Wuwei, Gansu

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
Prefecture-level city
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
Wuwei Show map of Gansu Wuwei Show map of China
Coordinates (Wuwei municipal government): 37°55′44″N 102°38′17″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.ww.gansu.gov.cn

History

The Silk Road in its entirety.

Wuwei Confucian temple.

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,^[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

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 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

Dayun Temple

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

Map
Liangzhou Minqin County Gulang County Tianzhu County
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

Population Overview

By 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

Urbanization and Gender Structure ^[11][18]

National Census	Urban Population		Male		Female		Sex Ratio
	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

Education Level^[11][18]

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

The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age Structure^[20]

National 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

Population Pyramid of Wuwei

The following pictures are based on The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age Structure[20]
5th Census 6th Census 7th Census

No. of Household ^[18][11]

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

Wuwei Ethnic Population and Gender^[21]

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

Birth Rate, Mortality Rate, and Natural Growth Rate in Wuwei^[22][23]

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

Year	Birth Rate(‰)	Mortality Rate(‰)	Natural Growth Rate(‰)	Trend of Three Rates
2000	13.33	5.57	7.76	Green Line: Birth Rate Red Line: Mortality Rate; Grey Line: Natural Growth Rate
2001	11.97	5.21	6.76↓
2002	*	*	6.28↓
2003	*	*	5.59↓
2004	*	*	5.61↓
2005	*	*	5.81↑
2006	*	*	6.29↑
2007	*	*	6.43↑
2008	*	*	6.69↑
2009	*	*	6.69
2010	*	*	5.36↓
2011	*	*	5.28↓
2012	10.52	5.23	5.29↓
2013	10.57	5.26	5.31↑
2014	10.61	5.28	5.33↑
2015	10.81	5.31	5.50↑
2016	10.83	5.81	5.02↓
2017	11.38	6.22	5.16↑
2018	9.42	6.18	3.24↓
2019	9.21	6.32	2.89↓
2020	*	*	-2.12↓
2021	8.93	10.21	-1.98↑
2022	7.84	10.55	-2.72↓
2023(Expected)	8.09	10.43	-2.35↑
2028(Expected)	6.63	13.32	-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:

• 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

Railway^[24]

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

Pictures

Wuwei Railway Station Before Rebuilt Wuwei Railway Station After Rebuilt Wuwei South Railway Station Platform, Tianzhu Railway Station

Major Railway Stations in Wuwei Station County/District Station Class Railways Available for [25] Wuwei Railway Station Liangzhou Second Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway,Gantang-Wuwei Railway Passenger, Package, Luggage Wuwei S. Railway Station Liangzhou First Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway,Gantang-Wuwei Railway Passenger Wuwei E. Railway Station (High Speed Railway) Liangzhou Second Lanzhou-Zhangye High Speed Railway Passenger Gulang Railway Station Gulang Fourth Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Passenger Gulang N. Railway Station (High Speed Railway) Gulang - Lanzhou-Zhangye High Speed Railway Passenger Tianzhu Railway Station Tianzhu Third Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Passenger Tianzhu W. Railway Station (High Speed Railway) Tianzhu - Lanzhou-Zhangye High Speed Railway Passenger

Highway

Category	English Name Chinese Name	Code	Service Level
National Freeway	Lianhuo Freeway 连霍高速		In Service
	Wujin Freeway 武金高速		In Service
	Dingwu Freeway 定武高速		In Service
Province Freeway	Wuwei 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 Highway	G312 National Highway G312 国道	G312	In Service
	Manda Highway G569 曼大公路	G569	Under Construction
	Dingwu Highway G667 武定公路	G667	In Service

Footnotes

1. 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.
2. Silk Road, North China, C Michael Hogan, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A Burnham
3. Zhang Yiping (2005). Story of the Silk Road. China Intercontinental Press. ISBN 978-7-5085-0832-0.
4. Juhl, Susanne (1998). "Burial Sites in Hexi". In Atabaki, Touraj; O'Kane, John (eds.). Post-Soviet Central Asia. Tauris Academic Studies. pp. 370–371.
5. Hill (2015), p. 45.
6. Chih-i Chou, William Thornton Dean, Phanerozoic Geology of Northwest China, 1996, 316 pages ISBN 90-6764-228-2
7. 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
8. "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
9. 武威 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
10. Eschmeyer, W. N.; R., Fricke, eds. (3 December 2015). "Catalog of Fishes". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
11. "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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. "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.
19. "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.
20. "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.
21. "《甘肃发展年鉴2021》使用方法" [How to use Gansu Development Yearbook 2021]. tjj.gansu.gov.cn (in Chinese).
22. "武威市人民政府 统计年鉴". www.gswuwei.gov.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
23. "甘肃省统计年鉴".
24. "中国铁路12306网站". www.12306.cn. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
25. "铁路客户服务中心--". www.12306.cn. Archived from the original on 2021-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-01.

References

• Hill, John E. (2015) Through the Jade Gate to Rome - China to Rome. CreateSpace, Charleston, South Carolina. ISBN 978-1500696702.

External links

• 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