Sanmenxia |
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Sanmenxia is a new and developing city rising with the building of the first dam on the Yellow River in 1957. It covers an area of 10,496 square kilometers and has a  population of 2.19 million with 2 cities, 3 counties and 1 district under its jurisdiction.
Located at the junction of the three provinces of Henan, Shannxi and Shanxi, Sanmenxia is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation. It is in Sanmenxia that the Relics of Yangshao Culture was first discovered. Other places of historic interest in Sanmenxia include the Taichu Palace where Dao De Jing, the main classic of Taoism, was written by Laozi of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Hangu Pass, the famous military fortress built in the Qin Dynasty, and Guo State Chariot and Horse Museum, the largest tomb group of the kingdoms in the Western Zhou Dynasty discovered so far in China, Yawu Mountain famous for Daoism, and the natural reserve for white swans.
As many as 57 kinds of mineral resources have been discovered in Sanmenxia, among which 27 kinds have been exploited and put into use. Deposits of minerals like gold, bauxite, and coal are the dominant ones. The Wentang mineral water in Shanxian County contains 42 kinds of trace elements that are highly profitable to human body and is of great exploitation value.
The main local products in Sanmenxia include apple and dates in Lingbao County, Yangshao apricots and Niuxin dried persimmon in Mianchi County, the eligible fungi such as Juda's ear, mushroom, hedgehog, chestnut, and kiwi fruit in Lushi County. The mountainous area in Lushi is known as the " natural warehouse of the Chinese medicine", while the cigarettes produced in Yaoshan have gained the reputation as "substitute of Yun Cigarette" (a famous brand in China).
With the advantages of its abundant resources, Sanmenxia has established an industrial system with coal, electrical power, textile, machinery, chemical, building materials, pharmacy and brewery as its mainstay. A number of group companies like Sanmenxia Tianyuan Aluminum Group Co. Ltd., the First Henan Chemical Group, Yangshao Group Co., Ltd., Mianchi Huanghe Aluminum & Power Group, to name just a few, have been set up, establishing 6 backbone industries of energy, metallurgy, chemical, building materials, pharmacy, and the processing of agricultural and sideline products in the city. In 2005, the GDP of Sanmenxia reached RMB£¤34 billion with an increase of 14.5% as against the previous year.
The Lanzhou-Lianyungang Railway runs through Sanmenxia, and No. 301 National Highway and No. 209 National Highway meet in the city as well. The water transportation on the Yellow River leads right to Tongguan, Shannxi Province. The Luoyang-Xi'an Expressway also runs through the city, making it possible to reach Zhengzhou or Luoyang in the east and Xi'an in the west within 2 hours.
Sanmenxia has established friendly relationship with Kitakame, Japan. |
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