Coordinates: 37°42′N 112°24′E / 37.7°N 112.4°E / 37.7; 112.4

 Shanxi (help·info) (Chinese: 山西; pinyin: Shānxī; Wade–Giles: Shan-hsi; Postal map spelling: Shansi) is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" (pinyin: Jìn), after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period.

The name Shanxi literally means "mountain's west", which refers to the province's location west of the Taihang Mountains. Shanxi borders Hebei to the east, Henan to the south, Shaanxi to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the north and is made up mainly of a plateau bounded partly by mountain ranges. The capital of the province is Taiyuan.

Shanxi, the territory of state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period (722 BC - 403 BC), underwent a three-way split into the states of Han, Zhao and Wei in 403 BC, the traditional date taken as the start of the Warring States Period (403 BC - 221 BC). By 221 BC all of these states had fallen to the state of Qin, which established the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC).

Peng Liyuan (simplified Chinese: 彭丽媛; traditional Chinese: 彭麗媛; pinyin: Péng Lìyuán; born on November 20, 1962) is one of the top Chinese folk music singers, and a performer popularized by her regular appearances on the annual CCTV New Year's Gala, a widely viewed mainland Chinese television program that airs during Chinese New Year. She has obtained many honors in singing competitions nationwide.

Her most famous works include People from our Village (父老乡亲), Mount Chomolungma (珠穆朗玛) and On the Plains of Hope (在希望的田野上). Peng Liyuan is a civilian member of China's People's Liberation Army and currently holds the civilian rank comparable to that of a major general. She was one of the first in China to obtain a Master's degree in traditional ethnic music when the degree was first established in the 1980s. She is married to Xi Jinping who is the current member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Vice President of the People's Republic of China. Xi is widely expected to become China's president in 2013, which will make Peng Liyuan China's first lady.

Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American basketball forward for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA and Ros Casares Valencia of Euroleague. Moore was the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was selected as the John Wooden Award winner in 2009 after leading Connecticut to the undefeated national championship. The following season, Moore led Connecticut to its second straight national championship and continued its overall undefeated streak at 78; in the 2010–11 season, she led the Huskies in extending that streak to an NCAA both-gender record (all divisions) of 90. On May 18, 2011, Moore became the first female basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand.

Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and joined a Minnesota Lynx team that already featured all-star caliber players in Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. Moore was the third-leading scorer on the team during the regular season with 13.2 points per game, which led all rookies. Moore earned Rookie of the Year honors. Moore then helped lead her team to its first WNBA championship, the first number one draft pick to do so.