Shanxi Information

Overview

Shanxi is a landlocked province situated in northern China. The capital and largest city, Taiyuan, is located in the center of the province. It expands over 60,370 square miles (156,300 sq km), ranking as China’s 19th largest province. With over 33,350,000 people, the population ranks 19th among all of the provinces in the country. The province gains its name from its position around and west of the Taihang Mountains. Shanxi literally means mountain west, appropriately translated to mean west of the Taihang Mountains.

Shanxi Geography

Shanxi province is mostly mountainous with a portion lying on a loess plateau. The eastern base of the Taihang Mountains forms the border with Hebei to the east. The southern end of the Taihang Mountains and the west-east running Zhongtiao Mountains are near the southern border with Henan. The Yellow River (Huang He) formally makes the southern border where it flows on the southern side of the Zhongtiao Mountains. In the west, the Yellow River runs southward along the Lüliang Mountains and, in the south, a small part of the Zhongtiao Mountains, forming the border with Shaanxi. The majority of the northern border with Inner Mongolia is delineated by part of The Great Wall of China. The Fen River runs from north to south between the Taihang and Lüliang Mountains until it contributes its waters to the Yellow River in the south.

Shanxi Demographics

Shanxi province, like most Chinese provinces, is primarily inhabited by Han. Here, the Han people make up 99.7% of the population. Hui follow with 0.2%.

Shanxi History

Shanxi province was home to the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC – 481 BC). At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period the state of Jin split into the Han, Zhao, and Wei states, beginning the Warring States Period (403 BC – 221 BC). The Qin Dynasty (221 BC – 206 BC) defeated the three former states and established the first unified state in 221 BC. The subsequent Han Dynasty (206 BC – 221 AD) also ruled modern Shanxi. Shanxi played an important role in much of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom’s Period (907 AD – 960 AD) with three of the five dynasties and the only northern kingdom being based there. Shanxi province’s history is studded with invasions from the north (hence the Great Wall) and, later, the northeast. The Ming Dynasty (1368 AD – 1644 AD) gave Shanxi its present name and roughly its current borders. Later, during the China’s final dynasty, the Qing Dynasty (1644 AD – 1911 AD), the border was extended northward into modern Inner Mongolia and even included Hohhot, Inner Mongolia’s current capital.

Shanxi Industry

Shanxi has vast coal reserves and two thirds of its counties have coal fields, making it an important contributor to the nation’s energy. It is also a leading producer of heavy machinery and light industry and textiles have been expanding at a rapid rate. Shanxi province is poorly situated for land cultivation due to its mostly mountainous terrain and shy water resources. Its forests are small and of low quality causing the province to import much of its lumber.