Jiuquan, formerly known as Suzhou[''Suzhou(肃州)'' is different from ''Suzhou(苏州)''.] is a prefecture-level city in the northwesternmost part of Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It is more than wide from east to west, occupying , although its built-up area is mostly located in its Suzhou District.
Name
The city was formerly known as
Fulu, which became known as
Suzhou (
Suchow,
Su-chow, &c.) after it became the seat of Su Prefecture under the
Sui dynasty.
[ 485.] As the seat of Jiuquan Commandery, it eventually became known by that name in turn. The name Jiuquan —"wine spring(s)" — derives from a
Chinese legend of the young
Han dynasty general
Huo Qubing, who was said to have poured a vat of precious wine into a local creek to share its taste with his troops after a victory over the
Xiongnu nomads.
[
]
History
Fulu was founded in 111 BC as an outpost in the Hexi Corridor near the Yumen Pass along the overland Silk Road. Jiuquan was a Han prefecture and, under the Eastern Han, an active military garrison.[Hill (2009), pp. 124, 126.] Su Prefecture was established under the Sui dynasty and renamed Jiuquan Commandery under the Tang dynasty.
Under the Ming dynasty, Suzhou was the site where the Portuguese Jesuit missionary Bento de Góis was robbed and died in 1607[Winchester (2008), p. 264.] during the exploration that finally established that Cathay and China were a single country. Meng Qiaofang took it from Ding Guodong in 1649. The Hui people under Ma Wenlu held it during the Dungan Revolt. It was completely destroyed by the time it was recovered by the Qing dynasty general Zuo Zongtang in 1873 but it was swiftly rebuilt.
Administrative divisions
Jiuquan is made up of one district, two counties, two autonomous counties and two country-level cities.
|
|
|
| Suzhou District | | Sùzhōu Qū | 428,346 | 3,353 | 127.8 |
| Yumen City | | Yùmén Shì | 159,792 | 13,310 | 12.01 |
| Dunhuang | | Dūnhuáng Shì | 186,027 | 26,720 | 6.96 |
| Jinta County | | Jīntǎ Xiàn | 147,460 | 16,250 | 9.07 |
| Guazhou County | | Guāzhōu Xiàn | 148,798 | 23,570 | 6.31 |
| Subei Mongol Autonomous County |
| Sùběi Měnggǔzú
Zìzhìxiàn | 14,979 | 55,370 | 0.27 |
| Aksai Kazakh Autonomous County |
| Ākèsài Hāsàkèzú
Zìzhìxiàn | 10,545 | 29,110 | 0.36 |
Geography and Climate
Jiuquan occupies the westernmost part of Gansu, bordering Zhangye City to the east, Qinghai to the south, Xinjiang to the west, Ejin Banner, Alxa League of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia to the north. Its administrative area ranges in latitude from 37° 58' to 42° 48' N and in longitude from 92° 09' to 100° 20' E, and reaches a maximal north–south extent of and maximal east–west width of . Suzhou District is approximately above sea level.
Jiuquan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), with long, cold winters, and hot, somewhat dry summers. Monthly average temperatures range from in January to in July, with an annual mean of . The diurnal temperature variation is relatively large, averaging annually. With sunny weather and low humidity dominating year-round, the area hosts one of the launch sites for the PRC's space programme. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 62% in July to 77% in October, the city receives 3,031 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Transport
Jiuquan is served by China National Highway 312 and the Lanzhou-Xinjiang (Lanxin) Railway. The Lanxin Railway has several side branches within Jiuquan Prefecture. In particular, a railway branch runs from the Liugou Station in Guazhou County to Dunhuang, serving both Guazhou county seat and Dunhuang. There are plans to expand it further south into Qinghai; the extension, known as the Golmud–Dunhuang Railway, will connect Dunhuang to Golmud, Qinghai on the Qinghai–Tibet railway.
Jiuquan is also served by Jiuquan Airport. There is also Dunhuang Airport in Dunhuang.
Space launch center
Jiuquan is the closest major city to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Still, the space launch center is more than away from the city, and is actually located not in Gansu province, but in the neighboring Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was built in 1958; the first Chinese human spaceflight, Shenzhou 5 was launched there on 15 October 2003, making Yang Liwei China's first astronaut and a national hero.[Winchester (2008), 264.] The second was in 2005.
Culture
Jiuquan is known within China as the first site of rhubarb cultivation.[
]
See also
Notes
-
Hill, John E. (2009) Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. .
-
Winchester, Simon (2008). The Man Who Loved China. HarperCollins, New York. .
External links
