An ancient city in North China's Shanxi Province, Taiyuan is 2,500 years old this year. With its rich cultural background and modern look, Taiyuan beckons tourists and business people alike.
Land of importance
Located in the central part of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan is one of China's 23 metropolises. It borders the Taihang Mountains in the east and the Luliang Mountains in the west. The Fenhe River runs through the city from north to south.
Taiyuan has abundant mineral resources. It is a city of industrial importance and has long been known as the home of coal and iron.
Taiyuan has 14 industries, the main ones being energy, metallurgy, machinery and chemical engineering. It is China's largest base for coke and specialized steel production.
Taiyuan is one of the traffic hubs in North China, with more than 50 flights one week to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other large cities in China.
The city has eight national highways and four expressways, and the Taiyuan-Jiuguan Expressway has shortened the trip between Taiyuan and Beijing to five hours.
Taiyuan enjoys convenient communications facilities. Telephone users in Taiyuan can direct-dial 2,300 cities in China and cities in 260 countries and regions around the world.
Taiyuan has co-operated with 30 countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan in developing its international express delivery services.
Historical charm
Taiyuan has a history of 2,500 years. First named Jinyang, it was established in 497 BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).
Later it was renamed Bingzhou and served as the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and then as the capital or alternate capital of the Latter Tang (923-936), Latter Jin (936-946) and Latter Han (947-950) dynasties.
Taiyuan was one of the important cities dealing in commerce and handicrafts, and it was a city of strategic significance.
Taiyuan is also famous for its cultural relics and beautiful landscapes. It has five historical and cultural sites under State-level protection, 17 under provincial-level protection, and 67 under municipal-level protection.
The Jinci Temple at the foot of Xuanweng Mountain was once called the Old Shrine of the King of Jin.
It was built over 1,500 years ago in commemoration of Ji Yu, the second son of King Wu, who was the second king of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century-771 BC).
The Longshan Grottoes, built southwest of Taiyuan in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) are China's largest Taoist grottoes, and the Tianlongshan Grottoes built during the period from the Eastern Wei Dynasty (534-550)  through the Five Dynasties (907-960) feature beautiful Buddhist statues.
The Chongshan Temple lying southeast of Taiyuan was built during the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). It was once the temporary dwelling palace of Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and is now famous for its extensive collection of Buddhist scriptures.
The Chunyang Palace built near the Wuyi Square in the Ming Dynasty features a unique architectural layout.
Pingyao Ancient Town, in the middle of Shanxi Province, is the best-preserved of the four ancient towns in China.
It offers a rich collection of the non-imperial homes of North China with row upon row of well-preserved buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).
The earliest bank in China, piaohao (a firm for exchange and transfer of money) was founded there. For a fairly long period during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, merchants from Shanxi Province dominated most of the finance operations in China.
While playing an outstanding role in business circles, they painstakingly built their impressive courtyard homes one after another, creating the typical housing style of Shanxi.
On December 3, 1997, the 2,700-year-old town was formally added to the World Heritage List by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Pingyao Ancient Town is also famous for its ancient wall built in 1370. It is three to six metres wide at the top, nine to 12 metres wide at the bottom, 10 metres high and more than six kilometres long.
The wall body was first built up with layer upon layer of rammed earth and then covered with bricks and stones outside.
The wall pattern was designed to suit local conditions and make use of key positions to control the fortress.
The walls in the east, west and north are straight and the south wall winds along the Zhongdu River.
Pingyao is also called Turtle City because of its long existence and impregnability.
In addition, relics left by such historical celebrities as Emperor Li Shimin and official Di Renjie in the Tang Dynasty, writer Luo Guanzhong in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)  also add to the historical and cultural interest of Taiyuan.
New scenic spots
While protecting these historical and cultural relics, Taiyuan is also establishing new scenic spots and improving its ecological environment.
Fenhe Park, completed not long ago with a big investment, features the horticultural style of North China and the local flavour of Taiyuan and can accommodate 200,000 visitors at one time.
