Located at the center of the province of Shanxi, Taiyuan is bordered in the east by the Taihang mounts, the west by the Lüliang mounts and is crossed north in the south by the Fen river. The climate is soft there and the four clearly marked seasons. Taiyuan is one of the first 23 metropolises of China.
Thanks to a solid industrial base and very rich mineral resources, Taiyuan acquired a reputation of iron country and coal. Fourteen industrial sectors whose principal ones are energy, the metallurgy, mechanics and chemistry are represented in the city. Too many coal dusts to our taste ...
Taiyuan shelters 5 historic sites protected on the national level like several natural sites and of the forest reserves from national or provincial level. Built at the time of Springs and Autumns, the Temple Jinci (25 km of Taiyuan) is regarded as a museum of ancient architecture; the double Lingxiao pagoda, built under Ming (1368-1644) became the symbol of Taiyuan today. The Caves taoists of Longshan, dug under Yuan (1271-1368) and the Buddhist Caves of Tianlongshan, dug under Wei Eastern (534-550) and the Five Dynasties (907-960), enjoy a world reputation thanks to their splendid sculptures. The Buddhist temple of Chongshan, built under Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907), was the residence of the Yangdi emperor of Sui and shelters invaluable crowned books. As for the Palate of Chunyanggong, built under Ming (1368-1644), it is about a splendid whole of constructions taoists.
