Shanxi Normal University is one of the five oldest universities in Shanxi Province, situated in the ancient city of Linfen — home of the legendary monarch King Yao, and one of the birthplaces of the Chinese race.

In 1958 Shanxi Normal University began as a teacher training school, responsible for training teachers throughout the south of Shanxi.

At present the university has three campuses covering an area of 780 hectares, with a total of 470000m² of buildings. The library stocks 1470000 books. Altogether there are twenty colleges belonging to the university, twenty-eight research institutes and centers, three public educational research departments and one provincial research academy.

The university offers forty-seven different majors for undergraduate, and thirty-two current areas of study—a total of forty-one majors—for Master degree students. Four majors are offered to Doctorate students in association with the Chinese Academy of Science and other universities. There are five subjects that are emphasized at the provincial level and there are ten high standard laboratories for analytical testing, using state of the art technology.

There are nine major disciplines of study, namely literature, law, history, education, economics, management, science, engineering and agriculture. The university has 15000 full-time undergraduate students, 900 full-time Master degree students and seven Doctorate degree students and more than 20,000 mature age students.

ABOUT LINFEN
The city of Linfen is situated in the southwestern part of the Shanxi Province, at the lower reaches of the Fen River, covering an area of 1,304 square kilometers and with a population of about 680,000.

The whole region features offers open spaces and various, diversified terrain.Linfen is always busy except during lunch time (about 12:30 - 2:00) when the streets empty out, making shopping easier..

Linfen region has a semidry monsoon climate. The annual average temperature is from 8.9 C to 13 C, average rainfall from 334.3 to 595.5 mm, with 125 to 191 frost-free days. The region has four distinct seasons and a mild climate. Green areas amount to about 20% of the city area. Thousands of trees line the streets; including: pear, persimmon, pomegranate, hawthorn, cherry and other fruit trees.

The scenery changes with the seasons. In the spring you can see hundreds of different flowers vying with each other in beauty. In the summer the whole city seems to be cowered with lush foliage, sending off a delicate fragrance so charming and pleasant that the visitors are reluctant to leave. Linfen is a “Fruit and Flower” city!

In ancient times Linfen was called Pingyang. It has a long history and is rich in cultural relics. According to legend, Yaodi (an emperor, c. 23rd century B.C.) once established his capital here. The historic relics, such as, the Yao Miao temple, the Yao Tomb, the place where Changjie composed his writings, the Iron-Buddha Monastery, the stage from Yuan Dynasty, the Gushe Fairy Cave . . . all were built in ancient times, but are still well preserved, retaining their original style. They are the precious heritage bequeathed by the ancestors.

This ancient city is also the political, economic and cultural center of the Linfen Prefecture. [In the year, 2000 the district changed its name to Linfen (Shi) municipal government.] With the implementation of the economic reforms and the openness policy, the city’s economic construction is forging ahead and bringing about changes every day.

Hukou Falls, pictured on the old 50 RMB note, is a famous location in Shanxi Province.

In recent years the city has come into contact with many foreign countries in various fields and the exchange-activities are increasing daily. The tourist trade in the city, in particular, has shown great potential.

Outside the city there are many scenic spots, as well as historic sites; such as the Glazed Flying Rainbow Pagoda, which is the best of its kind in China; and the Su San Prison from the Ming Dynasty, which is the most intact and the earliest one in the country; also: the site of the Old Cypress, where people from all over China seek their ancestors; the Western Minor Paradise, which possess unique hanging sculptures; the inferno hall of the Dong Yue temple; Ding Chun culture, representing the stone age; Jin Kingdom relics in Hou Ma City; and the Yellow River Waterfalls (Hukou), the second largest in the country.