Taiyuan

Taiyuan (太原, pinyin: Tàiyuán, Wade-Giles:T'ai-yüan) is a city in China, capital of the Shanxi province.

The GDP per capita was ¥12821 (ca. US$1550) in 2003, ranked no. 171 among 659 Chinese cities.

History
Taiyaun is an ancient capital, constructed by Zhaojianzi in ca. 500 BC, named Jinyang. It was renamed Taiyuan in Qin Dynasty.

A new city was built in 562 AD, which was later linked to the old city during Tang Dynasty (733 AD).

In 617 AD, Li Yuan and his son Li Shimin rebelled against Sui Dynasty, and founded Tang Dynasty.

The oldest existing building in the city is the Temple of Goddess inside the Jin Ci Complex; it was originally built in 1023 AD and reconstructed in 1102 AD.

The city had been deliberately flooded several times: 453 BC, 969 AD, and was destroyed by war in 1125 AD.

During Ming Dynasty, the city wall was reconstructed in 1568 AD.