Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi Province, and a city rich in political,military, and religious history. Located along the invasion corridors between the nomadic regions to the north and the agricultural heartland around the Yellow River, it was the site of repeated invasion and occupation over the centuries. The central Shanxi region is rich in Buddhist and Taoist sites, including the famous Mt.Wutai and the Taoist Palace of Eternal Joy. Taiyuan is now a major industrial city in northern China, close to major iron and coal reserves.
The city wall stretches for about six kilometers. The Pingyao ancient town is protected by a city moat,boththree meters deep and wide. Outside the city is a drawbridge. Witnin the city, four big streetsand eight small streets radiate to join with 72 lanes. Preserved in the ancient city are near 4000 traditional quadrangle residences of commonpeople,over 400 of which are fairly intact, in addition to the few even more cherished houses of Ming Dynasty and those rare proto-types of Yuan Dynasty.