Changzhi

In ancient times, the area around Changzhi (Including Jincheng) was known as Shangdang. In the twenty-first year of King Xian of Zhou (348 BC), the Shangdang Commandery was established in roughly the area of modern-day city. Changzhi was the site of the 1945 Shangdang Campaign, the first battle between the Kuomintang and the People's Liberation Army after the end of World War II. The campaign, which happened from August to October 1945, when the local Shanxi warlord, Yan Xishan, attempted to retake the region from Communist forces. Yan's forces were eventually defeated by an army led by Liu Bocheng, who was later named one of China's Ten Great Marshals. Liu's political commissar was Deng Xiaoping, who later became China's "paramount leader". The campaign ended with the complete destruction of Yan's army (Jinsui army, 晋绥军), most of which joined the Communists after surrendering. …

Changzhi is located in southeastern Shanxi province, along the southern section of the Taihang Mountains. The majority of the city's area is mountainous, and much of the remaining geography is hilly in nature. The average elevation in the city is approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level, with prominent peaks including Liyu Mountain (Chinese: 历峪山; pinyin: Lìyù Shān) and Shigao Mountain (Chinese: 石膏山; pinyin: Shígāo Shān), reaching 2,012 metres (6,601 ft) and 2,541 metres (8,337 ft) above sea level, respectively. Changzhi has a rather dry, monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen Dwa), with cold and very dry winters, and very warm, somewhat humid summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −4.7 °C (23.5 °F) in January to 22.5 °C (72.5 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 9.89 °C (49.8 °F). …

Portions of three National Highways run through Changzhi: China National Highway 207, China National Highway 208, and China National Highway 309. National Highways 207 and 208 run along a north–south axis, while National Highway 309 runs along a west–east axis. Other major expressways which run through Changzhi include the Changzhi-Handan Expressway, and expressways which link the city to Handan, Jincheng, and Taiyuan. The Changzhi-Linfen Expressway also runs through the city. Taiyuan–Jiaozuo high-speed railway Taiyuan–Jiaozuo Railway Handan–Changzhi Railway Changzhi Wangcun Airport Changzhi Wangcun Airport is a civil-military airport located 7.5 kilometers north of Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, China, and is operated and managed by Shanxi Civil Aviation Airport Group. It is an important aviation port in Shanxi Province and a national second-class civil aviation airport. …

Faxian (334–420), a native of Wuyang, Pingyang County, Sizhou, Eastern Jin Dynasty (now Linfen area, Shanxi Province), was a famous monk in the history of Chinese Buddhism, an outstanding Buddhist reformer, the first Chinese master to go overseas to seek Buddhist scriptures and Dharma, and an outstanding traveler and translator. Li Yueru, WNBA center for the Dallas Wings