Wuwei, Gansu Explained

Wuwei
Native Name:武威市
Native Name Lang:zh
Settlement Type:Prefecture-level city
Pushpin Map:China
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in China
Pushpin Mapsize:-->
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:People's Republic of China
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Gansu
Seat Type:Municipal seat
Seat:Liangzhou District
Area Total Km2:33000
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:1,464,955
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Urban:688,697
Demographics Type2:GDP[1]
Demographics2 Title1:Prefecture-level city
Demographics2 Info1:CN¥ 41.6 billion
US$ 6.7 billion
Demographics2 Title2:Per capita
Demographics2 Info2:CN¥ 22,930
US$ 3,682
Timezone:CST
Utc Offset:+8
Coor Pinpoint:Wuwei municipal government
Coordinates:37.929°N 102.638°W
Iso Code:CN-GS-06
Pushpin Map:Gansu#China

Wuwei 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.

History

In ancient times, Wuwei was called Liangzhou (Chinese: 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 (Chinese: 铜奔马), Western Xia mausoleums(Chinese: 西夏碑), Wuwei White Towers Temple (Chinese: 白塔寺), Tianti Mountain Grotto (Chinese: 天梯山石窟), Luoshi(Kumārajīva) Temple (Chinese: 罗什寺塔), and the Confucian temple (Chinese: 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 1020to above sea-level. Its area is 33000km2. Average annual temperature is 7.8C. The climate is a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with precipitation between 60mm610mm. Evaporation is from 1400mm3000mm, 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 45C, in the shade are by no means unheard of.

Southwest of Wuwei, there is a 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.

A species of stone loach, Triplophysa wuweiensis, is named after Wuwei where it was first discovered.[7]

Administration

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

Map
NameHanziHanyu PinyinPopulation
(2010)
Area
(km²)
Density
(/km²)
Liangzhou DistrictChinese: 凉州区Liángzhōu Qū1,010,2955,081207.29
Minqin CountyChinese: 民勤县Mínqín Xiàn241,25116,01615.2
Gulang CountyChinese: 古浪县Gǔlàng Xiàn388,7205,28778.13
Tianzhu Tibetan
Autonomous County
Chinese: 天祝藏族自治县Tiānzhù Zàngzú
Zìzhìxiàn
174,7936,86525.71

Demographics

Population Overview

By 2020, Population 1,464,955 [8] with 38 ethnic groups represented including Han, Hui, Mongol, Tu, Tibetan, etc.

Census1st Census (1953)2nd Census (1964)3rd Census (1982)4th Census (1990)5th Census (2000)
County/DistrictPopulation%Population%Population%Population%Population%
Wuwei/Liangzhou510,24128.18520,09433.90763,71946.38876,02052.48946,50651.52
Minqin220,02212.15179,06111.67241,51014.67258,94715.51302,08516.45
Gulang139,2387.69186,26712.14287,26917.44323,50719.38367,04819.98
Tianzhu58,7313.24118,6257.73184,41011.20210,84512.63221,34712.05
Jingtai[9] 65,5183.6293,8626.12169,85810.31Placed under Baiyin since 1985
Yongchang[10] 125,5786.94174,22111.36Placed under Jinchang since 1981
Yongdeng[11] 264,78714.62261,88017.07Placed under Lanzhou since 1970
Zhangye[12] 254,90014.08Now as Ganzhou District, placed under Zhangye since 1955
Minle[13] 106,6755.89Placed under Zhangye since 1955
Shandan[14] 64,8983.58Placed under Zhangye since 1955
Total1,810,5881,534,0101,646,7661,669,3191,836,923
Census6th Census(2010)[15] 7th Census(2020)[16]
County/DistrictPopulation%Population%
Liangzhou174,7909.63885,27760.43
Minqin1,010,29555.67178,47012.18
Gulang241,25113.29250,17717.07
Tianzhu388,71821.41151,03110.32
Total1,815,0541,464,955

Urbanization and Gender Structure [15]

National CensusUrban PopulationMaleFemaleSex Ratio
TotalUrbanizationTotal%Total%
5th370,008[17] 20.14%949,435#51.69%887,488#48.31%106.98
6th500,52827.56%933,48251.43%881,57248.57%105.89
7th688,69747.01%740,30650.53%724,64949.47%102.16
Observation
  1. No data, estimated based on the published sex ratio

