| Tianshui | |
| Native Name: | 天水市 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Pushpin Map: | China |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in China--> |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Gansu |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Qinzhou District |
| Area Total Km2: | 14280 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 5866 |
| Area Metro Km2: | 5866 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 2984659 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Metro: | 1212791 |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 1212791 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[2] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Prefecture-level city |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 55.4 billion US$ 8.9 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 16,743 US$ 2,688 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Tianshui municipal government |
| Coordinates: | 34.5815°N 105.7248°W |
| Elevation M: | 1171 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 741000 |
| Area Code: | 0938 |
| Iso Code: | CN-GS-05 |
| Blank Name: | Licence plate prefixes |
| Blank Info: | Chinese: 甘E |
| Pushpin Map: | China Gansu#China |
| Tianshui | |
| Pic: | 伏羲庙内_01.jpg |
| Piccap: | The entrance to the Fuxi Temple in Tianshui |
| Picsize: | 250px |
| L: | City of Sky and Water |
| P: | Tiānshuǐshì |
| W: | Tien-shui Shih |
| Also Known As: | Qinzhou |
| L2: | Qin Province |
| P2: | Qínzhōu |
| W2: | Chin-chou |
| Psp2: | Tsinchow |
| Altname3: | Tianshui Commandery |
| L3: | Commandery of Heaven and Water |
| P3: | Tiānshuǐjùn |
| W3: | Tien-shui Chün |
| Altname4: | Hanyang Commandery |
| P4: | Hànyángjùn |
| W4: | Han-yang Chun |
| Altname5: | Hanyang County |
| P5: | Hànyángxiàn |
| W5: | Han-yang Hsien |
| Order: | st |
Tianshui is a prefecture-level city in Gansu province, China, and is the province's second-largest city (behind the provincial capital Lanzhou). Located in the southeast of the province, the city strides along the upper reaches of the Wei River and at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and the Qinling Mountains. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,984,659 inhabitants, of which 1,212,791 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 2 urban districts of Qinzhou and Maiji.[1] The city and its surroundings have played an important role in the early history of China, as still visible in the form of historic sites such as the Maijishan Grottoes.
Qin, whose House of Ying were the ruling family of the founding dynasty of Imperial China, developed from Quanqiu (present-day Lixian) to the south. After the invasions of the Rong which unseated the Western Zhou, Qin recovered the territory of Tianshui from the nomads. It became an important region of their duchy and, later, kingdom.[3] Characteristically Qin tombs have been excavated at Fangmatan nearby, including one 2200-year-old map of Qin's Gui County.[4]
Under the Qin Empire, the area was part of Longxi Commandery but the Emperor Wu of the Han separated the region as the Tianshui Commandery in 114 BC as part of his expansion towards the Tarim Basin.[5] The general Li Guang came from the city. The Han conquests and explorations eventually resulted in the development of the Northern Silk Road: Tianshui formed its junction with the Wei River, after which it followed the road past Mount Long to Chang'an (present-day Xi'an).[6] Nearby are the Maijishan Grottoes, filled with thousands of Buddhist sculptures representing figures such as Buddha and the original male form of Guanyin, produced between the Wei and Song dynasties by monks travelling along the road and by local Buddhists.[7]
During the Northern Wei, the city was known as Hanyang and was the center of the Hanyang Commandery. During the Western Wei, this name was changed to Hanyang County. During the Tang and Five Dynasties, the city of Tianshui was known as Shanggui (Chinese: 上邽). It alternated with Chengji (present-day Qin'an) as the capital of the province of Qinzhou (Chinese: 秦州).[8] Li County was separated from Tianshui's jurisdiction during the ninth year of Chenghua (AD 1473) during the Ming dynasty.
