'Lanzhou' (;
Postal map spelling: Lanchow) is the
capital of and a
prefecture-level city in the
Gansu province,
China.
History
Early settlement in this region could be dated to the
Han Dynasty and has a history of over 2,000 years. The city used to be called the 'Golden City', when it was a major stop on the ancient
Silk Road. To protect the city, the
Great Wall of China was extended as far as
Yumen.
After the fall of the
Han Dynasty, Lanzhou became the capital of a succession of tribal states. Mixed with different cultural heritages, the area at present-day
Gansu province, from the
5th to the
11th century, became a center for
Buddhist study.
The city acquired its current name in
1656, during
Qing Dynasty.
The city is the seat of a currently vacant
Roman Catholic diocese[1] and was previously the center of the
vicairite apostolic of northern
Gansu.
[2]
City of Lanzhou
The Yellow River seen from the park of the White Pagoda.
Geography
★
Area: 14,620 km²
★
Elevation: 1600 m above sea level
★
China's geographic center
★ More than 20 km along urban
corridor along the southern banks of the
Yellow River.
★ Zonary basin
★ Location of
mountains, located on the south and north sides of the city:
★
★
Qilian Ranges, Mt. Pingliang and
Mt. Kongtong (the most famous in
Taoism)
★
Rivers:
★
★ The
Yellow River flows through from west to east.
Climate and Pollution
The semi-dry
climate is in the
temperate zone.
Lanzhou is said to be one of the most polluted cities in China, if not around the world. The air quality is so poor that at times one can not see Lanshan, the mountain rising straight up along the south side of the city. The city is located in a narrow river valley with an unfortunate curve causing it to be hemmed in with no free air flow. Lanzhou is also the home of many factories including petroleum processing, and suffers from large dust storms kicked up from the Gobi Desert, especially in the winter and spring.
Economy
Photo taken from Gansu Museum window
The GDP per capita was 15051 yuan (RMB) (''ca.'' US$1820) in 2003, ranked no. 134 among 659 Chinese cities.
Natural resources
★
Minerals:
coal,
gold,
silver,
zinc,
nickel,
manganese,
clay, and
dolomite
★
waterpower
Industry
Gansu has one of the largest
oil refineries in the country and is the center of China's
atomic energy industry.
★ Main Industries:
textile mills,
rubber,
fertilizer plants,
oil refinery,
petrochemical,
machinery, and
metallurgical industry.
Agriculture
★
spring wheat,
vegetables,
beans,
oil-boiling,
melon,
peaches, and
tobacco
★
roses and
lilies
Transportation
Lanzhou is a rail, highway, and air hub and the
junction point to
Xinjiang in
NW China.
★
Airways: Flights from Lanzhou fly to more than 20 cities around the country.
★
Railroad: Lanzhou is linked by rail to
Beijing,
Shanghai,
Ürümqi and
Baotou.
★
Highways: on the highway to Tibet.
★
Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway: only railway leading into
Xinjiang
''See also'':
Trolleybus.
Satellite image of Lanzhou
Places of interest
★
Bingling Temple,
Yongjing
★ Gansu Provincial Museum
★ Wuquan Mountain
★ Baita Mountain
★ Xinglong Mountain
★ Lutusi ancient government
Media
Lanzhou Radio serves the
Lhasa and
Lanzhou province regions with music, and news.
Culture
★
Chinese drama/Chinese opera:
Qinqiang Drama
★
Cuisine: Lanzhou beef
lamian noodles
Sister cities
Lanzhou is a
sister city of:
★
Albuquerque,
United States
★
Christchurch,
New Zealand
Colleges and universities
National level
★
Lanzhou University (兰州大学), founded
1909
Other public institutions
★
Northwest Normal University (西北师范大学), founded
1902
★
Lanzhou University of Technology (兰州理工大学), founded
1919
★
Lanzhou Jiaotong University (兰州交通大学), founded
1958
★
Gansu Agricultural University (甘肃农业大学), founded
1958
★
Lanzhou Medical College (兰州医学院)
★
Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (甘肃中医学院)
★
Lanzhou Commercial College (兰州商学院)
★
Gansu Political Science and Law Institute (甘肃政法学院)
''Note: Institutions without full-time
bachelor's degree programs are not listed.''
References
1. [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dlnch.html Archdiocese of Lanchow Lanzhou from catholic-hierarchy.org
2. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08602c.htm - Catholic Encyclopedia article
See also
★
Dunhuang
★
White Pagoda Hill
External links
★
Google search for Lanzhou
★
Photos of the city
★
Official site, in simplified Chinese
★
Satellite picture by Google Maps
★
"Noodle Prices Rise, Along With Chinese Tempers"
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