Taiyuan has abundant mineral resources. It is a city of industrial importance and has long been known as the Home of Coal and Iron. It has 14 kinds of industries, mostly dealing in energy, metallurgy, machinery, and chemical engineering and is China's largest base for producing coke and specialized steel. In recent years, Taiyuan has adjusted its economic structure and developed into a rising city with important hi-tech-energy and chemical industries.

Taiyuan is one of the traffic hubs of North China, with more than 50 domestic flight routes and flights at least every week to and from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other large cities in China. Passengers can also go from Taiyuan to almost every corner of China by train. The city has eight national highways and four expressways, and the Taiyuan-Jiuguan Expressway shortens 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 in 260 countries and regions around the world. Taiyuan has cooperated with 30 countries including the United States, England, France, and Japan to develop international express delivery services.

The roads in urban Taiyuan total 1,243 kilometers, and the city has 1,350 buses and 8,300 taxis. The public supplies of tap water and liquefied gas cover more than 90 percent of the total area of Taiyuan, and the public heating supply covers 55.2 percent. There are over 20 parks in urban Taiyuan. The lawn space comes to 5.73 square meters per person, and 24 percent of the city is covered with vegetation.

Taiyuan has a history of 2,500 years. It was established under the name of Jinyang in 497 B.C. during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). 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 Later Tang (923-936), Later Jin (936-946), and Later Han (947-950) Dynasties. Taiyuan was one of the important cities in commerce and in the handicraft industry, and it was a city of strategic significance.

Taiyuan is also famous for its cultural relics and beautiful landscapes. It has 5 historical and cultural sites under state-level protection, 17 under provincial-level protection, and 67 under municipal-level protection. It also has many national and provincial scenic spots and forest parks.

The Jin Ancestral Temple in Taiyuan was originally built in memory of Ji Yu, one of the younger brothers of King Chengwang of the Western Zhou Dynasty (11th Century-771 B.C.). It is now the largest imperial garden in China and has won a reputation as the Museum of Ancient Chinese Architecture.

The Lingxiao (skyscraping) Double Pagodas built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) have become the symbol of Taiyuan. The Longshan Grottoes built 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, built during the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581-907), was once the temporary dwelling palace of Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and is now famous for its abundant collection of Buddhist scriptures.

The Chunyang Palace built in the Ming Dynasty features a unique architectural layout. In addition, the relics left by such historical celebrities as Emperor Li Shimin, Di Renjie, Kou Zhun, Luo Guanzhong, and Fu Shan strengthen the historical and cultural charm of Taiyuan.

While protecting these historical and cultural relics, Taiyuan is also establishing new scenic spots and perfecting its ecological environment. Fenhe Park, completed not long ago with an investment of 560 million yuan, features the horticultural style of North China and the local flavor of Taiyuan and can accommodate 200,000 visitors at one time. With themes of humanity, cities, ecology, and culture, the park focuses both on protecting the city's ecological environment and displaying the city's history and culture. Fenhe Park won the 2001 China Model Human Residence Prize and has now become a place of recreation and pleasure for local citizens and a new scenic spot for tourists.

The forest park in northwestern Taiyuan is in reconstruction now. It integrates ecological protection, scientific education, sightseeing, and recreation and is Shanxi Province's largest artificial forest park, covering an areaf two square kilometers. The park is famous for its wild animals, beautiful landscapes. and abundant forest plants. 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 the city's charm. . h Taiyuan's older ecological and tourist resources and cultural resorts, beautify the city and showcase the city's charm. . In recent years, Taiyuan has developed new tourist attractions with local flavor by taking advantage of its brilliant historical cture and unique geographic location and optimizing its present resources following the principle of Overall Development with Emphasis on Several Aspects to Seek Further Progress. Tourism here has seen a rapid development and has become a bright point in the city's economic and social progress. Taiyuan earned 2.6 billion yuan from tourism in 2000, of which foreign exchange came to US$ 22.34 million. city's economic and social progress. Taiyuan earned 2.6 billion yuan from tourism in 2000, of which foreign exchange came to US$ 22.34 million.

In 2001, Taiyuan was cited as one of China's Excellent Tourist Cities by the State Tourism Administration, confirming that the city's tourist environment had made a breakthrough and that the city's overall management and service level had seen great improvement. 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 perfecting and upgrading its tourist facilities. The city gives full play to its abundant historical and cultural relics and to its advantageous geographic location as the tourist center of Shanxi Province and has formed a tourism pattern combining the Jinyang Culture, religious culture, 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 advantage in encouraging tourism.

Taiyuan hopes to develop into a leading tourist city in Shanxi Province, an important international tourist city in North China, and an important sightseeing destination r tourists from both China and abroad over the next five to ten years.

(China Pictorial March 12, 2003)