Lanzhou, China

Location within China

Lanzhou (Simplified Chinese: 兰州; Traditional Chinese: 蘭州; pinyin: Lánzhōu; Wade-Giles: Lan-chou; sometimes seen as Lanchow, from Postal System Pinyin) is the capital of the Gansu province in China.

History

Early settlement in this region could be dated to 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 current name in 1656, during Qing Dynasty.

Geography

• Area: 14,620 sq km
• Elevation: 1600m above sea level
• China's geographic center
• More than 20km along urban corridor along the southern banks of the Yellow River.
• Character of zonary basin
• Mountains: the south and north
  • Qilian Ranges, Mt. Pingliang and Mt. Kongtong (the most famous in Taoism)
• Rivers:
  • The Yellow River flows through from east to west.

Climate and Pollution

The semi-dry climate is in the temperate zone.

Lanzhou was famously one of the most polluted cities in China. The air quality was so poor that at times one cannot see Lanshan, the mountain rising straight up along the south side of the city. The city is located in a river valley with an unfortunate curve causing it to be hemmed in with no free air flow. Lanzhou also is the home of far too many factories including petroleum processing, and suffers from storms of dust kicked up from the Gobi Desert, especially in the winter and spring. In the recent years, through the city's effort to protect environment, Lanzhou has withdrawn from the most polluted city list. The air quality is improving continuously.

Demographics

• Population: 3.2 million
• Urban Population: 1.2 million (2004- considered to be 2.5 million inside Lanzhou City)
• Ethnic groups: Han, Hui, Tibetan, Bonan, Dongxiang, Yugur, and Salar

Economy

The GDP per capita was 15051 yuan (RMB) (ca. US$1820) in 2003, ranked no. 134 among 659 Chinese cities.

Lanzhou is a sister city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States.

Natural resources

• Mineral: 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 remote Xinjiang in extreme NW China.

• Airways: The airplane here can take you to more than 20 cities all over the country.
• Railroad: Lanzhou is linked by rail to Beijing and to the Republic of Mongolia and Russia
• Highways: on the highway to Tibet.
  • Lan-Xin railway: only railway leading into Xinjiang

See also: Trolleybus.

Places of interest

(under construction)

• Wuquan Mountain
• Baita Mountain
• Xinglong Mountain
• Lutusi ancient government

Culture

• Chinese drama/Chinese opera: Qinqiang Drama
• Cuisine: Lanzhou beef noodles

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.