LIN-FEN

Pinyin Linfen city, southern Shansi sheng (province), China. Lin-fen is situated on the east bank of the Fen River about 140 miles (220 km) south of T'ai-yan. The Fen River valley was one of the earliest centres of Chinese civilization, being the site of well-developed prehistoric (Paleolithic and Neolithic) cultures and of Shang (about 17661122 BC) settlements. The antiquity of Lin-fen was proverbial, even in early times, when it was believed to have been the capital of the legendary sage-emperor Yao. In the 7th century BC it was the site of P'ing-yang fief during the Warring States period. Under the unified empire of the Han dynasty (206 BCAD 220) it became a county (hsien) of the same name. In 248 it became a commandery (district under the control of a commander). From 309 to 318 it was the capital of the minor dynasty of Ch'ien Chao. After various administrative changes the county was first given the name Lin-fen in 581, whereas P'ing-yang remained the name of the commandery of which it was the administrative centre. Under the T'ang dynasty (618907) the prefecture based on Lin-fen was called Chin. During the late T'ang and the Five Dynasties (907960), because of the city's strategic location commanding the approaches to T'ai-yan, it became an important garrison and was often under military administration. During the Ming (13681644) and Ch'ing (16441911) dynasties, it was the centre of the superior prefecture of P'ing-yang. The Ming built very strong walls, some 4 miles (6 km) in circumference; and in early Ch'ing times settlement extended beyond the walls. In 1853, however, the northern expedition of the Taiping armies passed through the city, leaving a trail of destruction; further damage was caused in the 1860s during the Nien Rebellion. In the late 19th century the city sharply declined in importance; and, after the beginning of the Chinese republic in 1911, it was reduced to the status of a county town. In the late 1930s it had fewer than 10,000 inhabitants, and a great part of the area within the walls was wasteland. At that time it was a medium-sized market centre, dealing in local grain and cotton; it was notable mainly for its great cattle fair held every spring, which attracted traders from southern Shensi and western Honan provinces, as well as from southern Shansi. The arrival in 1935 of the railway from T'ai-yan through the Fen River valley and the later development of highways centring on Lin-fen increased its commercial importance. The city was completely devastated by the Japanese in World War II. Rich coal deposits had been discovered in the area before the war, and afterward local coal production increased steadily. In the late 1950s food processing and the manufacture of agricultural implements began, and by the 1960s the city had begun to develop a considerable industrial output. Pop. (1989 est.) 172,700.