Taiyuan Loess Civilization: A River Runs Through It

The temple is set off by beautiful mountains and streams and consecrated by towering ancient trees. This group of ancient architectural masterpieces and their setting embody the traditional concept that man and nature are one. Three of its scenic spots are particularly famous – the perennial Nanlao Spring that was eulogized by Tang poet Li Bai (701-762) in one of his poems, a 3,000-year-old cypress said to be planted in the Zhou Dynasty (11th century-256 B.C.), and 44 lifelike statues of maidens from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), standing in attendance to the mother of King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty.

The twin pagodas of the Yongzuo Temple are another landmark of Taiyuan. They were built during the reign (1573-1620) of Ming Emperor Wanli. In spring, the Twin Pagoda Temple is a popular enclave for citizens to enjoy the blooming peonies planted in the Ming Dynasty, try scaling the pagodas, or admiring the inscribed steles. Taiyuan has many other ancestral and religious temples that tell its old stories and eulogize the glory of the Yellow River civilization.

The Tianlong Mountain Scenic Area is best known for its Buddhist grotto art. The grottoes flank the east and west cliffs of the mountain. Chiseling continued for more than three centuries here, from the Eastern Wei (534-550) of the Northern Dynasties through the late Tang Dynasty (618-907). Tianlong's collected works make it one of the top ten grotto sites in China. On top of Longshan Mountain is China's largest extant cluster of Daoist grottoes. Chiseling started here in the early Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), but the artistic style of these caves differs very much from that of the Buddhist grottoes.

Besides these lesser religious monuments, Taiyuan also has a giant Buddha carved out of an entire rocky cliff. At the height of 63 meters, it is only 10 meters lower than the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan and fully 162 years older, as its chiseling started in 551, the second year of the Tianbao Reign of the Northern Qi (550-577).

People and Folklore

In millennia past, Taiyuan produced a myriad of famous personages that are glorified in the records of the Chinese history. The count can be started with Yao, the legendary ruler of the Chinese civilization in the very remote past, and Yu, the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 B.C.). In the more recent past, there were the competent Wu Zetian (624-705) who was the first female ruler of China and a leader who carried forward the great prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, Di Renjie (630-700), an outstanding statesman during the administration of Wu Zetian, the Tang poet Bai Juyi (772-846) who is still widely read today, national hero Yang Jiye (c. 932-986) of the Song Dynasty, accomplished writer and historian Yuan Haowen (1190-1257) of the Yuan Dynasty, Yuan novelist and dramatist Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330-1400), and famous Qing scholar Fu Shan (1607-1684). They all had a profound influence on Chinese culture.

In modern times, Taiyuan was a pioneer of the Chinese revolution. On a stopover in the city, Sun Yat-sen spoke highly of the 1911 uprising of Taiyuan against the decadent Qing imperial rulers; the first branch committee of the Communist Party of China was set up in Taiyuan as well. In the Taiyuan Liberation Memorial Hall and other places of historic interest visitors to the city can learn about the activities of Taiyuan revolutionaries.