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Tianshui is a prefecture-level city in Gansu province, China, and is the province's second-largest city (behind the provincial capital Lanzhou). Located in the southeast of the province, the city strides along the upper reaches of the Wei River and at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and the Qinling. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,984,659 inhabitants, of which 1,212,791 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 2 urban districts of Qinzhou District and Maiji District. The city and its surroundings have played an important role in the early history of China, as still visible in the form of historic sites such as the Maijishan Grottoes.
Under the Qin Empire, the area was part of Longxi Commandery but the Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty separated the region as the Tianshui Commandery in 114 BC as part of his expansion towards the Tarim Basin. The general Li Guang came from the city. The Han conquests and explorations eventually resulted in the development of the Northern Silk Road: Tianshui formed its junction with the Wei River, after which it followed the road past Mount Long to Chang'an (present-day Xi'an).Hogan, C. Michael. The Megalithic Portal. " Silk Road, North China". Nearby are the Maijishan Grottoes, filled with thousands of Buddhist sculptures representing figures such as Gautama Buddha and the original male form of Guanyin, produced between the Northern Wei and Song Dynasty dynasties by monks travelling along the road and by local Buddhists.Shrotriya, Alok & al. " Artistic treasures of Maiji Mountain caves".
During the Northern Wei, the city was known as Hanyang and was the center of the Hanyang Commandery. During the Western Wei, this name was changed to Hanyang County. During the Tang dynasty and Five Dynasties, the city of Tianshui was known as Shanggui (上邽). It alternated with Chengji (present-day Qin'an) as the capital of the province of Qinzhou (秦州).Dudbridge, Glen. A Portrait of Five Dynasties China: From the Memoirs of Wang Renyu (880–956), pp. 8 ff. Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Accessed 14 Dec 2013. Li County was separated from Tianshui's jurisdiction during the ninth year of Chenghua era (AD 1473) during the Ming dynasty.
According to a legend, the name Tianshui () originates from a lake formed from heaven, which would remain the same size year round.
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| Qinzhou District | 秦州区 | Qínzhōu Qū | 650,000 | 2,442 | 266 | |
| Maiji District | 麦积区 | Màijī Qū | 580,000 | 3,452 | 188 | |
| Qingshui County | 清水县 | Qīngshuǐ Xiàn | 310,000 | 2,003 | 155 | |
| Qin'an County | 秦安县 | Qín'ān Xiàn | 600,000 | 1,601 | 375 | |
| Gangu County | 甘谷县 | Gāngǔ Xiàn | 600,000 | 1,572 | 382 | |
| Wushan County | 武山县 | Wǔshān Xiàn | 440,000 | 2,011 | 219 | |
| Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County | 张家川回族自治县 | Zhāngjiāchuān Huízú Zìzhìxiàn | 320,000 | 1,311 | 244 | |
It is also a major industrial centre in Gansu province, especially regarding electronics. Some major industries include:
A new high-speed railway station, Tianshui South railway station, opened in 2017.
The Tianshui–Longnan railway is currently under construction and will add a north–south link to the county.
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