East of Taiyüan, on the railroad leading to Shihkiachwang, is the city of Yangchüan, situated in a coal and iron-ore mining area. Just south of Yangchüan is the ancient Chinese ironworking center of Pingting. This was superseded in modern times by the railroad town of Yangchüan, where the Paochin company erected a small blast furnace before the First World War. A new power transmission line links Taiyüan and Yangchüan.