Education Level

National CensusUniversity Education (including associate degree)High School EducationSecondary EducationPrimary Educationilliteracy
Total%Total%Total%Total%Total%
5th33,927*2.08%182,774*11.22%504,999*31.01%738,388*45.34%168,49910.35%
6th98,9325.84%257,77215.23%681,56240.26%540,19331.91%114,4756.76%
7th184,99413.69%207,94015.38%456,77933.79%418,20030.94%83,8126.20%
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

7th! colspan="2"
6th5th
Age Group(years)MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale
0-444,48540,26348,98139,04670,50448,496
5-946,33940,51953,97441,208100,74384,294
10-1447,44039,42973,28656,878109,253100,793
15-1942,41833,60098,85286,98375,92472,156
20-2431,30929,02881,60782,94950,14850,967
25-2942,72242,67058,23858,22290,74090,367
30-3450,03152,06650,72447,871107,026108,502
35-3942,34742,62786,54386,54885,42786,072
40-4439,74038,369100,781102,53552,81948,012
45-4970,82174,01078,77981,64556,28251,909
50-5483,14987,00748,77344,67442,42841,012
55-5964,46467,02150,62748,15335,44033,260
60-6438,39835,82135,97336,37930,84629,633
65-6940,66840,44228,43628,21322,23922,436
70-7426,79928,67020,11620,96010,76610,577
75 or above29,17633,10717,79719,3088,4669,449
Population Pyramid of Wuwei!The following pictures are based on The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age Structure
link=https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E6%AD%A6%E5%A8%81%E5%B8%82%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%94%E6%AC%A1%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3%E6%99%AE%E6%9F%A5%E5%B9%B4%E9%BE%84%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84%E5%9B%BE.png5th CensusFile:武威市第六次人口普查年龄结构图.pnglink=https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E6%AD%A6%E5%A8%81%E5%B8%82%E7%AC%AC%E5%85%AD%E6%AC%A1%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3%E6%99%AE%E6%9F%A5%E5%B9%B4%E9%BE%84%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84%E5%9B%BE.png6th CensusFile:武威市第七次人口普查年龄结构图.pnglink=https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%E6%AD%A6%E5%A8%81%E5%B8%82%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%83%E6%AC%A1%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%A3%E6%99%AE%E6%9F%A5%E5%B9%B4%E9%BE%84%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84%E5%9B%BE.png7th Census

No. of Household

National CensusNo. of HouseholdPopulationNo. of ppls/household
5thNo DataNo Data3.95
6th467,0401,748,5883.74
7th529,1191,383,3972.61

Wuwei Ethnic Population and Gender[18]

Ethnic Population by County/District(2020)

County/DistrictHan%Minorities%
Liangzhou District870,61098.3%14,6671.7%
Minqin County176,78999.1%1,6810.9%
Gulang County246,50398.5%3,6741.5%
Tianzhu Tibetan
Autonomous County
89,76259.4%61,26940.6%
Wuwei1,383,66494.5%81,2915.5%
Gender Data by Ethnicity(2020)
County/DistrictMale (Han)Female (Han)Sex Ratio (Han)Male (Minorities)Female (Minorities)Sex Ratio (Minorities)
Liangzhou District438,898431,712101.77,6207,047108.1
Minqin County90,39486,395104.6915766119.5
Gulang County123,481123,022100.41,7061,96886.7
Tianzhu Tibetan
Autonomous County
46,63843,124108.130,65430,615100.1
Wuwei699,411684,253102.240,89540,396101.2

Birth Rate, Mortality Rate, and Natural Growth Rate in Wuwei[19] [20]

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|}

YearBirth Rate(‰)Mortality Rate(‰)Natural Growth Rate(‰)Trend of Three Rates
200013.335.577.76Green Line: Birth Rate Red Line: Mortality Rate;

Grey Line: Natural Growth Rate

200111.975.216.76↓
20026.28↓
20035.59↓
20045.61↓
20055.81↑
20066.29↑
20076.43↑
20086.69↑
20096.69
20105.36↓
20115.28↓
201210.525.235.29↓
201310.575.265.31↑
201410.615.285.33↑
201510.815.315.50↑
201610.835.815.02↓
201711.386.225.16↑
20189.426.183.24↓
20199.216.322.89↓
2020-2.12↓
20218.9310.21-1.98↑
20227.8410.55-2.72↓
2023(Expected)8.0910.43-2.35↑
2028(Expected)6.6313.32-6.70

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:

  • of water
  • of forest
  • of grassland.
  • of “undeveloped” land.
  • of farmland.
    • of corn
    • of vegetables
    • of melons
    • for livestock
    • of vineyards

Transport

Railway[21]

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 Urumqi Railway Station.

