Wuwei (Chinese: 武威; pinyin: Wǔwēi) is a prefecture-level city in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important business and transportation hub for the area. Because of its position along the Hexi Corridor, historically the only route from central China to western China and the rest of Central Asia, many major railroads and national highways pass through Wuwei.
Wuwei
武威市 | |
---|---|
Clockwise from top: South Gate of Wuwei, seat of Gulang County, Wuwei railway station, Hongyashan Reservoir in Minqin County, rock formation in Tianzhu County. | |
![]() Location of Wuwei City jurisdiction in Gansu | |
Coordinates (Wuwei municipal government): 37°55′44″N 102°38′17″E / 37.929°N 102.638°E | |
Country | People's Republic of China |
Province | Gansu |
Municipal seat | Liangzhou District |
Area | |
• Prefecture-level city | 33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi) |
Population (2020) | |
• Prefecture-level city | 1,464,955 |
• Density | 44/km2 (110/sq mi) |
• Urban | 688,697 |
GDP[1] | |
• Prefecture-level city | CN¥ 41.6 billion US$ 6.7 billion |
• Per capita | CN¥ 22,930 US$ 3,682 |
Time zone | UTC+8 (CST) |
ISO 3166 code | CN-GS-06 |
Website | www |
History
editIn ancient times, Wuwei was called Liangzhou (涼州—the name retained by today's Wuwei's central urban district) and is the eastern terminus of the Hexi Corridor. People began settling here about 5,000 years ago. It was a key link for the Northern Silk Road,[2] and a number of important archaeological finds were uncovered from Wuwei, including ancient copper carts with stone animals.[3] The motifs and types of objects in the Wuwei graves, as well as their earthenware, lacquer, and bronze composition, constitute typical examples of the Han Chinese burial style that can be found all over China. Other graves found along the Hexi Corridor show Xiongnu and other minority influence, which are used to trace regimes such as the Northern Liang.[4] It became an important provincial capital during the Former Han Dynasty as the Hou Hanshu makes clear:
"In the third year [170 CE], Meng Tuo, the Inspector of Liangzhou (modern Wuwei), sent the Assistant Officer Ren She, commanding five hundred soldiers from Dunhuang. He, with the Wuji Major Cao Kuan, and Chief Clerk of the Western Regions, Zhang Yan, brought troops from Yanqi (Karashahr), Qiuci (Kucha), and the Nearer and Further Kingdoms of Jushi (Turfan and Jimasa), altogether numbering more than 30,000, to punish Shule (Kashgar). They attacked the town of Zhenzhong (Arach) but, having stayed for more than forty days without being able to subdue it, they withdrew. Following this, the kings of Shule (Kashgar) killed one another repeatedly and, for its part, the Imperial Government was unable to prevent it."[5]
In 121 BC Han emperor Wudi brought his cavalry here to defend the Hexi Corridor against the Xiongnu Huns. His military success allowed him to expand the corridor westward. Its importance as a stop along the Silk Road made it a crossroads of cultures and ethnic groups from all over central Asia. Numerous Buddhist grottoes and temples in the area attest to its role as a path for bringing Buddhism from India and Afghanistan to China.
During the Three Kingdoms period (184-280), Liangzhou was governed by Ma Teng. After the death of Ma Teng, Ma Chao assumed the post and governed the province for a short time before it fell into the hands of Cao Cao, ruler of Wei Kingdom.
Liangzhou was briefly (from 400 to 421) a state during the Sixteen Kingdoms period.
Famous cultural relics from Wuwei include the Galloping Bronze Horse (铜奔马), Western Xia mausoleums(西夏碑), Wuwei White Towers Temple (白塔寺), Tianti Mountain Grotto (天梯山石窟), Luoshi(Kumārajīva) Temple (罗什寺塔), and the Confucian temple (文庙).
Geography and climate
editWuwei is located in the Hexi Corridor between the Tibetan plateau and Mongolian Plateau. The south of Wuwei is higher than the north, with an elevation ranging from 1,020 to 4,874 metres (3,346 to 15,991 ft) above sea-level. Its area is 33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi). Average annual temperature is 7.8 °C (46.0 °F). The climate is a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with precipitation between 60 and 610 mm (2.4 and 24.0 in). Evaporation is from 1,400 to 3,000 mm (55 to 118 in), creating a net loss of water each year. There are 2200–3000 sunlight hours each year and 85–165 frost free days. Summer temperatures can be in excess of 45.0 °C (113.0 °F), in the shade are by no means unheard of.
Southwest of Wuwei, there is a 230 metres (750 ft) thick Tianzhu Formation made of clastics intercalated with sandy shale and shale.[6] Minerals deposits occurring in the vicinity of Wuwei include graphite, iron, titanium, and limestone.
