Editing Taiyuan (section)

==Etymology and names==
The two Chinese characters of the city's name are {{linktext|lang=zh|太}} ({{Transliteration|zh|tài}}, "great") and {{linktext|lang=zh|原}} ({{Transliteration|zh|yuán}}, "plain"), referring to the location where the [[Fen River]] leaves the mountains and enters a relatively flat plain. Throughout its long history, the city had various names, including {{Transliteration|zh|Bīngzhōu}} ({{lang|zh-hans|并州}}) (from which the city's abbreviated single-character name {{Transliteration|zh|Bīng}} ({{lang|zh-hans|并}}) is derived), {{Transliteration|zh|Jìnyáng}} ({{lang|zh-hans|晋阳}}) and {{Transliteration|zh|Lóngchéng}} ({{lang|zh-hans|龙城}}).<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yang |first1=Ruiwu |last2=Zhang |first2=Guanglin |date=December 16, 2021 |title=太原别称溯源 |trans-title=Tracing the origin of another name of Taiyuan |url=https://www.sohu.com/a/508649231_121188364 |journal=Shanxi Archives}}</ref>

During the [[Tang dynasty]] and subsequent [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period|Five Dynasties]], the status of the city of Taiyuan was elevated to be the Northern Capital, hence the name {{Transliteration|zh|Běidū}} ({{lang|zh|北都}}), and {{Transliteration|zh|Běijīng}} ({{lang|zh|北京}}, different from present-day [[Beijing]]).<ref name="汉典-三京">{{cite web |url=http://www.zdic.net/c/9/3/5786.htm |script-title=zh:汉典-三京 |access-date=26 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201045419/http://www.zdic.net/c/9/3/5786.htm |archive-date=1 February 2016 |url-status=live  }}</ref>