According to a legend, the name Tianshui (天水) originates from a lake formed from heaven, which would remain the same size year round.
| Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2004 est.) | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | |
| Qinzhou District | Chinese: 秦州区 | Qínzhōu Qū | 650,000 | 2,442 | 266 | |
| Maiji District | Chinese: 麦积区 | Màijī Qū | 580,000 | 3,452 | 188 | |
| Qingshui County | Chinese: 清水县 | Qīngshuǐ Xiàn | 310,000 | 2,003 | 155 | |
| Qin'an County | Chinese: 秦安县 | Qín'ān Xiàn | 600,000 | 1,601 | 375 | |
| Gangu County | Chinese: 甘谷县 | Gāngǔ Xiàn | 600,000 | 1,572 | 382 | |
| Wushan County | Chinese: 武山县 | Wǔshān Xiàn | 440,000 | 2,011 | 219 | |
| Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County | Chinese: 张家川回族自治县 | Zhāngjiāchuān Huízú Zìzhìxiàn | 320,000 | 1,311 | 244 | |
Tianshui is located in the valley of the Jie River, a major tributary of the Wei River, and on the boundary between the Loess Plateau and Qinling Mountains.[9] The city has a monsoon-influenced, cool semi-arid (Köppen BSk)/humid continental (Dwa) climate, with four distinct seasons of comparatively equal length. Winters are cold but dry, with January 24-hour average temperature of NaN°C, while summers are warm and somewhat humid, with July 24-hour average temperature of 23.2°C. Much of the annual rainfall occurs from June to September, and the annual mean temperature is 11.44°C. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 34% in September to 50% in December, the city receives 1,911 hours of bright sunshine annually.
| Width: | auto |
| Single Line: | Y |
| Metric First: | Y |
| Collapsed: | Y |
| Location: | Tianshui, elevation 1150m (3,770feet), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010) |
| Jan Record High C: | 12.1 |
| Feb Record High C: | 20.2 |
| Mar Record High C: | 27.0 |
| Apr Record High C: | 31.8 |
| May Record High C: | 33.9 |
| Jun Record High C: | 37.2 |
| Jul Record High C: | 38.2 |
| Aug Record High C: | 36.1 |
| Sep Record High C: | 36.2 |
| Oct Record High C: | 28.5 |
| Nov Record High C: | 21.6 |
| Dec Record High C: | 14.7 |
| Jan High C: | 4.3 |
| Feb High C: | 8.3 |
| Mar High C: | 14.3 |
| Apr High C: | 20.8 |
| May High C: | 24.6 |
| Jun High C: | 28.1 |
| Jul High C: | 29.8 |
| Aug High C: | 28.5 |
| Sep High C: | 22.8 |
| Oct High C: | 17.1 |
| Nov High C: | 11.3 |
| Dec High C: | 5.6 |
| Jan Mean C: | -1.3 |
| Feb Mean C: | 2.4 |
| Mar Mean C: | 7.8 |
| Apr Mean C: | 13.7 |
| May Mean C: | 17.7 |
| Jun Mean C: | 21.5 |
| Jul Mean C: | 23.6 |
| Aug Mean C: | 22.5 |
| Sep Mean C: | 17.4 |
| Oct Mean C: | 11.5 |
| Nov Mean C: | 5.5 |
| Dec Mean C: | -0.2 |
| Jan Low C: | -5.2 |
| Feb Low C: | -1.8 |
| Mar Low C: | 2.9 |
| Apr Low C: | 8.0 |
| May Low C: | 12.0 |
| Jun Low C: | 16.1 |
| Jul Low C: | 18.6 |
| Aug Low C: | 17.9 |
| Sep Low C: | 13.7 |
| Oct Low C: | 7.8 |
| Nov Low C: | 1.6 |
| Dec Low C: | -4.0 |
| Jan Record Low C: | −19.2 |
| Feb Record Low C: | −16.6 |
| Mar Record Low C: | -10.0 |
| Apr Record Low C: | −6.4 |
| May Record Low C: | 1.8 |
| Jun Record Low C: | 5.5 |
| Jul Record Low C: | 10.6 |
| Aug Record Low C: | 8.4 |
| Sep Record Low C: | 1.2 |
| Oct Record Low C: | −5.1 |
| Nov Record Low C: | −11.6 |
| Dec Record Low C: | −17.4 |
| Precipitation Colour: | green |
| Jan Precipitation Mm: | 4.6 |
| Feb Precipitation Mm: | 6.8 |
| Mar Precipitation Mm: | 18.2 |
| Apr Precipitation Mm: | 35.2 |