Climate data for Wuwei, elevation 1,540 m (5,050 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 15.5 (59.9) |
22.3 (72.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
34.2 (93.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
40.8 (105.4) |
37.3 (99.1) |
34.9 (94.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
17.9 (64.2) |
40.8 (105.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) |
4.8 (40.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.8 (82.0) |
29.8 (85.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
22.9 (73.2) |
16.6 (61.9) |
9.0 (48.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −7.2 (19.0) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
11.6 (52.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
22.8 (73.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
15.8 (60.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −13.3 (8.1) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
14.7 (58.5) |
9.9 (49.8) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−10.9 (12.4) |
2.5 (36.5) |
Record low °C (°F) | −25.3 (−13.5) |
−25.0 (−13.0) |
−19.3 (−2.7) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
2.8 (37.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−14.4 (6.1) |
−22.7 (−8.9) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
−32.0 (−25.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2.2 (0.09) |
2.1 (0.08) |
5.7 (0.22) |
9.8 (0.39) |
18.0 (0.71) |
22.5 (0.89) |
34.7 (1.37) |
41.1 (1.62) |
29.1 (1.15) |
10 (0.4) |
3.0 (0.12) |
1.8 (0.07) |
180 (7.11) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 8.2 | 9.8 | 8.1 | 4.6 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 60.2 |
Average snowy days | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 23.7 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 50 | 44 | 40 | 36 | 41 | 47 | 54 | 58 | 61 | 55 | 53 | 54 | 49 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 224.4 | 223.0 | 247.1 | 253.1 | 276.5 | 268.6 | 264.4 | 248.6 | 214.8 | 237.9 | 231.0 | 224.5 | 2,913.9 |
Percent possible sunshine | 73 | 73 | 66 | 64 | 63 | 61 | 59 | 60 | 59 | 70 | 77 | 76 | 67 |
Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[7][8] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather China[9] |
A species of stone loach, Triplophysa wuweiensis, is named after Wuwei where it was first discovered.[10]
Administration
edit1 urban district, 2 counties, 1 autonomous county, 116 towns, and 41 townships
Map | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010) |
Area (km²) |
Density (/km²) | |
Liangzhou District | 凉州区 | Liángzhōu Qū | 1,010,295 | 5,081 | 207.29 | |
Minqin County | 民勤县 | Mínqín Xiàn | 241,251 | 16,016 | 15.2 | |
Gulang County | 古浪县 | Gǔlàng Xiàn | 388,720 | 5,287 | 78.13 | |
Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County |
天祝藏族自治县 | Tiānzhù Zàngzú Zìzhìxiàn |
174,793 | 6,865 | 25.71 |
Demographics
editPopulation Overview
editBy 2020, Population 1,464,955 [11] with 38 ethnic groups represented including Han, Hui, Mongol, Tu, Tibetan, etc.
Census | 1st Census (1953) | 2nd Census (1964) | 3rd Census (1982) | 4th Census (1990) | 5th Census (2000) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
County/District | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % |
Wuwei/Liangzhou | 510,241 | 28.18 | 520,094 | 33.90 | 763,719 | 46.38 | 876,020 | 52.48 | 946,506 | 51.52 |
Minqin | 220,022 | 12.15 | 179,061 | 11.67 | 241,510 | 14.67 | 258,947 | 15.51 | 302,085 | 16.45 |
Gulang | 139,238 | 7.69 | 186,267 | 12.14 | 287,269 | 17.44 | 323,507 | 19.38 | 367,048 | 19.98 |
Tianzhu | 58,731 | 3.24 | 118,625 | 7.73 | 184,410 | 11.20 | 210,845 | 12.63 | 221,347 | 12.05 |
Jingtai[12] | 65,518 | 3.62 | 93,862 | 6.12 | 169,858 | 10.31 | Placed under Baiyin since 1985 | |||
Yongchang[13] | 125,578 | 6.94 | 174,221 | 11.36 | Placed under Jinchang since 1981 | |||||
Yongdeng[14] | 264,787 | 14.62 | 261,880 | 17.07 | Placed under Lanzhou since 1970 | |||||
Zhangye[15] | 254,900 | 14.08 | Now as Ganzhou District, placed under Zhangye since 1955 | |||||||
Minle[16] | 106,675 | 5.89 | Placed under Zhangye since 1955 | |||||||
Shandan[17] | 64,898 | 3.58 | Placed under Zhangye since 1955 | |||||||
Total | 1,810,588 | 1,534,010 | 1,646,766 | 1,669,319 | 1,836,923 |
Census | 6th Census(2010)[18] | 7th Census(2020)[19] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
County/District | Population | % | Population | % |
Liangzhou | 174,790 | 9.63 | 885,277 | 60.43 |
Minqin | 1,010,295 | 55.67 | 178,470 | 12.18 |
Gulang | 241,251 | 13.29 | 250,177 | 17.07 |
