| Huocheng County | |
| Other Name: | Korgas County |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Pushpin Map: | China Xinjiang Northern#Xinjiang#China |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 275 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within China |
| Coordinates: | 44.01°N 80.8078°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Xinjiang |
| Subdivision Type2: | Autonomous prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ili |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township-level divisions |
| Subdivision Name3: | 5 towns 3 townships 2 ethnic townships |
| Seat Type: | County seat |
| Seat: | Shuiding |
| Area Total Km2: | 3,027 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 243,303 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Huocheng County | |
| S: | 霍城县 |
| T: | 霍城縣 |
| P: | Huòchéng Xiàn |
| S2: | 霍尔果斯县 |
| P2: | Huò'ěrguǒsī Xiàn |
| Uig: | قورغاس ناھىيىسى |
| Uly: | Qorghas Nahiyisi |
| Uyy: | K̡orƣas Nah̡iyisi |
| Sgs: | Korgas Xahiri |
| Usy: | Қорғас Наһийиси |
| Order: | st |
Huocheng County, as the official romanized name, is also transliterated from Uyghur as Korgas County (; in Kazakh: Kazakh: قورعاس اۋدانى;). It is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and falls under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. The county is located between Yining and the border city of Khorgas, covering an area of 5466km2, with a population of 360,000 (2004 estimate). There are twenty-nine ethnic groups residing in the county, including the Han and Uyghur nationalities.
To the north of Huocheng County is Wenquan County, while the Ili River lies to the south. Its Western side is bordered by Khorgas City, and Yining is located approximately 45km (28miles) to the east.
Within Huocheng County, lies the significant ruined site of ancient Almaliq. Additionally, the mausoleum of the first khan of Moghulistan, Tughlugh Timur, is also located within the county.
During the 1760s, nine fortresses were constructed in the Ili River Basin, and four of them were situated within the modern Huocheng County. Huiyuan served as the headquarters of the General of Ili, making it the military and administrative center of Xinjiang until the 1860s.
Suiding County was established in 1888, with Suiding as the county seat. In 1914, the western area of Shuiding County was organized into Khorgas County, later abbreviated to Huocheng County, with Gongchen (Khorgas) as county seat. In 1965 Suiding was renamed Shuiding. In 1966, Shuiding County merged into Huocheng County with Shuiding as the county seat of the new Huocheng County. In 2014, Khorgas became a county-level city separate from Huocheng County.
The county includes 6 towns, 2 townships, and 1 ethnic township.
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Uyghur (UEY) | Uyghur Latin (ULY) | Number of communities | Population (thousand) | Land area (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towns | |||||||
| Shuiding Town (Süydüng Town) | Chinese: 水定镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: سۈيدۈڭ بازىرى | 13 | 3 | 14.9 | ||
| Qingshuihe Town (Chingsixoza Town) | Chinese: 清水河镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: چىڭسىخوزا بازىرى | 15 | 46.7 | 185.2 | ||
| Lucaogou Town (Losigung Town) | Chinese: 芦草沟镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: لۇسىگۇڭ بازىرى | 11 | 35.4 | 346 | ||
| Huiyuan Town (Küre Town) | Chinese: 惠远镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: كۈرە بازىرى | 4 | 21.4 | 138.6 | ||
| Sarbulaq Town | Chinese: 萨尔布拉克镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: ساربۇلاق بازىرى | 11 | 28.2 | 431.7 | ||
| Lengger Town | Chinese: 兰干镇 | Uighur; Uyghur: لەڭگەر بازىرى | 13 | 3 | 14.9 | ||
| Townships | |||||||
| Sendoxoza Township (Sandaohe Township) | Chinese: 三道河乡 | Uighur; Uyghur: سەندوخوزا يېزىسى | 3 | 9.3 | 78.7 | ||
| Dashigu Township (Daxigou Township) | Chinese: 大西沟乡 | Uighur; Uyghur: داشىگۇ يېزىسى | 7 | 10.8 | 252.7 | ||
| Ethnic Township | |||||||
| Sengung Township (Sangong Township) | Chinese: 三宫乡 (Chinese: 三宫回族乡) | Uighur; Uyghur: سەنگۇڭ خۇيزۇ يېزىسى | 5 | 15 | 126.9 | ||
In agriculture, the local population cultivate wheat, corn and other crops including sugar beet, cotton, tobacco, apples, animal husbandry with cattle and sheep.
The main minerals extracted in the area include coal, phosphorus, iron, gold, silver, copper, limestone, Iceland spar and marble, etc.
Huocheng is served by China National Highway 312 and the Jinghe-Yining-Khorgas Railway.
There is a border crossing into Kazakhstan at Khorgas, where the road continues to Zharkent in Panfilov District.
The Jinghe–Yining–Khorgas Railway through Huocheng county was completed in 2010, reaching practically to the Kazakhstan border. There are plans to construct a connecting railway line on the Kazakh side, creating China's second railway link to Central Asia besides Alashankou.[2]