. DEMOGRAPHICS The population is mostly Han Chinese with Minorities of Mongol , Manchu , and Hui . Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service. 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 7105054255) In 2004 , the Birth Rate was 12.36 births/1000 population, while the Death Rate was 6.11 births/1000 population. The Sex Ratio was 105.5 males/100 females. {Link without Title} CULTURE 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. In terms of characteristics, Jin dialects are generally distinguished by their retention of the Entering Tone from Middle Chinese. 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. Shanxi Cuisine is most well known for its extensive use of Vinegar as a condiment and for its Noodles . A dish originating from Taiyuan , the provincial capital, is the Taiyuan Tounao (太原头脑, literally "Taiyuan Head"). 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. 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. 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 Interval s. s that provided services like money transfers and transactions, deposits, loans, etc. 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. TOURISM street]]
MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS Major colleges and universities in Shanxi include:
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
|
|
|