The development history of Shanxi

Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, with a long history, rich cultural heritage, and rich cultural heritage. So far, it has a recorded history of three thousand years. It is known as the "Museum of Ancient Chinese Culture" and is also known as the "Cradle of Chinese Civilization." The legend of "Nuwa patching up the sky" happened in Shanxi. Both the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, the ancestors of the Chinese nation, once lived in Shanxi. The three emperors Yao, Shun and Yu in ancient my country all established their capitals in southern Shanxi, namely "Yao's capital Pingyang (today's Linfen City)", "Shun's capital Puban (today's Yongji City)", "Yu's capital Anyi (today's Yongji City)" This summer county)". During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Wen of Jin Chong'er was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Datong (then known as Pingcheng) was once the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan and his son raised troops in Jinyang (today's Taiyuan City), then captured Chang'an, established the Tang Dynasty, and later designated Taiyuan as the northern capital of the Tang Empire. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Central Plains suffered from successive wars and frequent famines. However, Shanxi, especially the southern Shanxi area, had a prosperous economy and a dense population, and became the main area for immigrants in the early Ming Dynasty. In half a century, Shanxi has emigrated more than a dozen times. Dahuaishu in Hongdong County was a major immigration station at that time. This is where the popular saying "Ask me where my ancestors are, the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi" spread in many places across the country comes from. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rise of Shanxi merchants and Shanxi bank accounts was famous both at home and abroad.

The ruins of Xihedu Culture and Dingcun Culture show that humans have been thriving here as early as the Paleolithic Age. The legendary Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, the ancestors of the Chinese nation, both made Shanxi the main area of ??their activities. Yao, Shun and Yu, the three great figures in prehistoric China, all established their capitals in Shanxi. The Xia Dynasty, the first slave-holding state power in Chinese history, was also established in southern Shanxi. During the Shang Dynasty, Shanxi was the main ruling area of ??the Shang Dynasty. During the Zhou Dynasty, the State of Jin emerged from Shanxi, and Jin Wengong was one of the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin periods, Shanxi played a pivotal role in politics, military, economy, culture and other aspects. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Shanxi was the center of the rule of the Northern Dynasties, and the Northern Wei Dynasty once used Pingcheng (now Datong) as its capital. Later, the Eastern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty also used Jinyang (now Taiyuan) as their "other capital" and "accompanying capital". Shanxi's development has played a positive role. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, raised troops in Taiyuan and established the Tang Dynasty. From then on, Shanxi was considered by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to be the land of "Dragon Xing". Beijing". Since the Tang Dynasty, Shanxi has been famous for its special status and developed economy and culture. By the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Shanxi still played a decisive role in the political and military situation in northern China. During the Song and Liao Dynasties, Shanxi further prospered and became the main economically and culturally developed region in northern China. In the Yuan Dynasty, there were 11 provinces in the country. Shanxi, Shandong and Hebei were called the "hinterland" of the Yuan Dynasty. Datong, Pingyang (today's Linfen) and Taiyuan became famous cities in the Yellow River Basin. At that time, Shanxi's commercial development, economic prosperity, and cultural prosperity were highly praised by Marco Polo, the great Italian traveler who traveled to China at that time. During the Ming Dynasty, Shanxi's commerce developed rapidly and once led the country.

After China entered a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, Shanxi’s economic and cultural development was severely damaged. However, the people of Shanxi heroically resisted the invasion of foreign enemies. Especially during the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, the people of Shanxi fought more tenaciously and wrote countless heroic stories on the land of the Three Shanxi Provinces. The Hundred Regiments War, the Pingxingguan Victory, and the Shangdang Battle will forever be remembered in history. In April 1949, the whole province was liberated. In September, the Shanxi Provincial People's Government was established, opening a new chapter in the history of Shanxi's socialist revolution and construction. Over the past decades, the people of Shanxi have made significant contributions to the country's socialist construction.

The Yellow River flows through Shanxi and has given birth to countless heroes and people with lofty ideals. In various historical periods of China, Shanxi has produced many politicians, strategists, scientists, writers, and historians. The most famous ones include Chong'er, one of the overlords of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Wen of Jin, Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor and an outstanding politician in the Tang Dynasty, Guan Yu, China's "Martial Saint" and a famous general in the Three Kingdoms period, and famous prime ministers Di Renjie and Pei Pei of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, there are Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the famous generals of the Han Dynasty who fought against the Xiongnu and went down in history, Pei Xiu, the cartographer of the Western Jin Dynasty who founded the "Six Cartographic Systems", Luo Guanzhong, the author of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", one of the four famous works in ancient China, and the famous Tang Dynasty The poets Bai Juyi, Wang Bo, Wang Zhihuan, Wang Wei, and Wang Changling; the famous writer, philosopher, and political reformer Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty; the Jin Dynasty writer and poet Yuan Haowen; and three famous dramatists among the four great Yuan opera masters. Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu, Zheng Guangzu, Fu Shan, a thinker, writer, medical scientist, calligrapher and painter in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Yang Zexiu, a reformer in the late Qing Dynasty, and Tan Sitong and Liu Guangdi, the Six Gentlemen of the Reform Movement of 1898, etc. It can be said that Shanxi is full of outstanding people, and there is no shortage of people from generation to generation. Among them, Shanxi merchants have traveled all over China and are famous all over the world.