Shanxi Province got its name due to its location to the west of Taihang Mountain. Shanxi neighbored on Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia & Autonomous Region. It is located to the east of the Yellow River, and is also known as Hedong. Shanxi belonged to Jin State in Spring and Autumn Period, so it is abbreviated in Jin. Shanxi occupies an area of 156,000 square kilometers (about 60,000 square miles) and has a population of over 32 million, including its minority ethnic population. Its capital is Taiyuan City.
When to go
Being at a high altitude, Shanxi Province has a cold and dry climate and has an annual rainfall of between 400-600 millimeters. The province is also frequently plagued by sandstorms, especially in the spring, so it is often useful to bring along both sunglasses and a hat when visiting. Generally speaking, the province's climate is the best between May and October.
History
Shanxi is one of the birth places of Chinese civilizations with a long history and traditional culture. As early as one hundred million years ago, the ancestors of the Chinese lived and propagated in this region. Legend tells us that the Yellow Emperor, founder of the Chinese nation, once lived in Shanxi for a certain period. Today, many Neolithic sites from that period can still be seen dotted across the vast expanse of the province.
What to see
Shanxi is endowed with an abundance of cultural sites from its long history. Most of the ancient structures were built before the Liao and Song Dynasties. So it is the reason why Shanxi is often called the 'Chinese Ancient Architecture Museum'. The more obvious of these include: the Buddhist wonders of Yungang Grottoesin Datong City , Pingyao Ancient City , which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 , the oldest and tallestancient wooden pagodain China , Yingxian WoodenPagoda, and Xinzhou Ancient City . For tourists , a long journey is very worthwhile .
Of course, there are a number of natural magnificent and beautiful places that can also be seen in Shanxi. The most famous of them include Wutai Mountain with the longest and most prestigious history in the four most well-known Buddhist holy lands of China, the whistling rage of the Yellow River's Kettle Spout waterfalls (Hukou Waterfalls) and one of the Five Sacred Mountains in China - Mt Hengshan.
What to eat
As the saying goes, "The world's pasta is in China, and China's pasta is in Shanxi."Shanxi noodles are one of the representatives of the traditional noodle culture of the Han ethnic group. With a long history and a long history, it can be traced back to two thousand years and is known as the "root of the world's pasta." According to records, there are over 1000 types of noodles in Shanxi, and there are as many as 280 types of Shanxi noodles that are well documented, making it overwhelming.It mainly uses wheat flour, sorghum flour, bean flour, buckwheat flour, naked oats flour, corn flour, etc. as raw materials. It can be used to make a variety of pasta, such as Daoxiao Noodles, Lamian Noodles, raking, wiping, naked oats, kakulaolaolao, sausage, bowl holder, etc., and then poured with marinade, tomato, meat mixed sauce, stewed vegetables and other ingredients. It can be said that it has reached the state of "one hundred kinds, one hundred tastes".
Image and text author：
Chen Yining,Class7,Grade2.
