Xinzhou Municipality lies in the mid North of Shanxi Province on the Loess Plateau. Neighboring Shannxi Province and the Autonomous Region of Inner Mongolia across the Yellow River to the west, bordering on Hebei Province by the east of the Taihang Mountain, adjoining Datong Municipality and Shuozhou Municipality of this province to the north and contiguous to Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi Province, to the south. It is only 75 kilometers away from Taiyuan City. With a total area of 25,000 square kilometers and a population of about 3,000,000, at present, Xinzhou governs a district, 12 counties and a municipality. Mountainous area and hilly land covering 90% of the territory, main waters are the Yellow River, Fen River, Hutuo River and Sanggan River.

Xinzhou has abundant mineral resources, characterized by rich variety, wide distribution, large reserves, high grade and easy exploitation. Up to now, the 50 plus types of proved reserves include coal, iron, aluminum, titanium and gold. In addition, there are plentiful biotic resources. One of the first class national protected animals, the wild Brown Eared Pheasant is only found in the secondary natural forests of Guancen Mountain.

Xinzhou enjoys unique resources of tourism, distinctive natural landscapes like mountains, waters, temples, passes, towns, forests, springs and caves as well as Cultural relics spreading all over the land. The features of mountain, water, pass and town form the five tourist zones. Headed by Mount Wutai, the Cultural Tourism Zone of Buddhism and Ancient Architecture, there are Mount Luya of Ningwu, the Natural Biotic tourism Zone, Yanmen Pass of Daixian County, the Cultural Tourism Zone of the Frontier Fortress and Ancient Warfare, Yuanping Hot Spring of Xinzhou, the Leisure and Holiday Tourism Zone and Hequ, Pianguan, the Natural Landscape Tourism Zone of Yellow River.

Traveling to Xinzhou is very convenient. Beijing-Yuanping and the north Tongpu railways passing across and highways radiating in all directions, with the mid-position of Datong-Yuncheng Highway (Shanxi section of No. 108 National Road), Xinzhou has the positional advantage of connecting the south and north, extending to both the west and east. Especially, when the Xinzhou-Mount Wutai-Hebei Expressway is open to traffic and when the expressway from Xinzhou to Inner Mongolia extending farther, this city of Xinzhou will become a hub of communications linking the west energy resources zone and the east seaports.

Xinzhou has a long history and a civilization of long standing. The town of Xinzhou was first built in Jianan 20 of East Han Dynasty (215 A.D.) and it has since been 1,800 years up to now. It used to be the seat of the prefecture or autonomous prefecture, and with the strategic fortresses as well as perilous passes it was a place contested by all strategists, hence the title, the Lock and Key of Northern Shanxi. The thick deposit and long history of local culture brought about other eulogistic names for Xinzhou such as a hometown of wrestling and the sea of folk songs. The propitious soil also gave birth to great men and women, so that there are the famous names from Xinzhou, such as Ban Jieyu, Yang the Hero Family, Yuan Haowen, Bai Pu, Sa Duci, and Xu Jiyu. During the revolutionary war times, it was the cradle and center of the Jinchaji and Jinsui base areas. The international communist soldier, Norman Bethune once set up a model ward in Wutai County. The well-known Xinkou Campaign, Great Victory of Pingxingguan Pass and the fire attack of Yangmingbao Airfield just took place in Xinzhou. The old proletarian communist revolutionaries, Gao Junyu, Xu Xiangqian and Boyibo were born on this land.

After China was open to the outside world, especially since recent years, Xinzhou relying on its own advantages, carries out the developing strategy of opening and inviting; inviting the key project for towing, and highlighted the three main targets, namely, the industry of coal, electricity, aluminum and chemistry, the agriculture of forestry, grass, and husbandry, and the tourism of mountains, waters, passes and towns. Aiming at the direction of renewing the traditional industries and upgrading the new industries, great effort has been made in forming and developing the six superior industries that are coal and electricity, medical material and the products, forage process and equipment manufacture, chemical pharmacy, process of agricultural products and side products, and distinctive tourism. Thus, the pace could speed up to build up the new energy and industrial base. Different levels of government of this municipality have persisted on the consistent hard working to create a good environment and actively enlarge the invitation for outside investment. There has been a situation of being open to all directions, wide fields and multiple levels for the future goal to build up the large provincial base of coal, electricity, coal chemical industry and the national base of aluminum industry, national famous base of tourism and the largest base of the flange production and exportation in Asia.

When stepping into the Eleventh Five Year Plan period, a time critical for the strategic development, Xinzhou welcomed three opportunities: first, the strategy of Midland China to develop to prominence determined and performed by the state provided a favorable momentum; second, the central government approved that the old revolutionary base areas in like Xinzhou could share the series of favorable policies for the great Exploitation of West China. Meanwhile, the CPC Shanxi Committee and the Peoples Government of Shanxi Province made a strategic decision that the strength of the whole province should be gathered together to support the northwest old revolutionary base area and other poverty areas to accelerate their development and construction. This was indeed a golden chance for Xinzhou to ascend up with the advantageous circumstances and quicken its pace to catch up the advanced. Third, along with the continuous increasing of domestic economy, there is a strong demand on the market for coal, electricity and raw materials. That is good for Xinzhou to give full play to its advantages and potentials as well as for merchants of abroad and at home to invest, to start an undertaking and to develop in Xinzhou.

With the municipal committee and government in the lead, people of Xinzhou are full of vigor pitching in making a great change. Seeking truth from facts and upholding the spirit of advancing with time, this generation is designing a magnificent blueprint for the future. With the economy taking off while the whole society getting more and more prosperous, Xinzhou has never been so hopeful before!