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Location: situated in the central part of Gansu province,
on the east end of Hexi Corridor, between north latitude 37 23'
- 38 12' and east longitude 101 59' - 103 23'
Neighboring Areas: Qinghai province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous
Region
Physical Features: higher south and lower north; sloping from southwest
to northeast; leaning on Qilian Mountain in the south and bordering
the Tengger Desert in the north; the juncture of Qinghai-Tibetan
Plateau, Loess Plateau and Mongolia-Xinjiang Plateau
Population: 1.93 million
Urban Population: 509,600
Area: 33,000 sq km
Nationalities: Han, Hui, Mongolia and Tujia
History: Wuwei has very long history since there were people living
here 5000 years ago. Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty (206B.C.-220A.D.)
sent General Huo Qubing (140-117B.C.) to attack the Hexi Corridor
in 121B.C. After successfully defeating the Huns and seizing the
territory by Qilian Mountain, Emperor Wu named Wuwei as a city's
name in order to cite the heroic exploits and great contribution
of General Huo. During the period of Three Kingdoms, Wu Kingdom
set its government here, later, the Former Liang (317--376 A.D.),
the Later I.iang (386--403 A.D.), the Southern Liang (397--414 A.D.)
and the Northern Liang (401--439 A.D.) and some other dynasties
all had their capitals here, therefore, the town of Wuwei got another
name "Liangzhou".
Climatic Features: temperate, semiarid climate; frost free period
of 85-165 days
Average Temperature: 7.7C annually, January is the coldest, with
the average temperature of -8.7C, July is the hottest, with the
average temperature of 21.9C
Rainfall: annual precipitation 158mm
Mountains: Mt. Qilian
Rivers: Shiyang River and its branches
Products: honeydew melon, wine, vinegar, flour
Local Highlights: the Han Tomb of Leitai, Tiantishan Grottoes,
Confucian Temple, White Pagoda Temple.
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