Shanxi is named after living in the west of Taihang Mountain, referred to as Sanjin. It was called Hedong in ancient times and Taiyuan, the provincial capital.

Shanxi is called Shanxi because there is a mountain, that is, Taihang Mountain. Geographically, Shanxi is west of Taihang Mountain, so it is called Shanxi. Shandong is at the eastern foot of Taihang Mountain, so it is called Shandong. In fact, to be precise, Taihang Mountain is the dividing line between Shanxi and Hebei provinces.

The word "Shanxi" was first used in the Ming Dynasty, when the whole country was divided into administrative regions, and Shanxi's public affairs department and Shanxi's headquarters were located in Shanxi. Equivalent to the management of administrative and military institutions, the word Shanxi began to spread. The word Shanxi was used in the Qing Dynasty, and the establishment of Shanxi Province has been in use ever since.

Chinese history

In fact, in the history of China before the Ming Dynasty, Shanxi today is not called Shanxi. There are two common names: Hedong and Sanjin. During the Qin and Han dynasties, today's Shanxi is commonly known as Hedong. Because Shanxi is to the east of the Yellow River, the Yellow River flows from Qinghai through Gansu and flows northward into Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. After arriving in Bayannaoer, Inner Mongolia, it began to flow eastward. And along the junction of Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces, it flows southward into Tongguan at the junction of Shaanxi and Henan provinces.

So the Yellow River flows through Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi and Shanxi. Six provinces in Henan have formed a flow chart with several big characters, but today all the land in Shanxi is located to the east of the Yellow River. Therefore, during the Qin and Han Dynasties, Shanxi was called Hedong, and the county system was implemented in the Qin Dynasty. Hedong County was established in Shanxi, and it was also used in Han Dynasty.