In the beginning there was a place called yuncheng
About 1.8 million years ago, the ancestors of Chinese people began to use fire and stone tools on this land. About 5,000 years ago, they learned how to extract salt from water in this area. More than 4,000 years ago, the early Chinese emperors Yao, Shun and Yu successively made the place the capital city during their reign.
According to historic records, this mysterious land is the earliest place called Zhongguo (the Middle Kingdom), or China. It was later named Hedong (east of the Yellow River), and today's name is Yuncheng (city of transport).
Yuncheng got its name because it has a natural salt lake and was an important hub for transporting salt in ancient times.
Yuncheng, at the southern tip of Shanxi province, is one of the birthplaces of Chinese culture.
This land, nourished by the Yellow River and the Loess Plateau, is home people to who depend on agriculture and have deep attachment to their land.
| Yu Yongjie, 27, a craftsman, makes writing brushes at his family workshop in Xinjiang county, Yuncheng, Shanxi province. He is the fifth generation of his family to use traditional skills to produce handmade brushes. Photos by Liu Baocheng / for China Daily |
| Shi Songling, 62, of Yuncheng, holds a map he drew to show historic ruins left by Emperor Yu. Shi believes an ancient platform made of rammed earth there is a relic left by the emperor. |
| A woman prepares a meal at home in Pinglu county, Yuncheng. The family's home is a cave dwelling, a traditional style of house that locals have lived in for thousands of years. |
| Two children play in a car park in which corn is laid out to dry near Houtu Temple in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. The temple is believed to be the country's oldest for worshiping the goddess Nuwa. |
| Historic ruins under the stars in Yongji, Yuncheng. This relic was left by ancient Chinese Emperor Yao. |
| A woman and her granddaughter rest on the rebuilt city battlement in Xinjiang county, Yuncheng, in April last year. The county was the capital of the Jin Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/08/2013 page4)
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