The birthplace of Chinese civilization is the Yellow River civilization, and the most important of the Yellow River civilization is Shanxi, which is located in the Yellow River basin. Therefore, Shanxi is known as the cradle of Chinese civilization. Because of Shanxi's unique location and rich cultural heritage, it is known as the "Cradle of Chinese Civilization".
The current Shanxi Province is called "Jin" for short, and is also known as the "Three Jin Land". "Jin" comes from the Jin State in the Spring and Autumn Period, and its geographical scope is roughly the same as Shanxi. The "Three Jins" refer to the three vassal states of Han, Zhao, and Wei since the Warring States Period. Since they were all split from the original Jin state, they are called the "Three Jins".
Because Shanxi is blocked by the Taihang Mountains and the Yellow River from the outside, although the Fen River runs through the north and south, the mountains and mountains are crisscrossed in between. Therefore, two situations often occurred in ancient politics and military affairs: First, Shanxi could easily split into small political groups and be unified by external forces; second, when Shanxi was unified, since it was surrounded by areas that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, it became It created an excellent independent kingdom, just like the Jin Kingdom during the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, which was very prosperous for a while.