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
People began settling here about 5,000 years ago. In ancient historic times, Wuwei was called Guzang () or Liangzhou (—the name retained by today's Wuwei's central urban district) and found importance as the capital of various states at the eastern terminus of the Hexi Corridor. It was a key link for the Northern Silk Road,Silk Road, North China, C Michael Hogan, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A Burnham 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."Hill (2015), p. 45.
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, Western Xia mausoleums, Wuwei White Towers Temple (), the Tiantishan Caves, the Luoshi (Kumārajīva) Temple (), and the Wuwei Confucius Temple.
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 above sea-level. Its area is . Average annual temperature is . The climate is a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with precipitation between . Evaporation is from , 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 , 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.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.
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
Map Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population(2010) Area(km2) Density(/km2)Liangzhou DistrictLiángzhōu Qū1,010,2955,081207.29Minqin CountyMínqín Xiàn241,25116,01615.2Gulang CountyGǔlàng Xiàn388,7205,28778.13Tianzhu TibetanAutonomous CountyTiānzhù ZàngzúZìzhìxiàn174,7936,86525.71
Demographics
Population overview By 2020, the population reached 1,464,955 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/Liangzhou510,24128.18520,09433.90763,71946.38876,02052.48946,50651.52Minqin220,02212.15179,06111.67241,51014.67258,94715.51302,08516.45Gulang139,2387.69186,26712.14287,26917.44323,50719.38367,04819.98Tianzhu58,7313.24118,6257.73184,41011.20210,84512.63221,34712.05Jingtai65,5183.6293,8626.12169,85810.31Placed under Baiyin since 1985Yongchang125,5786.94174,22111.36Placed under Jinchang since 1981Yongdeng264,78714.62261,88017.07Placed under Lanzhou since 1970Zhangye254,90014.08Now as Ganzhou District, placed under Zhangye since 1955Minle106,6755.89Placed under Zhangye since 1955Shandan64,8983.58Placed under Zhangye since 1955Total1,810,5881,534,0101,646,7661,669,3191,836,923 Census6th Census(2010)7th Census(2020)County/DistrictPopulation%Population%Liangzhou174,7909.63885,27760.43Minqin1,010,29555.67178,47012.18Gulang241,25113.29250,17717.07Tianzhu388,71821.41151,03110.32Total1,815,0541,464,955
Urbanization and Gender Structure National CensusUrban PopulationMaleFemaleSex RatioTotalUrbanizationTotal%Total%5th370,00820.14%949,435#51.69%887,488#48.31%106.986th500,52827.56%933,48251.43%881,57248.57%105.897th688,69747.01%740,30650.53%724,64949.47%102.16Observation#No data, estimated based on the published sex ratio
Education Level National CensusUniversity Education (including associate degree)High School EducationSecondary EducationPrimary EducationilliteracyTotal%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 +The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age StructureNational Census7th6th5thAge Group(years)MaleFemaleMaleFemaleMaleFemale0-444,48540,26348,98139,04670,50448,4965-946,33940,51953,97441,208100,74384,29410-1447,44039,42973,28656,878109,253100,79315-1942,41833,60098,85286,98375,92472,15620-2431,30929,02881,60782,94950,14850,96725-2942,72242,67058,23858,22290,74090,36730-3450,03152,06650,72447,871107,026108,50235-3942,34742,62786,54386,54885,42786,07240-4439,74038,369100,781102,53552,81948,01245-4970,82174,01078,77981,64556,28251,90950-5483,14987,00748,77344,67442,42841,01255-5964,46467,02150,62748,15335,44033,26060-6438,39835,82135,97336,37930,84629,63365-6940,66840,44228,43628,21322,23922,43670-7426,79928,67020,11620,96010,76610,57775 or above29,17633,10717,79719,3088,4669,449 +Population Pyramid of WuweiThe following pictures are based on The 5th, 6th, and 7th National Census of Wuwei - Gender and Age Structure
No. of households National CensusNo. of HouseholdPopulationNo. of ppls/household5thNo DataNo Data3.956th467,0401,748,5883.747th529,1191,383,3972.61
Wuwei ethnic population and gender Source:
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 TibetanAutonomous County89,76259.4%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 District438,898431,712101.77,6207,047108.1Minqin County90,39486,395104.6915766119.5Gulang County123,481123,022100.41,7061,96886.7Tianzhu TibetanAutonomous County46,63843,124108.130,65430,615100.1Wuwei699,411684,253102.240,89540,396101.2
Birth rate, mortality rate, and natural growth rate in Wuwei Sources: 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 Rates200013.335.577.76Green Line: Birth Rate Red Line: Mortality Rate;
Grey Line: Natural Growth Rate200111.975.216.76↓2002**6.28↓2003**5.59↓2004**5.61↓2005**5.81↑2006**6.29↑2007**6.43↑2008**6.69↑2009**6.692010**5.36↓2011**5.28↓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 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 PicturesMajor Railway Stations in WuweiStationCounty/DistrictStation ClassRailwaysAvailable for Wuwei Railway StationLiangzhouSecondLanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, Gantang-Wuwei RailwayPassenger, Package, LuggageWuwei S. Railway StationLiangzhouFirstLanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, Gantang-Wuwei RailwayPassengerWuwei E. Railway Station (High Speed Railway)LiangzhouSecondLanzhou-Zhangye High Speed RailwayPassengerGulang Railway StationGulangFourthLanzhou-Xinjiang RailwayPassengerGulang N. Railway Station (High Speed Railway)Gulang-Lanzhou-Zhangye High Speed RailwayPassengerTianzhu Railway StationTianzhuThirdLanzhou-Xinjiang RailwayPassengerTianzhu W. Railway Station (High Speed Railway)Tianzhu-Lanzhou-Zhangye High Speed RailwayPassenger
Highways CategoryEnglish name Chinese NameCodeService LevelNational ExpresswaysLianhuo Expressway 连霍高速In ServiceWujin Expressway 武金高速In ServiceDingwu Expressway 定武高速In ServiceProvincial ExpresswaysWuwei Ring Expressway 武威绕城高速In ServiceBeixian Expressway 北仙高速In ServiceMinhong Expressway 民红高速In ServiceLeixi Expressway 雷西高速Under ConstructionNational HighwaysG312 National Highway G312 国道G312In ServiceManda Highway G569 曼大公路G569Under ConstructionDingwu Highway G667 武定公路G667In Service
Footnotes
References