A small city's big history

Travelers can visit the Yao Temple built 1,700 years ago to commemorate him and two other legendary emperors, Shun and Yu.

A gate was also built in the city to commemorate Yao's effort to found Chinese civilization.

Another important period for Linfen was the 700 years during which it was part of the Jin state, during the Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-256 BC)-a story that unfolds in the Jinguo Museum.

The museum is built on the tombs of the Jin rulers, their wives and funerary objects.

Legend has it that Zhou emperor Ji Song gave a paulownia leaf to his younger brother, Ji Yu, as a promise to invest him with a fiefdom when playing as children.

Later, a historiographer asked Song to fulfill his promise.

He said he was just joking. But he was later told an emperor's words must be taken seriously.

Finally, Ji Song gave Tang to Ji Yu as his fiefdom. Ji Yu's son, Ji Xiefu, changed the name from Tang to Jin.

Shanxi is still abbreviated as Jin in a linguistic carryover of its past identity.