Wuwei, Gansu

History

In 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, and a number of important archaeological finds were uncovered from Wuwei, including ancient copper carts with stone animals. 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. 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."

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 Cao Wei.

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), the Luoshi (Kumārajīva) Temple (罗什寺塔), and the Confucian temple (文庙).

Geography and climate

Wuwei 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 1020 to above sea-level. Its area is 33000 km2. Average annual temperature is 7.8 C. The climate is a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with precipitation between 60 and. Evaporation is from 1400 to, 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, in the shade are by no means unheard of.

Southwest of Wuwei, there is a 230 m thick Tianzhu Formation made of clastics intercalated with sandy shale and shale.Chih-i Chou, William Thornton Dean, Phanerozoic Geology of Northwest China, 1996, 316 pages Minerals deposits occurring in the vicinity of Wuwei include graphite, iron, titanium, and limestone.

|Jan record high C = 15.5 |Jan record low C = -25.3 |Feb record high C = 22.3 |Feb record low C = -25.0 |Mar record high C = 28.1 |Mar record low C = -19.3 |Apr record high C = 32.7 |Apr record low C = -7.7 |May record high C = 34.2 |May record low C = -3.0 |Jun record high C = 35.0 |Jun record low C = 2.8 |Jul record high C = 40.8 |Jul record low C = 7.2 |Aug record high C = 37.3 |Aug record low C = 4.3 |Sep record high C = 34.9 |Sep record low C = -0.8 |Oct record high C = 27.8 |Oct record low C = -14.4 |Nov record high C = 22.8 |Nov record low C = -22.7 |Dec record high C = 17.9 |Dec record low C = -32.0

A species of stone loach, Triplophysa wuweiensis, is named after Wuwei where it was first discovered.

Administration

1 urban district, 2 counties, 1 autonomous county, 116 towns, and 41 townships

Demographics

Population Overview

By 2020, the population reached 1,464,955 with 38 ethnic groups represented including Han, Hui, Mongol, Tu, Tibetan, etc.

Urbanization and Gender Structure

Education Level

Age Distribution and Population Pyramid

No. of Household

Wuwei Ethnic Population and Gender

Source:

Ethnic Population by County/District（2020）

Gender Data by Ethnicity（2020）

Birth Rate, Mortality Rate, and Natural Growth Rate in Wuwei

Sources:

Economy

Consistent 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 km2 of water
• 34800 km2 of forest
• 355300 km2 of grassland.
• 247000 km2 of “undeveloped” land.
• 39100 km2 of farmland.
  • 8000 km2 of corn
  • 4000 km2 of vegetables
  • 3000 km2 of melons
  • 5000 km2 for livestock
  • 800 km2 of vineyards

Transport

Railway

Source:

There 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 Ürümqi Railway Station.

Railway Stations in Wuwei

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Highway

Footnotes

References

• Hill, John E. (2015) Through the Jade Gate to Rome - China to Rome. CreateSpace, Charleston, South Carolina. .

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