| May Precipitation Mm: | 55.7 |
| Jun Precipitation Mm: | 63.3 |
| Jul Precipitation Mm: | 90.2 |
| Aug Precipitation Mm: | 84.0 |
| Sep Precipitation Mm: | 77.0 |
| Oct Precipitation Mm: | 43.9 |
| Nov Precipitation Mm: | 11.4 |
| Dec Precipitation Mm: | 3.3 |
| Jan Humidity: | 61 |
| Feb Humidity: | 60 |
| Mar Humidity: | 57 |
| Apr Humidity: | 55 |
| May Humidity: | 59 |
| Jun Humidity: | 63 |
| Jul Humidity: | 67 |
| Aug Humidity: | 70 |
| Sep Humidity: | 75 |
| Oct Humidity: | 76 |
| Nov Humidity: | 71 |
| Dec Humidity: | 64 |
| Unit Precipitation Days: | 0.1 mm |
| Jan Precipitation Days: | 5.1 |
| Feb Precipitation Days: | 4.9 |
| Mar Precipitation Days: | 6.6 |
| Apr Precipitation Days: | 7.8 |
| May Precipitation Days: | 9.8 |
| Jun Precipitation Days: | 10.3 |
| Jul Precipitation Days: | 11.3 |
| Aug Precipitation Days: | 10.9 |
| Sep Precipitation Days: | 12.1 |
| Oct Precipitation Days: | 10.5 |
| Nov Precipitation Days: | 5.7 |
| Dec Precipitation Days: | 2.8 |
| Jan Sun: | 140.1 |
| Feb Sun: | 129.0 |
| Mar Sun: | 163.2 |
| Apr Sun: | 193.3 |
| May Sun: | 204.7 |
| Jun Sun: | 191.3 |
| Jul Sun: | 193.7 |
| Aug Sun: | 179.4 |
| Sep Sun: | 117.6 |
| Oct Sun: | 115.3 |
| Nov Sun: | 125.4 |
| Dec Sun: | 143.7 |
| Jan Percentsun: | 44 |
| Feb Percentsun: | 41 |
| Mar Percentsun: | 44 |
| Apr Percentsun: | 49 |
| May Percentsun: | 47 |
| Jun Percentsun: | 44 |
| Jul Percentsun: | 44 |
| Aug Percentsun: | 44 |
| Sep Percentsun: | 32 |
| Oct Percentsun: | 33 |
| Nov Percentsun: | 41 |
| Dec Percentsun: | 47 |
| Jan Snow Days: | 8.3 |
| Feb Snow Days: | 6.3 |
| Mar Snow Days: | 2.7 |
| Apr Snow Days: | 0.3 |
| May Snow Days: | 0 |
| Jun Snow Days: | 0 |
| Jul Snow Days: | 0 |
| Aug Snow Days: | 0 |
| Sep Snow Days: | 0 |
| Oct Snow Days: | 0.1 |
| Nov Snow Days: | 2.1 |
| Dec Snow Days: | 5.0 |
| Source 1: | China Meteorological Administration[10] [11] [12] |
Due to the mild climate, Tianshui is a large producer of fruits, in particular apples.[13]
It is also a major industrial centre in Gansu province, especially regarding electronics. Some major industries include:
Tianshui Maijishan Airport is located near the built up area.
Tianshui is currently serviced by Tianshui railway station on the Longhai Railway. The railway station is connected to downtown by the Tianshui Tram.
A new high-speed railway station, Tianshui South railway station, opened in 2017.
The Tianshui–Longnan railway is currently under construction and will add a north–south link to the county.
The Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway connects Tianshui to Baoji/Xi'an in the east and Dingxi, Lanzhou towards the northwest and supersedes highway G310. G310 runs as a motorway within the urban centre.
Tianshui's signature dish is Guagua (呱呱), a sticky boiled buckwheat flour meal, seasoned with chili oil, sesame paste, mustard, oil, salt, vinegar and garlic paste.[17] The dish is normally eaten as a breakfast.[18] According to legends it was the imperial food during Han dynasty general Wei Xiao's rule.[19]
In early 2024 Tianshui malatang hot pot went viral online in China, attracting many tourists from all over the country to go and taste the dish. The numbing sensation of spiciness forms the "soul flavor" of Tianshui spicy hot pot. This "soul" comes from local specialty ingredients in Tianshui – Maiji peppercorns and Gangu chili peppers.[20] The viral phenomenon has been compared to the 2023 spring festival Zibo BBQ craze.[21]