28 Facts About Taiyuan

1.

Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China.

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2.

Taiyuan is located roughly in the centre of Shanxi, with the Fen River flowing through the central city.

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3.

Taiyuan is an ancient city with more than 2500 years of urban history, dating back from 497 BC.

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4.

In 497 BC, the first ancient city of Jinyang was built around the southern Jinyuan District of present-day Taiyuan, by Dong Anyu, who was a steward of Zhao Jianzi, an upper-level official of the state of Jin.

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5.

Taiyuan was ruled by Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, and then by Cao Cao, and was part of Cao Wei afterwards.

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6.

Taiyuan was part of Former Zhao, Later Zhao, Former Qin, Former Yan, Former Qin again, Western Yan, and Later Yan chronologically.

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7.

Later, Taiyuan was obtained by Former Yan in 358, and by Former Qin in 370.

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8.

The Buddhist Tianlongshan Grottoes of Taiyuan started during this period, and continued for many centuries afterwards.

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9.

Taiyuan expanded significantly during the Tang dynasty, partly because Taiyuan was the military base of the founding emperors Li Yuan and Li Shimin.

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10.

Taiyuan ordered the flooding of Taiyuan by releasing the Fen River, and set the city on fire.

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11.

The oldest existing building in Taiyuan today is the Temple of the Goddess inside the Jin Ci Complex.

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12.

In 1218, Taiyuan was conquered by the Mongol army led by General Muqali.

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13.

In 1900, the Taiyuan Massacre occurred, during which a number of Western missionaries were killed.

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14.

Taiyuan consequently flourished as the center of his comparatively progressive province and experienced extensive industrial development.

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15.

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.

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16.

Taiyuan was the last area in Shanxi to resist Communist control during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War.

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17.

Taiyuan is abundant in natural resources such as coal, iron, marble, silica, bauxite, limestone, graphite, quartz, phosphorus, gypsum, mica, copper, and gold.

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18.

The tree population in Taiyuan is dominated by coniferous forest, pine, white pine, spruce, and cypress.

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19.

Taiyuan had suffered from severe air pollution, especially in the 1990s, and the first decade of the 21st century, and once it was even listed among the ten most air-polluted cities in the world.

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20.

However, according to the 2014 statistical book issued by the National Bureau of Statistics, even though no longer among the worst polluted cities in China, Taiyuan still has below-average ambient air quality, compared with other major Chinese cities.

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21.

Consistent with China's economic expansion throughout the 2010s, Taiyuan's economy has shown consistent growth in recent years.

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22.

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.

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23.

Taiyuan is one of the transportation hubs in North China, with highways linking neighboring provincial capitals, and airlines to most other major Chinese cities and some international cities.

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24.

Taiyuan has a number of major roads, Including the G5, G20, G55, G2001, G307, G108, G208.

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25.

Taiyuan is one of the main national hubs for the high-speed railway system of Northern China.

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26.

Major high-speed railways passing Taiyuan, including the Shijiazhuang–Taiyuan high-speed railway and Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway.

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27.

Taiyuan is a modern city with just a few historic buildings remaining in the centre.

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28.

The remnants of old Taiyuan can be found west of the central station, north of Fudong Street and close to Wuyi Road.

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