Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture
Encyclopedia
Linxia Hui
Autonomous Prefecture is in Western China
's Gansu
Province, south of the capital, Lanzhou
. It is an autonomous prefecture for the Muslim
Hui people
, a large Chinese ethnic group. It also includes two autonomous counties for other Muslim groups, namely Dongxiang
, Salar, and Bonan
.
, and borders Qinghai
Province in the west,
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
in the south, and the Dingxi
prefecture-level city
in the east.
The terrain is highlands, mountains, and loess
hills. Elevation averages 2000 meters above sea-level.
The Yellow River
, which gets its muddy yellow color from the loess, runs through the northwestern part of the prefecture. Dammed at Liujiaxia
(Yongjing County), it forms the large Liujiaxia Reservoir
in the north-central part of the county. There is also a smaller Yanguoxia Dam (盐锅峡 水电站 Yán-guō-xiá shuǐ-diàn-zhàn) further downstream, also within Yongjing County.
The Yellow River's main tributaries within the prefecture are the Daxia River
and the Tao River
. They flow from the neighboring Gannan Prefecture
, and fall into the Liujiaxia Reservoir from the southeast. The Tao River also serves as the border with the Dingxi
prefecture-level city
over some of its length.
The year's average temperature is 8°C and there are only 155 frost-free days a year. The area is semi-arid
with annual precipitation of only 442 mm. Total area is 8,169 km².
, Dongxiang
, and Salar, in modern terms) rebels on one side and the Han Chinese
militias and, later, government troops, on the other side. From 1862 to 1872, Hezhou City (today's Linxia City) was the stronghold of the Muslim (mostly Hui) rebels led by the Khufiyya imam Ma Zhan'ao
and his associates Ma Haiyan
and Ma Qianling
.
The Han Chinese's resistance to the rebellion throughout the northern and eastern parts of the then Hezhou Prefecture (today's Yongjing County and Dongxiang County
of Linxia Prefecture, and Lintao County
of Dingxi
City)
was headed by the Kong family, one of whose main home villages was Dachuan in today's Yongjing County (within 6 km from the county seat, Liujiaxia Town). The conflict was further complicated by the fact that some members of the Kong clan had, in fact, intermarried with the Hui people.
Large number of people lost their lives on both sides of the conflict, in particular during the rebels' attacks on Kong clan's villages around Dachuan 1864.
After the Qing
general Zuo Zongtang
had finally destroyed the rebels farther east, in Shaanxi
and Ningxia
, he tried to take Hezhou in the late 1872, but his troops were badly defeated by Ma Zhan'ao's Muslim fighters at the battle of Taizi Mosque,
and he failed to make a foothold west of the Tao River
(which today more or less forms the border between Dingxi
and Linxia Prefectures). Ma Zhan'ao, however, realized that he could not hold against the Qing armies forever, and made a deal with Zuo Zongtang: he surrendered Hezhou to the government forces, executed those locals who objected to the surrender, and joined the government side himself, to fight against the rebels farther west. In exchange, Zuo Zontang did not disperse the local Muslim community, forcible relocating the survivors to a remote region, but, in a unique gesture during that war, acted to reduce the inter-communal tension by relocating some of the local Han people away from the Muslims. Nonetheless, in order to ensure the government's control over the region, since 1873 Muslims were prohibited to live within the city walls of Hezhou.
Linxia (Hezhou) was often wracked by these frequent rebellions. The entire southern suburbs of the city (ba fang) "eight blocks" was ruined in 1928 by savage fighting between the muslims and Guominjun forces during the Muslim Conflict in Gansu (1927–1930).
Well known muslim individuals in Hezhou in the 1940s included La Shih-Chun, who was part of the Gansu Provincial Government Committee, and Ma Chuanyuan, the supermagistrate of five districts.
, the Communist government announced a large-scale program of hydroelectric dam construction on the Yellow River
. Two of them were constructed in Linxia Prefecture's Yongjing County: the 57-meter high Yanguoxia Dam (1958-1961) and the 147-meter high Liujiaxia Dam
(1958-1969). One more - the 33-meter high Bapanxia Dam (1968-1975) - although located in Lanzhou's Xigu District
, had much of its reservoir within Yongjing County as well. The dams contributed greatly to the national economy - Liujiaxia Hydro Power Station remained the country's largest until the 1980s - but the reservoirs they created in narrow, but fertile valleys of the Yellow River and its tributaries displaced a large number of local farmers. The three reservoirs flooded 118,229 (7,881 hectares) of farmland and displaced 43,829 residents, primarily in Yongjing County. The compensation payments to the farmers affected by the Yanguoxia and Liujiaxia Dams averaged, supposedly, 250 yuan and 364 yuan per person, were grossly insufficient to allow them to reestablish their way of life. It is said that the residents received lower compensation amount than they could otherwise because in 1958, when the Yanguoxia project started, they understated the value of their assets, as they were afraid to be classified as "rich peasants", i.e. class enemies.
