Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province, lies in the north basin of Middle Jin (Jin is another name for Shanxi Province) and crosses the River Fen. The city area administers three districts, one subdivided city and five counties. The history of the city can be traced back to over 2,400 years ago. Taiyuan, in Chinese, means the greatest plain. In fact, it is dominated by rugged hills and hilly areas. Only one-fifth of the whole area is plains. Taiyuan is surrounded by mountains in the east, west and north; only the southern part is alluvial plains. It is dry and cold in winter, hot and rainy in summer, dusty and windy in spring, cool and comfortable in autumn. The annual average temperature is 9.5 Degree Celcius.
Location: located between 111′30″ east longitude and 113′09″ north latitude, at the northern end of the Loess Plateau.

Neighboring Areas: Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Population: 2.93 million
Urban Population: 1.83 million
Area: 6,988 sq km.

Nationalities: Han, Hui

History: a long history of 2500 years

Climatic Features: continental monsoon climate

Mountains: Mt. Wutai