Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi Province. It is reputed as a colorful and glorious Taiyuan City since the ancient time.
Taiyuan, called Jinyang in ancient times, is an ancient city. It was initially established in 497 B.C. as Jinyang city, and in the early Warring States Period was the capital of Zhao State. Though it was later reduced to a municipality under the auspices of the Qin Emperor (Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of China), it rose again a thousand years later as the capital of the Tang Dynasty, whose ascension marked the beginning of what is known as the zenith of ancient Chinese culture.
Best time to visit
Generally speaking, from May to October yearly is the best travel season for tourists to visit Taiyuan. To be more specific, the best time happens to May, June, September and October. The weather and activities during the best season are nice and abundant for travel.
At the turn of spring and summer, while the peonies are all in blossom, at the Twin Pagoda Temple, annual Peony Exhibition is held. If the travelers come to Taiyuan at this time, they can enjoy peonies.
Clothes for travelling
Hiking might be the dominant means when traveling in Taiyuan. Proper and comfortable shoes will save you many troubles. For female tourists, please try not to wear high heels and skirts.
The temperature varies greatly in Shanxi between daytime and nighttime. Be sure to bring enough clothes to keep warm at night. Due to the air is extremely dry here, bringing enough water with you is necessary.
Taiyuan is not as clean as most of the other cities in China due to its large output of coals. Furthermore, in spring the sunshine and wind is extremely strong in the city. Therefore, proper protections including sunglasses, sunblock, lip balms etc. are necessary.
Avoid Peak Holidays
It is not a good idea to travel in China during Chinese holidays when huge numbers of Chinese people are travelling around. The busiest three national holidays in China are Chinese Spring Festival (usually in late Jan or early Feb.), International Labor Day (May 01 to 03) and National Day (Oct 01-07). Spring Festival is an especially crowded time to travel. The advantage of being in China at this time is that you will get the opportunity to experience "first hand" the significance of these celebrations in Chinese culture.
Taiyuan food
It is always said that the essence of wheaten food across the world is in China, and the essence of wheaten food across China is in Shanxi. Taiyuan wheaten food is the most famous one in Shanxi, with various kinds, long history and respective cooking methods. Sliced noodles, pulled noodles, Mao Erduo, Bo Yu, Jiu Pian and many other types of wheaten food are all available in Taiyuan’s local restaurants. The main cooking methods include steaming, boiling, roasting, baking and frying.
Besides the wheaten food, Taiyuan also possesses many kinds of dishes. The food here is mainly salty with a little sour and sweet. The cooking methods include deep-frying, stir-frying, quick-frying, grilling and braising.
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