Tianzhu | 388,718 | 21.41 | 151,031 | 10.32 |
Total | 1,815,054 | 1,464,955 |
National Census | Urban Population | Male | Female | Sex | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Urbanization | Total | % | Total | % | ||
5th | 370,008[20] | 20.14% | 949,435# | 51.69% | 887,488# | 48.31% | 106.98 |
6th | 500,528 | 27.56% | 933,482 | 51.43% | 881,572 | 48.57% | 105.89 |
7th | 688,697 | 47.01% | 740,306 | 50.53% | 724,649 | 49.47% | 102.16 |
Observation | #No data, estimated based on the published sex ratio |
National Census | University Education (including associate degree) | High School Education | Secondary Education | Primary Education | illiteracy | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
5th | 33,927* | 2.08% | 182,774* | 11.22% | 504,999* | 31.01% | 738,388* | 45.34% | 168,499 | 10.35% |
6th | 98,932 | 5.84% | 257,772 | 15.23% | 681,562 | 40.26% | 540,193 | 31.91% | 114,475 | 6.76% |
7th | 184,994 | 13.69% | 207,940 | 15.38% | 456,779 | 33.79% | 418,200 | 30.94% | 83,812 | 6.20% |
Observation | *Estimation, the original data is the number of people educated per 100,000 people. The number of people educated per 100,000 people in universities, high schools, junior high schools, and primary schools is 1847, 9950, 27491, and 40197, respectively |
Age Distribution and Population Pyramid
editNational Census | 7th | 6th | 5th | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age Group(years) | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female |
0-4 | 44,485 | 40,263 | 48,981 | 39,046 | 70,504 | 48,496 |
5-9 | 46,339 | 40,519 | 53,974 | 41,208 | 100,743 | 84,294 |
10-14 | 47,440 | 39,429 | 73,286 | 56,878 | 109,253 | 100,793 |
15-19 | 42,418 | 33,600 | 98,852 | 86,983 | 75,924 | 72,156 |
20-24 | 31,309 | 29,028 | 81,607 | 82,949 | 50,148 | 50,967 |
25-29 | 42,722 | 42,670 | 58,238 | 58,222 | 90,740 | 90,367 |
30-34 | 50,031 | 52,066 | 50,724 | 47,871 | 107,026 | 108,502 |
35-39 | 42,347 | 42,627 | 86,543 | 86,548 | 85,427 | 86,072 |
40-44 | 39,740 | 38,369 | 100,781 | 102,535 | 52,819 | 48,012 |
45-49 | 70,821 | 74,010 | 78,779 | 81,645 | 56,282 | 51,909 |
50-54 | 83,149 | 87,007 | 48,773 | 44,674 | 42,428 | 41,012 |
55-59 | 64,464 | 67,021 | 50,627 | 48,153 | 35,440 | 33,260 |
60-64 | 38,398 | 35,821 | 35,973 | 36,379 | 30,846 | 29,633 |
65-69 | 40,668 | 40,442 | 28,436 | 28,213 | 22,239 | 22,436 |
70-74 | 26,799 | 28,670 | 20,116 | 20,960 | 10,766 | 10,577 |
75 or above | 29,176 | 33,107 | 17,797 | 19,308 | 8,466 | 9,449 |
The following pictures are based on The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age Structure[20] |
---|
National Census | No. of Household | Population | No. of ppls/household |
---|---|---|---|
5th | No Data | No Data | 3.95 |
6th | 467,040 | 1,748,588 | 3.74 |
7th | 529,119 | 1,383,397 | 2.61 |
Ethnic Population by County/District(2020)
County/District | Han | % | Minorities | % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Liangzhou District | 870,610 | 98.3% | 14,667 | 1.7% |
Minqin County | 176,789 | 99.1% | 1,681 | 0.9% |
Gulang County | 246,503 | 98.5% | 3,674 | 1.5% |
Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County |
89,762 | 59.4% | 61,269 | 40.6% |
Wuwei | 1,383,664 | 94.5% | 81,291 | 5.5% |
Gender Data by Ethnicity(2020)
County/District | Male (Han) | Female (Han) | Sex Ratio (Han) | Male (Minorities) | Female (Minorities) | Sex Ratio (Minorities) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liangzhou District | 438,898 | 431,712 | 101.7 | 7,620 | 7,047 | 108.1 |
Minqin County | 90,394 | 86,395 | 104.6 | 915 | 766 | 119.5 |
Gulang County | 123,481 | 123,022 | 100.4 | 1,706 | 1,968 | 86.7 |
Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County |
46,638 | 43,124 | 108.1 | 30,654 | 30,615 | 100.1 |
Wuwei | 699,411 | 684,253 | 102.2 | 40,895 | 40,396 | 101.2 |
Legend | ↑Natural growth rate increased compared to the previous year
↓Natural growth rate decreased compared to the previous year *There is currently no data available |
---|
Economy
editConsistent sunlight and fertile soil make agriculture one of Wuwei's biggest industries. Other important industries are textiles, metallurgy, and construction materials. Melons, vegetables, wine and livestock are all major agricultural products. Organic farming is a trend with more land being set aside for “green farming” each year. Land use can be broken down into the following:
- 790 square kilometres (310 sq mi) of water
- 34,800 square kilometres (13,400 sq mi) of forest
- 355,300 square kilometres (137,200 sq mi) of grassland.
