Linfen

Linfen ( ) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of Taiyue to the east and the Luliang Mountains to the west. In the middle is a vast river valley plain, with the Fen River mainstream running across the north and south, and the land on both sides is fertile. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It has an area of and according to the 2020 Census, a population of 3,976,481 inhabitants¹ of which 959,198 live in the built-up (or metro) area made up of Yaodu urban district. The GDP of Linfen ranked second in Shanxi Province. It was known as Pingyang ( ) during the Spring and Autumn period. In 2006, the American Blacksmith Institute listed Linfen as one of the ten most polluted cities in the world, but air quality had improved by 2023. Prior to 1978, Linfen was famous for its spring water, greenery and rich agriculture and therefore nicknamed "The Modern Fruit and Flower Town". Since then it has been developing into a main industrial center for coal mining, which has significantly damaged the city's environment, air quality, farming, health and its previous status as a green village.

Linfen ( ) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of Taiyue to the east and the Luliang Mountains to the west. In the middle is a vast river valley plain, with the Fen River mainstream running across the north and south, and the land on both sides is fertile. It is situated along the banks of the Fen River. It has an area of and according to the 2020 Census, a population of 3,976,481 inhabitants of which 959,198 live in the built-up (or metro) area made up of Yaodu urban district. The GDP of Linfen ranked second in Shanxi Province. It was known as Pingyang ( ) during the Spring and Autumn period. In 2006, the American Blacksmith Institute listed Linfen as one of the ten most polluted cities in the world, but air quality had improved by 2023. Prior to 1978, Linfen was famous for its spring water, greenery and rich agriculture and therefore nicknamed "The Modern Fruit and Flower Town". Since then it has been developing into a main industrial center for coal mining, which has significantly damaged the city's environment, air quality, farming, health and its previous status as a green village. ==Name== , 1955)]] Linfen is named for the Fen River. Its former names include Jin, Jinzhou (晋州), and Pingyang ( ). Linfen was called Pingyang in ancient times and was said to be the ancient capital of Yao in the Tang Dynasty. It belonged to Han in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Qin and Han Dynasties were Hedong prefectures. In the third year of Jin Yongjia during reign of the emperor Huai, Liu Yuan established his capital here. ==History== , 1938]] Chinese archeologists and archaeogeneticists have argued that legendary ruler Yao's capital was located in Linfen, a confirmation of local legend responsible for the name of the city's Yaodu District. In that sense, Linfen city is the earliest capital of China. The area was the center of the marchland and duchy of Jin, named for the Jin River The duchy collapsed in the but gave its name to a Chinese princely title used as the dynastic name of the Sima clan. was centered on the town, which took its name as Jin and Jinzhou. Later, it was renamed , which was also adapted as the name for its chief town. The Xiongnu emperor of Former Zhao Liu Cong made Pingyang his residence in the fourth century. "He kept court at Pingyang in [Shanxi] and ruled over central and southern [Shanxi], over [Shaanxi] (except for the Han basin), northern [Henan] (except for Kaifeng), southern [Hebei], and northern [Shandong]." In the 10th century, the city's walls were considered "fortified beyond approach". In the 1980s, Linfen was nicknamed "The Modern Fruit and Flower Town". ===Pollution=== China's rapid industrialization and urbanization beginning in the 1990s (see reform and opening up) led to increased energy demand causing a dramatic increase in the price of coal. This led to a rapid expansion of loosely regulated private mines. Mining, cooking, smelting and other heavy industries which developed around the city have led to catastrophic environmental damage. In 2006, the Blacksmith Institute included Linfen in its annual "10 worst" report, calling the city the most polluted city in China. It has also been listed as one of the world's ten dirtiest cities by the Popular Science website. The city has ranked at the bottom of the World Bank's air quality rankings. From its low point, in 2004, with only fifteen days out of the year with an acceptable level of air pollution, the environmental situation has improved. After a series of negative reports on the extreme level of pollution in the city, efforts were made to clean up Linfen. Substandard mines were closed. Coal trucks were kept from entering the city, resulting in much less coal dust. The city has also switched much of its heating source from coal to gas. 197 large coal-fired boilers and more than 600 smaller boilers were decommissioned. As of 2007¹, 85% of population used natural gas rather than coal for their heating. The State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has forced many of the less-efficient smaller factories to close and enforced stricter standards for larger factories including mandating the installation of sulfur scrubbers. Since 2006, the government has taken a series of measures to modify industrial structure and economic development mode. Relevant policies was issued such as emission thresholds of industrial pollution. Over the last few years the Ministry of Environmental Protection has been closely monitoring Linfen's environment conditions. While the China Youth Daily reported in 2014 that Linfen was experiencing the great change from the "most polluted city" to "model city of environmental protection", other sources suggest that little progress has been made in combating pollution. In 2018, the Chinese government openly criticized the city's failure to meet pollution targets, and a 2019 report by the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment found that the city's air pollution was the worst among the 168 cities the ministry monitored. Following the report, the city's government ordered further pollution controls for the city's industry. ==Administrative divisions== The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census. ==Tourism== ]] Linfen prefecture is home to several notable tourist attractions including the Hukou Waterfall which is the largest waterfall on the Yellow River and the second largest in China. Hukou Waterfall is located west of Linfen city in Jinshan Gorge. Other attractions are mostly located in Hongtong county. Most notable among these is Guangsheng Temple, built in 147 CE. Located in the upper Guangsheng temple is the Feihong Pagoda (飞虹塔), the largest and best preserved glazed Chinese pagoda. Also in Hongtong county is the Susan Prison ( ), a restored Ming dynasty prison made famous by the Peking opera play ( ). It is China's oldest surviving prison. Dahuaishu Ancestor Memorial Garden is a major shown for the mandatory population migration (aka Hongwu great migration, 洪武大移民) in the early Ming Dynasty. ==Economy== As of 2019, the city reported a GDP of 145.26 billion Renminbi. Linfen's primary sector makes up 7.1% of the city's GDP, the secondary sector contributes 43.3% of the city's GDP, and the tertiary sector makes up 49.6% of the city's GDP. The city's GDP in 2023 will be 231.25 billion yuan. ===Railway=== Linfen railway station, in Yaodu district, was built in 1935¹ on the important southern Tongpu railway.Linfen Railway Station is located on Yingchun North Street, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. Founded in 1935. It is 274 kilometers away from Taiyuan Station and 254 kilometers away from Huashan Station (southern section of Tongpu Railway). Linfen West railway station, in Yaodu district, was built in 2014. It is on the Datong–Xi'an high-speed railway. From this station, passengers can go to Beijing, Xi'an, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang directly. ==Notable people== Linjie Deng (born 1992¹) - multimedia artist Chai Jing, Chinese writer and host. ==References== ==External links== Official website of Linfen Government LinFen Photo Essay A canary in the Chinese coal mine (published 2007-03-02; accessed 2007-04-01) BBC article Blacksmith Institute list

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