Taiyuan (People' s Republic of China)
| Twinned since | 1999 |  |
| Population: | 3.4 million (2003) | |
| Area: | 2,700 sq. miles | |
| Website: | www.taiyuan.gov.cn |
Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi Province and thus the political, economic and cultural centre of the region.
It is the chemical and energy base of the province, has rich natural resources (50% of the coal production in the whole of China) and is one of the most important industrial cities in China.
The Jinci Temple complex
City of Taiyuan
Important industries are steel, engineering, textiles and light industry, food, pharmaceuticals and precision measurement engineering. Taiyuan Airport is one of the most modern in china.
Taiyuan’s history goes back more than 2,500 years. It was built on the Fen River in 497 BC under the name and borders on the mountains on three sides. The Jinci Temple complex, which is in Taiyuan, has been on the list of historic monuments of the People’s Republic of China since 1961. Because of its unique architecture the Shuangta Si, one of the Twin Pagoda Temples, has become the symbol of Taiyuan. One of the chief attractions is the grotto in Tianlong Mountain, where magnificent sculptures from the Tang Dynasty (618–907) can be seen.
The twinning between Chemnitz and Taiyuan was first stimulated by business contacts and the exchange of official delegations. The biggest highlight of the collaboration to date was the “Chinese Culture Days” event at Klaffenbach Castle in 2001.