It focuses on themes of humanity, ecology and culture.
Fenhe Park won the 2001 China Best Residence Prize and has now become a place of recreation and pleasure for local people and a new scenic spot for tourists.
The forest park in northwestern Taiyuan is now undergoing reconstruction. It integrates ecological protection, scientific education, sightseeing and recreation and is Shanxi Province's largest artificial forest park, covering an area of two square kilometres.
It has a standard golf course, a forest holiday village and a well-equipped recreation club.
These newly established scenic spots, along with Taiyuan's older ecological and tourist resources and cultural resorts, beautify the city and showcase its charm.
Tourism
Tourism has seen a rapid development and has become a bright point in the city's economic and social progress.
Taiyuan earned US$314 million from tourism in 2000, US$22.34 million of it in foreign exchange.
In 2001, Taiyuan was cited as one of China's Excellent Tourist Cities by the State Tourism Administration.
Now that China has entered the World Trade Organization, there will be more opportunities for Taiyuan to develop its tourism, and the city is applying itself to upgrading its tourist facilities.
The city takes full advantage of its abundant historical and cultural relics and its advantageous geographic location as the tourist centre of Shanxi Province.
It has formed a tourism pattern combining Jinyang Culture, religion, folk culture and natural landscapes with sightseeing, recreation and shopping.
The highways, railways and flight routes linking Taiyuan with other travel destinations around Shanxi Province are another plus in its tourism offerings.
Taiyuan hopes to develop into an important sightseeing destination for tourists from both China and abroad over the next five to 10 years.
Wheat-flour food
The most famous flavours in Taiyuan are its wide variety of foods made with wheat flour and its many Muslim dishes.
A piece of dough in Taiyuan can be made into 100 different pastries of excellent colour, flavour and taste.
The daoxiaomian (shaved noodles), shaped like and similar in size to willow leaves, are regarded as the best of their kind in the world, both in the way they are made and in taste.
Wheat-flour shaomai can be found in many parts of China but the shaomai in Taiyuan are different in taste.
Mutton-stuffed shaomai served in the famous old restaurant Qing Heyuan are well-known all over Shanxi for their fresh and delicious flavour.
In addition to shaved noodles and shaomai, various other wheat-flour foods like  "cat's ear", fish-shaped noodles, steamed dumplings, shuanyangrou (instant-boiled mutton in a hotpot) and tounao (made of mutton, Chinese yam and lotus root) are among the most famous dishes in Taiyuan.
Vinegar
Shanxi has long been known as a vinegar-production base. Vinegar made in Shanxi was already well known in China during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-221 BC) and is still the best in China.
Taiyuan was not only the first place in Shanxi to produce vinegar but also produces the best vinegar in the province.
The mature vinegar has a rich and lingering flavour and does not go mouldy.
The vinegar is also said to help slow down the  hardening arteries, improve the appearance, beautify hair and prevent flu.
In Taiyuan's Qingxu County, there is a vinegar museum, the only one of its kind in the world.  "Water Tower" and  "East Lake" are the best-known local brands of vinegar.
Opening-up
Taiyuan's import and export enterprises have developed in an all-round way. The range of export commodities has been improved with a higher percentage of machinery and electric products.
Taiyuan's total value of imports and exports reached US$1.6 billion in 2002, 4.2 per cent higher than in the previous year.
Taiyuan High-Tech Development Zone and Taiyuan Economic and Technological Development Zone are State-level zones which are set to bring in business and inviting investments.
In the two zones, there are a number of fast-growing new and high-tech industries with good prospects, strong connections with other industries and higher added value products.
There are 1,100 enterprises and 16 science and technology parks in the Taiyuan High-Tech Development Zone, whose earnings have reached US$19 million.
To celebrate the city's 2,500th anniversary, the Taiyuan government has prepared 200 projects for overseas investment and co-operation, covering a wide range of fields.
It has also arranged 34 economic and cultural activities for both tourists and business people.
The Information Office of Taiyuan People's Government contributes to the story.