Even the more generous payments (averaging 1,100 per person) to those affected by the Bapanxia Dam were not an adequate substitute for the loss of the farmland.
that are still made there today.
, 5 counties and 2 autonomous counties:
, Tibetans
, Salar, Bao'an
, Dongxiang
and others,and their population is up to 50,64%.Altogether there are 16 minority ethnic groups with a population of 1,700,000; 56% of the total population of Linxia.
crosses the prefecture from Lanzhou
border in the north to the Gannan border in the south, via Liujiaxia Town (Yongjing County seat), Dongxiang County seat, and Linxia City. There is now a shortcut between Liujiaxia Town and Linxia City, bypassing Dongxiang County and crossing the Liujiaxia Reservoir
on a ferry instead.
A number of provincial roads connect all other county seats of the prefecture with Linxia City as well.
The eastern part of the prefecture is connected with Lanzhou via the Lanhai expressway (G75), which, however, runs not within the prefecture itself, but within the Dingxia prefecture-level city, just on the other side of the prefecture border.
The railway transport in the prefecture is limited to a short branch line in its very north, connecting the industrial Liujiaxia Town with the Lanzhou-Xining mainline
(which runs along the northern border of the prefecture, but mostly on the Lanzhou prefecture side of it).
and Yanguoxia Dam on the Yellow River
), and tourism are all important industries. The prefecture's capital, Linxia City (formerly known as Hezhou), is the center of trade, transport, and industry for the area directly south of Lanzhou.
, and a smaller one at Yanguoxia Dam further downstream.
Yongjing's Liujiaxia wharf (near Liujiaxia Dam) is also the starting point to trips to the Bingling Temple
's ancient Buddhist cave grottoes.
Dinosaur fossils and footprints have been discovered in the dry rugged Badland
-esque terrain, resulting in the creation of Liujiaxia National Dinosaur Geopark (刘家峡恐龙国家地质公元) in the northern part of Yongjing County (between Liujiaxia and Yanguoxia) in 2001.
The local traditional folk sing huaer is called the soul of northwest or the encyclopedia of northwest(it is usually refer to five provinces in northwesten China)
There are numerous mosques and temples throughout the rest of Linxia. Beautiful mountain scenery can be found at Taizi Mountain Nature Reserve, which stretches along the prefecture's southern border.
In 2002 these sites and others drew 400,000 tourists, up 20%, who added a total 110,000,000 RMB, up 50%, to the local economy.
Linxia is also a stop on trips from Lanzhou to towns in the Tibet
an parts of southern Gansu including the famed Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
from a local smelter.
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
Autonomous Prefecture is in Western China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Province, south of the capital, Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
. It is an autonomous prefecture for the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Hui people
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
, a large Chinese ethnic group. It also includes two autonomous counties for other Muslim groups, namely Dongxiang
Dongxiang
Dongxiang may refer to:*China Dongxiang, a sportswear company in China*Dongxiang language, a Mongolic language*Dongxiang people, an ethnic group of China who speak the Dongxiang language*Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu, China...
, Salar, and Bonan
Bonan
The Bonan people are an ethnic group living in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwestern China...
.
Geography and climate
Linxia Prefecture is located in southwestern central Gansu. It is just south of LanzhouLanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
, and borders Qinghai
Qinghai
Qinghai ; Oirat Mongolian: ; ; Salar:) is a province of the People's Republic of China, named after Qinghai Lake...
Province in the west,
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China. It includes Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery, Luqu, Maqu, and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages...
in the south, and the Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
in the east.
The terrain is highlands, mountains, and loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
hills. Elevation averages 2000 meters above sea-level.
The Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
, which gets its muddy yellow color from the loess, runs through the northwestern part of the prefecture. Dammed at Liujiaxia
Liujiaxia Dam
The Liujiaxia Dam is a major hydroelectric dam on the upper Yellow River, in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of China's Gansu Province. The dam and its hydroelectric facility are located in Liujia Gorge, or Liujiaxia , just downstream from the fall of the Tao River into the Yellow River...
(Yongjing County), it forms the large Liujiaxia Reservoir
Liujiaxia Reservoir
The Liujiaxia Reservoir is a reservoir in China's Gansu Province, formed by the Liujiaxia Dam on the Yellow River. It occupies over , and is located entirely within Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, between Yongjing County , Dongxiang Autonomous County , Linxia County The Liujiaxia Reservoir is a...
in the north-central part of the county. There is also a smaller Yanguoxia Dam (盐锅峡 水电站 Yán-guō-xiá shuǐ-diàn-zhàn) further downstream, also within Yongjing County.
