Capital · Historic city · Industrial centre · Shanxi
Taiyuan
太原
Dragon City of the Fen valley, where the Tang dynasty began
Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi, in the northern part of the Taiyuan basin on the Fen River. Founded as Jinyang in the fifth century BCE, it was the power base from which Li Yuan launched the Tang dynasty in 617; today it is an industrial city of steel, coal and machinery with the Song-dynasty temple complex of Jinci on its south-western edge.
Key facts
Overview
Taiyuan occupies the head of the Fen valley, where the river leaves the mountains and enters the long basin running south through central Shanxi. The position made it the key to north China for many dynasties, a fortress city that controlled the route between the steppe and the Central Plain. Several northern states used it as a secondary capital.
The modern city is the political and industrial centre of Shanxi, with Taiyuan Iron and Steel, heavy-machinery plants and the headquarters of the province's coal groups. The Fen River has been landscaped into a long riverside park through the centre, and the Shanxi Museum holds one of the country's best regional collections.
Names and nicknames
龙城
“Dragon City”
Because the Tang imperial house rose here; Taiyuan was honoured as the “northern capital” of the Tang.
并州
The ancient name of the province centred on the city.
晋阳
The city's original name, used until the Song destroyed it in 979.
History
Jinyang was founded around 497 BCE by the Zhao lineage of Jin; in 453 BCE it withstood a siege in which its enemies flooded the city, a victory that led to the partition of Jin. The city was a secondary capital of the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi and, as the base of Li Yuan and Li Shimin, the starting point of the Tang. The Song emperor Taizong destroyed Jinyang in 979 after conquering the Northern Han, and a new city was built a few kilometres north on today's site. Shanxi University was founded here in 1902, and the city was industrialised under Yan Xishan and again after 1949.
c. 497 BCE
Jinyang founded
Built by Dong Anyu for Zhao Jianzi of the Zhao lineage, which would later rule one of the three successor states of Jin.
453 BCE
Siege of Jinyang
The Zhi lineage flooded the city, but Zhao persuaded the Han and Wei lineages to change sides; the victors divided Jin between them.
617
Li Yuan's uprising
The Sui governor of Taiyuan and his son Li Shimin marched on Chang'an and founded the Tang dynasty in 618.
979
Destruction of Jinyang
After defeating the Northern Han, the Song burned and flooded the old city; Taiyuan was rebuilt on its present site in 982.
1102
Hall of the Holy Mother at Jinci rebuilt
The Song hall, with its dragon-wrapped columns and painted clay maids, is one of the masterpieces of early Chinese architecture.
1902
Shanxi University founded
One of the earliest modern universities in China, funded in part from the Boxer indemnity.
April 1949
Fall of Taiyuan
After a long siege the city, Yan Xishan's stronghold, was taken by the People's Liberation Army.
Landmarks
Temple or shrine
Jinci Temple
晋祠
Temple complex at the source of the Jin River honouring the founder of Jin and his mother, with the Song Hall of the Holy Mother, the cross-shaped Fish Pond Bridge and the Nanlao spring.
Museum
Shanxi Museum
山西博物院
The provincial museum on the Fen River, strong on Jin-state bronzes, Buddhist sculpture and the history of Shanxi merchants.
Temple or shrine
Twin Pagodas Temple
永祚寺
Two brick pagodas of the late Ming, the emblem of the city, with a garden of old peonies.
Temple or shrine
Tianlongshan Grottoes
天龙山石窟
Buddhist caves of the Eastern Wei to the Tang in the western hills; many of their sculptures were removed and sold abroad in the 1920s.
Temple or shrine
Chunyang Palace
纯阳宫
Daoist temple dedicated to Lü Dongbin in the city centre, now housing an art museum.
Neighbourhoods
Liuxiang
柳巷
The traditional shopping district in the old centre.
Zhonglou Street
钟楼街
Restored street of old shopfronts and long-established food brands.
Jinyuan
晋源
The south-western district with Jinci and the archaeological site of old Jinyang.
Food
Tounao
头脑
Thick breakfast soup of mutton, lotus root and yam with yellow wine, eaten in winter with flatbread.
Guoyou pork
过油肉
Pork slices with wood-ear mushrooms and a dash of vinegar.
Mutton offal soup
羊杂割
Chopped lamb offal in broth with chilli oil and coriander.
Knife-shaved noodles
刀削面
The signature noodle of Shanxi, eaten in countless small shops.
Culture
Taiyuan is the home stage of Jin opera, and its old shops sell vinegar from nearby Qingxu and pastries from Taigu. The city's historical identity is tied to the Jin state and the Tang: the Jinci temple complex honours Tang Shuyu, founder of Jin, and the Tang emperor Taizong's stele inscription there is a celebrated work of calligraphy.
Getting around
- The Taiyuan Metro serves the centre and the Fen River corridor.
- Taiyuan South is the main high-speed station, with trains to Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Xi'an, Zhengzhou and Datong; Taiyuan Station is the conventional station in the centre.
- Taiyuan Wusu International Airport lies south-east of the city.
Day trips
Pingyao
平遥古城
The walled Ming–Qing county town in Jinzhong, reached by high-speed train.
Qiao family compound
乔家大院
Merchant family mansion of courtyards in Qixian, known from the film Raise the Red Lantern.
Mengshan Giant Buddha
蒙山大佛
A colossal Northern Qi rock-cut Buddha in the western hills, rediscovered in the 1980s and restored.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Taiyuan Municipal People's Government — Taiyuan Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Taiyuan — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More cities in Shanxi
- Datong大同Historic city · Industrial centreNorthern Wei capital of the Yungang Grottoes on the Great Wall frontier
- Jinzhong晋中Historic city · Cultural centreHome of Pingyao and the Shanxi merchant compounds
- Xinzhou忻州Scenic area · Historic cityGateway to Mount Wutai and the Yanmen Pass
- Yuncheng运城Historic city · Cultural centreSalt lake, Guan Yu's hometown and the Stork Tower on the Yellow River bend
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