china

China

Shanxi Province

Taiyuan is the capital city and the main city we will be visiting.

According to Chinadaily.com ....

Shanxi (literally, west of mountain) is named after its location in the west of
the Taihang Mountain Range. It is situated 34"35"-40"45" north latitude and
110"15"-114"32" east longitude with an area of 156,300 square kilometers.
It is bounded by the North China Plain in the east and the middle Yellow
River in the west. Mountains cover 67.5% of Shanxi Province, and its
highlands, hills and basins stand at about 1,000 meters or more above sea
level, sloping from northeast to southwest.

Climate - Shanxi has a continental monsoonal climate with distinctive
seasons. It has cold winters but mild summers, with a mean annual
temperature of 6oC to 14oC. The greater part of the province has a mean
annual precipitation of 400-650 mm, increasing gradually from northwest to
southeast.

Administrative Division and Population - It is divided into 1 district, 10
prefecture-level cities, 12 county-level cities and 85 counties, with a
population of 32.97 million as of 2000, mainly including ethnic groups of
Han, Hui, Mongolian and Manchu.

Food - Daoxiao Mian (Knife-Pared Noodles), Shaomai (steamed dumplings
with the dough gathered at the top), and Youmian (Naked Oats Noodles),
etc.

Special Local Products - The traditional specialties are Fen wine,
Zhuyeqing wine, Qingxu vinegar and Changzhi ginseng.

Culture - Shanxi Bangzi (a kind of opera in Shanxi), Huagu (Flower Drum),
and Yangge (popular rural folk dance), etc.

Brief Introduction - Shanxi, Jin for short, is situated on the middle segment
of the Yellow River. The land of Shanxi is one of the origins of Chinese
civilization, exhibiting evidence of human settlement over a million years
ago. Huangdi (the Yellow Emperor), a famous legendary hero, apparently
sojourned in Shanxi, and the earliest rulers, Yao, Shun and Yu, all founded
their capitals there. Datong, known as Pingcheng in ancient times, was the
capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and famous throughout the
Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-581). During the Sui (581-618) and
Tang (618-907) Dynasties, Shanxi became very prosperous. In the past,
Shanxi people were once called the Chinese Jews, indicating that they were
people of wisdom. The long history of Shanxi has provided the province
with a rich and colorful cultural heritage.

The basins here are the main agricultural region. The most important
products are wheat, corn, cotton and peanut. Shanxi is the base of coal
industry. The produces of heavy machinery and textile are very important in
the whole country. Also, there is iron and steel, electric power, chemical
industry, textile and food. The communication is mainly railway. And the
highway here is convenient, too.

There are abundant historic reserves in Shanxi, including Wutai Mountain,
Hengshan Mountain, the Jin Ancestral Hall in Taiyuan, the Yungan Grottos
in Datong, the Shuanglin Temple in Pingyao, the Hanging Temple in
Hunyuan, and the Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River.

Updated Itinerary - subject to change

March 13 Tampa to Beijing
March 14 Arrive Beijing
March 15-16 Tour Beijing. We
plan to go to the Mutianyu
section of the Great Wall, The
Forbidden City, Tiananmen
Square, the Olympic Village.
We also will visit the China
Care Medical Home.
March 17 -Visit New Day
Creations Foster Home, Fly to
Taiyuan
March 18 - Visit Taiyuan Social
Welfare Institute (orphanage),
Buy, give donations to Orphanage
March 19 - Drive to Hong Tong,
near Linfen (SW corner of
Shanxi). Buy, give donations to
Hong Tong Village
March 20 - Drive to Pingyao and
the Jinzhong Orphanage to give
donations.
March 21-22 Fly to Beijing,
Home