Lanzhou

History

The foundation of the city dates from the Dynastie Han, there is more than two thousand years. The city was called the Town of gold at the time where it was on the Silk route. In order to protect Lanzhou, the Great wall of China was prolonged until Yumen.

After the fall of the Han dynasty, Lanzhou became the capital of a succession of tribal States. Crossroads of cultures, which is today the province of the Gansu was 5th century at the 11th century an important center of the Bouddhisme.

The current name of the city goes up with 1656, during the Dynastie Qing.

Geographical facts

Surface: 14.620 km ²
Altitude: 1600 m above the sea level.
geographical Center of the China.
Stretched on more than 20 km along the Yellow River.

Mounts Qilian, Mount Pingliang and the Mount Kongtong (the most famous mountain of mythology taoist)

River S:

the Yellow Fleuve crosses the town of west in east.

Climate and pollution

The Climat is moderated and sowing.

Lanzhou was regarded a long time as the most polluted city of China. The quality of the air is so bad that it is most of the time impossible to see the Lan Shan, the imposing mountain which dominates of almost thousand meters the city. Because the city is located in a basin and that many factories, in particular of oil refining, reject their toxic clouds in the atmosphere, the air does not circulate and constitutes a dangerous poison, particularly in spring. The embassy of the the United States in China officially disadvises with its citizens visiting Lanzhou in this season, because of large clouds of dust come from north fill up the atmosphere and make it noxious.

Demography

The ethnic independent groups are the Han, the Hui, the Tibetans, the Bonan, the Dongxiang, the Ouighours, and the Salar.

The population of the prefecture was estimated at: 3140000 inhabitants in 2004 , and that of the town of Lanzhou with: 1444377 inhabitants in 2007 .

Economy

The economic advancement of the city dates from the decision taken in 1953 by the central committee of the Chinese Communist party to make of it the first industrial center of the North-West of China. The city then saw settling varied industrial activities, like the Pétrochimie, the transformation of the non-ferrous metals, the manufacture of machines, the industry of the Laine, the Cuir and the Plastics, as well as universities. Since the Years 1960, Lanzhou shelters a factory of Uranium enrichment, initially used only for the military applications, then thereafter for the supply fuel of the civil nuclear plants.

In 2003, GDP per capita of the city was of 15 051 Yuan (RMB) (: 1820 US dollars), placing Lanzhou with the hundred thirty-fourth row of the 659 plus Chinese big cities.

Lanzhou is twinned with Albuquerque, in the State of the New Mexico, with the the United States.

Natural resources

Mineral: coal, Gold, money, Zinc, Nickel, Manganese, Clay and Dolomite
Hydro-electricity

Industry

The Gansu has one of the largest oil refineries of the country, and constitutes the center of the atomic industry of China.

Textile, rubber, Manure, oil refineries, Petrochemistry, Machinery S, and Metallurgy.

Agriculture

Corn, Vegetable S, Bean S, Oil, melon, fishing S, and pink Tobacco
S and Lily

Transport

Lanzhou is a railway and highway crossroads, and has an airport, which connects it, in particular, with the Xinjiang.

air Connections: flights of Lanzhou to more than twenty Chinese cities.
railway Connections: the train connects Lanzhou to Beijing, Shanghai, Ürümqi and Baotou. Lanzhou is on the only railway connecting the Xinjiang to the remainder of the country.
Highways: Towards the Tibet in the South.

Tourist sites

Temple Bingling, Yongjing
Mount Wuquan
Mount Baita
Mount Xinglong
Mount Lanshan
Old Government of Lutusi
Buddhist Caves of Binglingsi, to 70 km in south-west

Culture

Chinese Opera: Qinqiang
culinary Speciality: ox noodles of Lanzhou (flat Chinese Moslem)

Universities

University of Lanzhou (兰州大学), founded in 1909
normal University of the North-West (西北师范大学), founded in 1902
University of technology of Lanzhou (兰州理工大学), founded in 1919
University Jiaotong de Lanzhou (兰州交通大学), founded in 1958
agricultural University of Gansu (甘肃农业大学), founded in 1958
Medical college of Lanzhou (兰州医学院)
Chinese traditional Medical college of Gansu (甘肃中医学院)
Faculty of trade of Lanzhou (兰州商学院)
Institute of political sciences and legal of Gansu (甘肃政法学院)

Administrative divisions

The city-prefecture of Lanzhou exerts its jurisdiction on eight subdivisions - five districts and three counties :

the district of Chengguan - 城关区 Chéngguān Qū ;
the district of Qilihe - 七里河区 Qīlǐhé Qū ;
the district of Xigu - 西固区 Xīgù Qū ;
the district of Anning - 安宁区 Ānníng Qū ;
the district of Honggu - 红古区 Hónggǔ Qū ;
the county of Yongdeng - 永登县 Yǒngdēng Xiàn ;
the county of Gaolan - 皋兰县 Gāolán Xiàn ;
the county of Yuzhong - 榆中县 Yúzhōng Xiàn .

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