Shanxi, also Shansi or
Shan-hsi, province, located in North
China.
It occupies a loess-covered plateau and has as its economic focus the Fen
River valley, which widens to form the fertile and centrally located Taiyuan
Basin. Mountainous areas ring the north, east, and west. The
Huang
He (Yellow River), which here flows over rapids and through deep gorges,
forms the western and part of the southern border. Grains (kaoliang and wheat)
and cotton are the chief crops. Efforts have been made to increase
agricultural productivity by irrigation and reclamation of eroded lands. Coal
production is a major industry; other mineral resources include iron ore,
titanium, and salt. The capital,
Taiyuan, is the largest city and chief industrial center;
Datong
is the other major city.
Shanxi formed part of the
ancient Chinese cultural heartland. It became an important Buddhist center
when part of the Northern Wei Empire (AD386-534) and served
until early Ming times (1368-1644) as a buffer state between Central Asia and
China proper, after which its prosperity declined. It began its modern
development under the leadership (1911-1949) of Yen Hsi-shan, a local warlord,
and was developed as a coal-mining center while under Japanese occupation
(1938-1945). Area, about 157,100 sq km (about 60,700 sq mi); population
31,090,000 (1997 estimate).
"Shanxi". Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com (5 July. 2001)
© 2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Another little
tidbit:
Next to Beijing's monuments and the Great Wall,
the Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an define China to the international community.
Xi'an is unique in Chinese history as the center of powerful dynasties for 970
years, the capital of the first united China and a starting point of the
Imperial Silk Road.
When Chinese civilization was restricted to north China, Shaanxi was coverted
by those who believed that, "Whoever conquers Shaanxi conquers all China." In
modern times, the 6,000-mile (9,700 km) Long March in 1934 ended in Yan'an,
from which its army conquered all of China north and south of the province 15
years later. Shaanxi is cut in half by the east-west Qin Ling Mountains, which
separate the drainage areas of the Huang He (Yellow river) north and Yangtze
River south. A vast northern plain is overlain by easily-eraded loss which
gives the "yellow" to the river's name and provides for a large number of
unique inhabited cave homes. The erosion has been largely overcome through
water conservation, irrigation, damming, terracing and afforestation.
Gallery
Bingbingbing
Shanxi
Province
Ming
Dynasty
Qing
Dynasty