Wuwei is located in the middle part of
Gansu Province and the east part of Hexi Corridor. It is the place where Horse Riding Chebi (the logo of China tourism) unearthed. In 1986, it was named as China Historical and Culture City by the State Council and opened to the outside world. In 2005, Wuwei was reputed as China Excellent Tourism City. In 2012, it was honored as China Wine City.
Wuwei, originally named Liangzhou, once was the important communications hub of the Silk Road. It has a long history. In 121 BC, Huo Qubing, the General of Agile Cavalry of the Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, conquered Xiongnu at Hexi Corridor. Since Emperor Wu set up 4 counties along Hexi Corridor. Wuwei was the key transportation hub of the Silk Road. There are many historical relics and beautiful nature sceneries in Wuwei. As a important city for the communication of economy and culture between the central plains and the western regions, it once became the center of Northern Buddhism.
Geographic Position
Wuwei is situated at the middle par of Gansu Province and the east part of the Hexi Corridor. It is the east gate between the central plains and Hexi Corridor and Xinjiang. Located in north latitude 36 ° 29 '~ 39 ° 27', longitude 101 ° 49 '~ 104 ° 16', Wuwei borders Baiyin city and Lanzhou City at east, Qianlian Mountain and Qianghai Province at south, Zhangye and Jinchang City at west and Inner Mongolia at north. It is about 276 km away from Lanzhou City, 74 km away from Jinchang City. Wuwei’s territory is 326 km long from south to north and 204 km wide from west to east with an total area of 33238 square km.
Terrain and Climate
The terrain of south Wuwei is high, while the north is low, forming 3 terrain areas:
1.Qinlian Mountain Area at South: The area is over 9000 square kilometers with altitude between 2000m and 4872m. The mountain is covered with snow at all ages at the altitude above 4000 m. There are forest and grassland on the mountain. The annual precipitation is about 310 mm to 522 mm. The average annual temperature is below 0℃.
2. Middle Oasis Irrigated Area: the area is about 9000 square kilometers and belongs to temperate arid zone. It is windy in summer and winter and hot in summer. The temperature in summer is about 24.2℃ to 36℃, with big temperature difference between day and night. The sunshine time of a year is about 3000 hrs. The annual precipitation is around 102mm to 200mm, and evaporation capacity is above 2000mm.
3. Arid Area in Northern: this area is about 15,000 square kilometers. There is dry and short of water. The annual precipitation is about 53mm to 185 mm, and annual evaporative capacity is 3000 mm. The climate here: strong solar radiation, abundant sunlight, short and hot in summer, long and cold in winter, large temperature difference between day and night, less precipitation and big evaporation.
Population
According to the sixth nationwide population census in 2010, the permanent resident population in Wuwei was 18,150,542,010.
Administrative Division
| District and Counties |
Area |
Population |
Zip Code |
| Wewei City |
33249 |
1815054 |
733000 |
| Liangzhou District |
5081 |
1010295 |
733000 |
| Mingqin County |
16016 |
241251 |
733000 |
| Gulang County |
5287 |
388718 |
733100 |
| Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County |
6865 |
174790 |
733200 |
Tourism Resources
With long history, Wuwei has many historical and cultural relics: the Bronze Horse, Xixia Tablet, Tianti Mountain Grottoes, Wuwei Confucious' temple, Chanahai Monastery and so on.
It also has 1 National Nature Reserve, 2 AAAA National Scenic Spot, 3 provincial nature reserves, the largest desert reservoir in Asia.
