Xiaodian District 小店区

History

The name, meaning "little inns", goes back to the early Song, when small inns grew up around a ferry crossing on the Fen River (汾河). After the Song destroyed the old city of Jinyang (晋阳) in 979, it built Pingjin (平晋), a new town east of the Fen around today's Chengxi village (城西村), and made it the seat of Pingjin County. The district government counts the Tang chancellor Di Renjie (狄仁杰) and the Ming minister Wang Qiong (王琼) among its natives. The present district was created in the 1997 redrawing of Taiyuan's districts and opened on 1 January 1998.

What to see

Liujiabao village (刘家堡村), promoted as "Wang Qiong's Hometown" (王琼故里), has an intangible-heritage street and has been named a national intangible-heritage tourism village; its heritage town is laid out on the principle of "one courtyard, one heritage item". The district lists 175 heritage items, among them Taiyuan paper-cutting (太原剪纸), which is on the national list, and Qing-style furniture and Jin-style embroidery on the provincial list. The district's cultural landmarks also include the Fen River evening ferry (汾河晚渡), Di Renjie Park (狄仁杰公园) and the Xipu red ferry (西蒲红色渡口).

Shanxi University (山西大学) and Shanxi University of Finance and Economics (山西财经大学) are among 34 universities, colleges and vocational schools in the district, and its commercial areas include Qinxian-Changfeng (亲贤长风).

Food and local products

Xiaodian xitang (小店牺汤), a local soup, has been named a "Chinese geographical-landmark dish". The district also promotes Liujiabao tomatoes, Liujian (流涧) spring onions and Xiwenzhuang (西温庄) morels.

Getting oriented

Metro Line 2 runs the length of the district and Line 1 links Taiyuan South station with the airport. The Datong-Yuncheng, Taiyuan-Changzhi, Taiyuan-Jiuguan and Qingdao-Yinchuan expressways cross it, and seven bridges, including the Yingbin (迎宾桥), Jinyang (晋阳桥) and Tongda (通达桥) bridges, cross the Fen.

Highlights

• Liujiabao heritage village 刘家堡村: Wang Qiong's home village, now a national intangible-heritage tourism village.
• Di Renjie Park 狄仁杰公园: Park named for the Tang chancellor, whom the district counts as a native.
• Taiyuan paper-cutting 太原剪纸: National intangible heritage item listed by the district.
• Xiaodian xitang 小店牺汤: Local soup named a 'Chinese geographical-landmark dish'.