Shanxi

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Province of north China, bounded to the north by Inner Mongolia, to the east by Hebei, to the south by Henan, and to the west by Shaanxi; area 157,100 sq km/60,700 sq mi; population (2000 est) 32,970,000. The capital is Taiyuan. There are coal, iron and steel, heavy machinery, mining equipment, and chemical industries, while cement, paper, and textiles are also manufactured. Fruit and cereals are grown, and meat is produced.

History
Although part of the heartland of Chinese culture, Shanxi's position on the northern border made it vulnerable to attack, and it spent long periods under the rule of barbarian dynasties. While under the control of the Northern Wei dynasty (386–535), Datong became an important centre of Buddhist culture. The province was the origin of a revolt against the Tang dynasty at the beginning of the 9th century, and was reunified with the rest of China until 979, during the reign of the second Song dynasty emperor. Later it was part of the domains of the Liao (945–1125) and Jin (Khitan) (1122–1234) dynasties, and the Mongol Empire. In 1900 support for the Boxer Rebellion was particularly strong in Shanxi, and many foreigners and Chinese Christians were killed. In the 1911 Chinese Revolution the warlord Yan Xishan took control of the province; he started the development of Shanxi's coalmining and the construction of a railway network.

The wingless dragon holds jewels in its claws to represent prosperity. Saffron yellow symbolizes the power of the monarchy. Orange-red stands for Buddhism. Effective date: c. 1971. >>