- 247,000 square kilometres (95,000 sq mi) of “undeveloped” land.
- 39,100 square kilometres (15,100 sq mi) of farmland.
- 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) of corn
- 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) of vegetables
- 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) of melons
- 5,000 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi) for livestock
- 800 square kilometres (310 sq mi) of vineyards
Transport
editThere are two railway lines that pass through Wuwei, namely the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway and the Gantang-Wuwei Railway. Both are east-west railway lines. Since there are no north-south railway lines crossing Wuwei, there are no railway lines passing through Minqin County which lies in the northern part of Wuwei, therefore, there are no railway stations in Minqin.
There exist various railway stations in Liangzhou District, Gulang County and Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County. Wuwei Railway Station (second-class station) is the largest train station in terms of passenger traffic in Wuwei. It is located 303 kilometers east of Lanzhou Station and 1,589 kilometers west of Urumqi Railway Station.
Railway Stations in Wuwei
editPictures | Wuwei Railway Station Before Rebuilt Wuwei Railway Station After Rebuilt Wuwei South Railway Station Platform, Tianzhu Railway Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Highway
editFootnotes
edit- ^ 甘肃省统计局、国家统计局甘肃调查总队 (November 2016). 《甘肃发展年鉴-2016》. 中国统计出版社. ISBN 978-7-5037-7894-0.
- ^ Silk Road, North China, C Michael Hogan, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A Burnham
- ^ Zhang Yiping (2005). Story of the Silk Road. China Intercontinental Press. ISBN 978-7-5085-0832-0.
- ^ Juhl, Susanne (1998). "Burial Sites in Hexi". In Atabaki, Touraj; O'Kane, John (eds.). Post-Soviet Central Asia. Tauris Academic Studies. pp. 370–371.
- ^ Hill (2015), p. 45.
- ^ Chih-i Chou, William Thornton Dean, Phanerozoic Geology of Northwest China, 1996, 316 pages ISBN 90-6764-228-2
- ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ 武威 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ^ Eschmeyer, W. N.; R., Fricke, eds. (3 December 2015). "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d "武威市人民政府 普查数据 武威市第七次全国人口普查公报[1]". www.gswuwei.gov.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ 景泰县志. 景泰县: 景泰县志编纂委员会. 1996. pp. 607–612. ISBN 7-311-01050-0.
- ^ 永昌县志. 永昌县: 永昌县志编纂委员会. 1993. pp. 183–226. ISBN 7-226-01083-6.
- ^ 永登县志. 永登县: 永登县地方史志编纂委员. 1997. pp. 133–140. ISBN 7-5421-0459-4.
- ^ 张掖市志. 张掖市: 甘肃省张掖市志编修委员会. 1993. pp. 110–123. ISBN 7-226-01466-1.
- ^ 民乐县志. 民乐县: 民乐县志编纂委员会. 1996. pp. 151–176. ISBN 7-226-01622-2.
- ^ 山丹县志. 山丹县: 山丹县地方志编纂委员会. 1993. pp. 640–648. ISBN 7-226-01228-6.
- ^ a b c d "武威市2010年第六次全国人口普查主要数据公报_中国统计信息网". www.cnstats.org. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "武威市第七次全国人口普查公报". 武威市人民政府. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ^ a b c "武威市人口普查数据 第五、六、七次人口普查武威市人口-59城市迷". 2023-07-15. Archived from the original on 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "《甘肃发展年鉴2021》使用方法" [How to use Gansu Development Yearbook 2021]. tjj.gansu.gov.cn (in Chinese).
- ^ "武威市人民政府 统计年鉴". www.gswuwei.gov.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "甘肃省统计年鉴".
- ^ "中国铁路12306网站". www.12306.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
- ^ "铁路客户服务中心--". www.12306.cn. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
References
edit- Hill, John E. (2015) Through the Jade Gate to Rome - China to Rome. CreateSpace, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN 978-1500696702.
External links
edit- Official website of Wuwei government Archived 2008-04-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Gansu Province Official Website Archived 2013-07-16 at the Wayback Machine