Railway Stations in Wuwei

Highway

CategoryEnglish NameChinese NameCodeService Level
National FreewayLianhuo Freeway连霍高速In Service
Wujin Freeway武金高速In Service
Dingwu Freeway定武高速In Service
Province FreewayWuwei Ring Freeway武威绕城高速In Service
Beixian Freeway北仙高速In Service
Minhong Freeway民红高速In Service
Leixi Freeway雷西高速Under Construction
National HighwayG312 National HighwayG312 国道G312In Service
Manda HighwayG569 曼大公路G569Under Construction
Dingwu HighwayG667 武定公路G667In Service

References

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 甘肃省统计局、国家统计局甘肃调查总队 . 《甘肃发展年鉴-2016》 . November 2016 . 中国统计出版社 . 978-7-5037-7894-0 .
  2. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18006 Silk Road, North China, C Michael Hogan, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A Burnham
  3. Book: Zhang Yiping . Story of the Silk Road . . 2005 . 978-7-5085-0832-0.
  4. Book: Juhl, Susanne . Post-Soviet Central Asia . Tauris Academic Studies . 1998 . Atabaki . Touraj . 370–371 . Burial Sites in Hexi . O'Kane . John.
  5. Hill (2015), p. 45.
  6. Chih-i Chou, William Thornton Dean, Phanerozoic Geology of Northwest China, 1996,316 pages
  7. Web site: 3 December 2015 . Eschmeyer . W. N. . R. . Fricke . Catalog of Fishes . 20 December 2015 . California Academy of Sciences.
  8. Web site: 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] ]. 2024-01-02 . www.gswuwei.gov.cn.
  9. Book: 景泰县志 . 景泰县志编纂委员会 . 1996 . 7-311-01050-0 . 景泰县 . 607–612.
  10. Book: 永昌县志 . 永昌县志编纂委员会 . 1993 . 7-226-01083-6 . 永昌县 . 183–226.
  11. Book: 永登县志 . 永登县地方史志编纂委员 . 1997 . 7-5421-0459-4 . 永登县 . 133–140.
  12. Book: 张掖市志 . 甘肃省张掖市志编修委员会 . 1993 . 7-226-01466-1 . 张掖市 . 110–123.
  13. Book: 民乐县志 . 民乐县志编纂委员会 . 1996 . 7-226-01622-2 . 民乐县 . 151–176.
  14. Book: 山丹县志 . 山丹县地方志编纂委员会 . 1993 . 7-226-01228-6 . 山丹县 . 640–648.
  15. Web site: 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 . 2023-07-15 . www.cnstats.org.
  16. Web site: 武威市第七次全国人口普查公报 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211028210539/https://www.gswuwei.gov.cn/art/2021/5/27/art_43_319321.html . 2021-10-28 . 2021-10-12 . 武威市人民政府 . live.
  17. Web site: 2023-07-15 . 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 . 2024-01-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715055759/https://www.csm59.com/a/168170215439681.html . 2023-07-15 .
  18. Web site: 《甘肃发展年鉴2021》使用方法 . zh . How to use Gansu Development Yearbook 2021 . tjj.gansu.gov.cn.
  19. Web site: 武威市人民政府 统计年鉴 . 2024-01-02 . www.gswuwei.gov.cn.
  20. Web site: 甘肃省统计年鉴.
  21. Web site: 中国铁路12306网站 . 2024-01-02 . www.12306.cn.
  22. Web site: 铁路客户服务中心-- . https://web.archive.org/web/20210102075850/https://www.12306.cn/mormhweb/kyyyz/ . 2021-01-02 . 2024-01-01 . www.12306.cn . live.