Jin (Chinese: 晉; pinyin: Jìn; Wade–Giles: Chin), originally known as Tang (唐), was a major state during the middle part of the Zhou Dynasty, based in southern Shanxi Province near the center of what was then China. Although it grew in power during the Spring and Autumn Period, its aristocratic structure saw it break apart when the duke lost power to his nobles. In 453 BCE, Jin was split into three successor states: Han, Zhao and Wei. The Partition of Jin marks the end of the Spring and Autumn Period and the beginning of the Warring States Period.

Jin was located in the lower Fen River basin on the Shanxi plateau. To the north were the Rong and Di peoples. To the west were the Lüliang Mountains and then the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi. To the southwest the Fen River turns west to join the south-flowing part of the Yellow River which soon leads to the Wei River valley, the heartland of the Western Zhou and later Qin dynasties. To the south are the Zhongtiao Mountains and then the east-west valley of the Yellow River which was the main route to the Wei valley to the west. To the east were the Taihang Mountains and then the North China Plain. This location gave ambitious Jin dukes the opportunity to move north to conquer and absorb the Rong tribes, move southwest and fight Qin, and move southeast to absorb the many smaller Zhou states. Also important to the region were the large states of Chu to the south and Qi to the east.

Jin (simplified Chinese: 晋语; traditional Chinese: 晉語; pinyin: jìnyǔ), or Jinese, Jinhua or Jin-yu, is a subdivision of spoken Chinese. Its exact status is disputed among linguists; some prefer to classify it under Mandarin, while others set it apart as an independent branch.

Jin is spoken over most of Shanxi province, except for the lower Fen River valley; much of central Inner Mongolia; as well as adjoining areas in Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces. Cities covered within this area include Taiyuan, Zhangjiakou, Hohhot, Jiaozuo, and Yulin. In total Jin is spoken by roughly 45 million people.

Like all other varieties of Chinese, there is plenty of dispute as to whether Jin is a language or a dialect. See Identification of the varieties of Chinese for the issues surrounding this dispute.

Until the 1980s, Jin was universally considered to be a dialect of Mandarin Chinese. In 1985, however, Li Rong proposed that Jin should be considered a separate top-level grouping, similar to Cantonese or Wu Chinese (i.e. a "language", from the Western perspective). His main criterion was the fact that Jin dialects had preserved the entering tone as a separate category, still marked with a glottal stop as in the Wu dialects, but distinct in this respect from the other Mandarin dialects. Some other linguists have subsequently adopted this classification. However, some linguists still do not agree that Jin should be considered a separate language. The main objections to classifying Jin as a language distinct from Mandarin are that:

Tang Jiaxuan (Chinese: 唐家璇; pinyin: Táng Jiāxuán) (born January 17, 1938) was foreign minister of the People's Republic of China from 1998–2003.

After various diplomatic postings in Japan, he became Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1991, Vice minister of foreign affairs in 1993 and Minister of foreign affairs from 1998 to 2003. He continues to serve on the State Council.

Yang Jin (simplified Chinese: 杨晋; traditional Chinese: 楊晉; pinyin: Yáng Jìn; Wade–Giles: Yang Chin); ca. (1644-1728) was a Chinese painter during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

Yang was born in Changshu in the Jiangsu province. His style name was 'Zi He' (子鶴) and his pseudonym was 'Xi Ting' (西停). Yang's paintings were meticulous and exquisite, in the style of Wang Hui.

Xi Jinping (pronounced [ɕǐ tɕînpʰǐŋ] English approx.:SHEE JIN PING; born 1 June 1953) is a high-ranking politician of the People's Republic of China. He currently serves as the top-ranked member of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, the country's Vice President, Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of the Central Party School and the 6th ranked member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top power organ.

Son of communist veteran Xi Zhongxun, Xi Jinping served mostly in Fujian province in his early career. He was later appointed party chief of the neighboring Zhejiang province, and then was appointed as Shanghai's party chief following the dismissal of Chen Liangyu. Known for his tough stance on corruption and a frank openness about political and market economy reforms, Xi's combination of positions makes him the presumptive heir to current General Secretary and President Hu Jintao and the Paramount leader of the Communist Party of China's fifth generation of leadership.