Chinese Name: 吕梁市 (lǚ liáng shì)

Population: 3,500,000
 
Area: 21,143 square kilometers (8,163 square miles) 

Nationalities: Han  

Administrative Division: 1 district (Lishi); 10 counties (Wenshui, Zhongyang, Xingxian, Linxian, Fangshan, Liulin, Lanxian, Jiaokou, Jiaocheng, Shilou); 2 county-level cities (Xiaoyi, Fenyang) 

Seat of the City Government: Yongning Zhong Lu, Lishi District, Lvliang City 

Useful Telephone Numbers: Tourist Complaints: 0358-3366108
                                        Weather Forecast: 121
                                        Zip Code Inquiry: 184

Bank of China Lishi Branch: 139, Binhe Bei Lu, Lishi District, Lvliang City

China Post Lvliang Branch: 10, Yongning Zhong Lu, Lishi District, Lvliang City 

Location: Lvliang is in the west-central of Shanxi Province and neighbors Taiyuan and Jinzhong in the east and Linfen and Xinzhou in the south and north. The Yellow River separates it from Shaanxi Province in the west. Lishi District is the political, economic and cultural center of the city.  

History: Administrative organization in this area was first established in the Warring States Period (476BC-221BC). In 376BC, present-day Shanxi was divided into three parts among the Han, Zhao and Wei kingdoms, with Lvliang belonging to Zhao. Prior to this it had been part of the territory of Taiyuan Shire for hundreds of years. Lvliang City was derived from Lvliang Region in 2003.     
 
Physical Features: The area lies adjacent to the Yellow River in the west and Yaiyuan Plain in the east. The Lvliang Mountains stretch north-south through the city. The terrain in Jiaocheng, Wenshui, Fenyang and Xiaoyi is generally flat and smooth. They are in the edge of the Taiyuan Basin, being the main farming area of the city.                  

Climate: Enjoying a temperate continental monsoon climate, the city has four distinct seasons, dry and windy spring, sultry and rainy summer, cool winter and chilly winter. The average temperature in January falls between -9.7 and -4.9 degree centigrade (14.5-23.2 degree Fahrenheit). About sixty percent of the rainfall is during June to August. 

When to Go: May to October is the most favorable for traveling to Lvliang.    
  
Special Local Products: Fenjiu Liquor, sea buckthorn, jujube, walnut

  Scenic Spots:
North Wudang Mountain, also Zhenwu Mountain, was known as Longwang (Dragon King) Mountain. It is located in Fangshan County, 32 kilometers (20 miles) south of downtown Lvliang. In the scenic area, there are in total seventy-two peaks, thirty-six cliffs and twenty-four gullies. Like a pearl inlaid on the middle section of the Lvliang Mountains, North Wudang Mountain is one of the most famous Taoist shrines in Northern China. 

Qikou is an unsophisticated old town on the east bank of the Yellow River. It was once in prosperity during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The town rose in the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty and acted as a vital trading township in North China during the following two hundred years. Old streets and resident building expose a profound aura of antiquity that would not be found in any metropolis. 

Xuanzhong Temple is the birthplace of the Pure Land Sect of Chinese Buddhism, located in the Shibi Mountain, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) northwest of Jiaocheng county seat.
 
Travel Tips:
At present, passenger trains passing through Lvliang will make a stop in the railway station in Xiaoyi City. Lishi Bus Station is the traffic hub of Lvliang City, operating buses to Taiyuan and other regions around. Expressway connects Lvliang and Taiyuan shortening the distance between the two cities to a mere two hours.