Lingchuan County

Lingchuan County is situated at the southeastern tip of Shanxi Province. It borders Huguan and Changzhi to the north, Gaoping and Zezhou to the west, and Huixian and Xiuwu of Henan Province to the southeast. It serves as the southeastern gateway of Shanxi.

The county covers a total area of 1,751 square kilometres. Most parts lie between 1,200 and 1,600 metres above sea level, with the highest peak reaching 1,796.2 metres and the lowest point standing at 628 metres. Rocky mountainous areas account for 43.9 percent of the total land area. The county administers 7 towns, 5 townships, 371 administrative villages and 7 communities, with a total population of 255,000, including 226,000 rural residents.

Lingchuan boasts a long history and profound cultural heritage. In ancient times, it belonged to the tribal territories of Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun, and it is the birthplace of go in the world. The county was formally established in the 16th year of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty (596 AD). Since then, it has nurtured 7 top scholars and 93 successful candidates in the imperial civil service examinations. Hao Jing, a native of Lingchuan, was an outstanding statesman, diplomat and historian during the Song and Yuan dynasties, authoring such works as Continued Book of the Later Han Dynasty and Outer Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals.

More than 1,300 ancient buildings dating back to the Jin and Yuan dynasties remain intact within the county, including 14 national key cultural relic protection units and 9 provincial ones. Lingchuan is reputed as an open-air museum of Jin-Yuan architecture north of the Yangtze River.

Lingchuan is blessed with abundant local products and distinctive regional features. It has over 450,000 mu of cultivated land, 1.8 million mu of forest land, and 1.09 million mu of woodlands and sloping land suitable for animal husbandry. The frost-free period lasts about 160 days annually. The average annual rainfall is 826 millimetres, and the average temperature ranges from 7℃ to 9℃. There is a sharp temperature difference between day and night, forming a unique microclimate. Agricultural products here, especially herbivorous livestock products, genuine medicinal herbs, dried and fresh fruits, and minor grains, enjoy high quality, rich nutrition and well-balanced nutrients. Up to now, 48 pollution-free agricultural products have obtained certification. Lingchuan has been designated a demonstration county for the promotion and supervision of agricultural product quality safety marks by the Ministry of Agriculture.

Twelve types of underground minerals have been discovered in the county. The proven reserves stand at 3.6 billion tons of limestone, 1.4 billion tons of dolomite and 90 million tons of iron ore