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1、Module 1 EuropeTask教案Goals To learn to make a fileProceduresStep 1: Surfing the Internet for related informationStep 2: Making a poster display of your fact fileShanxiShanxi is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. Its one-character abbreviation is Jin (晋), after the state of Jin tha
2、t existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period. Shanxi has an area of 150,000 km and a population of 32.97 million. Shanxis name literally means mountains west, which refers to the provinces location west of the Taihang Mountains. Shanxi borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to
3、the west, and Inner Mongolia to the north. The capital of Shanxi is Taiyuan.History Shanxi was the location of the powerful state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC - 403 BC), which underwent a three-way split into the states of Han, Zhao and Wei in 403 BC, the traditional date taken
4、 as the start of the Warring States Period (403 BC - 221 BC). By 221 BC all of these states had fallen to the state of Qin, which established the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC). The Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) ruled Shanxi as the province (zhou) of Bingzhou (并州 Bng Zhu). During the barbarian invasi
5、ons of the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304 - 439, Shanxi was hotly disputed along with the rest of North China, and present-day Datong served for a time as the capital of the Northern Wei (386 - 534), a Xianbei kingdom that went on to rule nearly all of North China. During the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907)
6、and after, the area was called Hdng (河東), or east of the (Yellow) river. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907 - 960) Shanxi came under the Northern Han, the only one of the ten kingdoms in North China. Shanxi was formally established with its present name and approximate borders by
7、 the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). For centuries Shanxi was a center of trade and banking, and the term Shanxi merchant (晋商) was once synonymous with wealth; the well-preserved city of Pingyao, in Shanxi, also shows many signs of its former dominance as a center of trade and banking. In modern times,
8、however, Shanxi has fared far less well. Today it depends on coal and is one of the poorer provinces (by both GDP and GDP per capita) of China.Geography Shanxi is located on a plateau, which is in turn made up of higher ground to the east (Taihang mountains) and the west (Lliang mountains), and a se
9、ries of valleys in the center through which the Fen River flows. The highest peak is Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) at an altitude of 3058 m. The Fen and Qin rivers, tributaries of Huang He (or the Yellow River), drain much of the province; the north is drained by tributaries of the Hai River, such as San
10、ggan and Hutuo rivers. Shanxi has a continental monsoon climate, and is rather arid. Annual precipitation averages around 350-700 mm. There is very little precipitation in winter and spring. EconomyShanxi depends mostly on agriculture, mainly the cultivation of wheat, but also corn and sorghum. Shan
11、xi is very rich in natural resources, including coal and bauxite. Shanxi has, in fact, one third of Chinas coal, and this has made Shanxi a leading producer of coal within China. Industry in Shanxi is mostly centered on coal, power generation, metal refining, and other heavy industries. In 2003, Sha
12、nxi had a gross domestic product of 245.7 billion RMB, and a per capita income of 7468 RMB. By market exchange rates, these convert to US$29.6 billion and US$990 respectively. Demographics The population is mostly Han Chinese with minorities of Hui Chinese, Mongols, and Manchus. Culture People in mo
13、st regions of Shanxi speak dialects of Jin, a subdivision of Chinese. People in the southwest speak dialects of Mandarin. (Jin is sometimes classified as a subdivision of Mandarin. For more information, see Chinese spoken language.) Vinegar is a very important part of Shanxi cuisine. Popular forms o
14、f traditional entertainment include Shanxi Opera (Jinju), Puju, Beilu Bangzi, Shangdang Bangzi and Shanxi Yangge. TourismIn addition to the major cities there are also the following sights: Ancient City of Pingyao is a town and a World Heritage Site near Taiyuan noted for its preservation of many fe
15、atures of northern Han Chinese culture, architecture, and way of life during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Yungang Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in Datong consist of 252 caves noted for their collection of 5th and 6th century Buddhist cave art. Mount Wutai (Wutai Shan) is the highest point in the p
16、rovince. It is known as the residence of the bodhisattva Manjusri, and as a result is also a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination, with many temples and natural sights. Mount Hengshan (Heng Shan), in Hunyuan County, is one of the Wu Yue (Five Great Peaks) of China, and is also a major Taoist site. Dazhai is a village in Xiyang County. Situated in hilly, difficult terrain, it was a holy site during