The Yellow River's main tributaries within the prefecture are the Daxia River
Daxia River
The Daxia River is a tributary of the Yellow River in southern Gansu Province in China's far west.The Daxia River starts in the northern part of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where its drainage basin covers large parts of Hezuo County-level City and Xiahe County...
and the Tao River
Tao River
Tao River is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains near the Gansu-Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and Gannan and Linxia...
. They flow from the neighboring Gannan Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southern Gansu Province, China. It includes Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery, Luqu, Maqu, and other mostly Tibetan towns and villages...
, and fall into the Liujiaxia Reservoir from the southeast. The Tao River also serves as the border with the Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
over some of its length.
The year's average temperature is 8°C and there are only 155 frost-free days a year. The area is semi-arid
Semi-arid
A semi-arid climate or steppe climate describes climatic regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not extremely...
with annual precipitation of only 442 mm. Total area is 8,169 km².
History and culture
In the past, Linxia City was called Hezhou, and the surrounding area was known as Hezhou Prefecture.The Hui Minorities War
During the Hui Minorities' War in the 1860s Hezhou Prefecture was a scene of fierce fighting between the Muslim (HuiHui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
, Dongxiang
Dongxiang
Dongxiang may refer to:*China Dongxiang, a sportswear company in China*Dongxiang language, a Mongolic language*Dongxiang people, an ethnic group of China who speak the Dongxiang language*Dongxiang Autonomous County in Gansu, China...
, and Salar, in modern terms) rebels on one side and the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
militias and, later, government troops, on the other side. From 1862 to 1872, Hezhou City (today's Linxia City) was the stronghold of the Muslim (mostly Hui) rebels led by the Khufiyya imam Ma Zhan'ao
Ma Zhan'ao
Ma Zhan’ao was a Chinese Muslim General who defected to the Qing Dynasty in 1872 during the Dungan revolt along with his General Ma Qianling and General Ma Haiyan who served under him during the revolt. He first sent Ma Chun to negotiate a surrender with General Zuo, but Zuo suspected a ruse. Ma...
and his associates Ma Haiyan
Ma Haiyan
Ma Haiyan was a muslim General of the Qing Dynasty. Originally a Salar rebel, he defected to Qing government during the Dungan revolt and helped crush revolt Dungans.He was the father of Ma Qi and Ma Lin...
and Ma Qianling
Ma Qianling
Ma Qianling was a Dongxiang Muslim General who defected to the Qing Dynasty in 1872 during the Dungan revolt along with his superior General Ma Zhanao and General Ma Haiyan. He then assisted General Zuo Zongtang in crushing the rebel Muslims. His trading activities were a success...
.
The Han Chinese's resistance to the rebellion throughout the northern and eastern parts of the then Hezhou Prefecture (today's Yongjing County and Dongxiang County
Dongxiang Autonomous County
Dongxiang Autonomous County is an Autonomous County in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, province of Gansu of the People's Republic of China. With ethnic minority of the Dongxiang.- Tangwangchuan :...
of Linxia Prefecture, and Lintao County
Lintao County
Lintao County is administratively under the control of Dingxi, Gansu province. In ancient times, Lintao was centered around present day Min County.-Geography:...
of Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
City)
was headed by the Kong family, one of whose main home villages was Dachuan in today's Yongjing County (within 6 km from the county seat, Liujiaxia Town). The conflict was further complicated by the fact that some members of the Kong clan had, in fact, intermarried with the Hui people.
Large number of people lost their lives on both sides of the conflict, in particular during the rebels' attacks on Kong clan's villages around Dachuan 1864.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
general Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang
Zuo Zongtang , spelled Tso Tsung-t'ang in Wade-Giles and known simply as General Tso in the West, was a Chinese statesman and military leader in the late Qing Dynasty....
had finally destroyed the rebels farther east, in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
, he tried to take Hezhou in the late 1872, but his troops were badly defeated by Ma Zhan'ao's Muslim fighters at the battle of Taizi Mosque,
and he failed to make a foothold west of the Tao River
Tao River
Tao River is a right tributary of China's Yellow River. It starts in Xiqing Mountains near the Gansu-Qinghai border, flows eastward across Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and then northward more or less along the border between Dingxi Prefecture-level City in the east and Gannan and Linxia...
(which today more or less forms the border between Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
and Linxia Prefectures). Ma Zhan'ao, however, realized that he could not hold against the Qing armies forever, and made a deal with Zuo Zongtang: he surrendered Hezhou to the government forces, executed those locals who objected to the surrender, and joined the government side himself, to fight against the rebels farther west. In exchange, Zuo Zontang did not disperse the local Muslim community, forcible relocating the survivors to a remote region, but, in a unique gesture during that war, acted to reduce the inter-communal tension by relocating some of the local Han people away from the Muslims. Nonetheless, in order to ensure the government's control over the region, since 1873 Muslims were prohibited to live within the city walls of Hezhou.
Linxia (Hezhou) was often wracked by these frequent rebellions. The entire southern suburbs of the city (ba fang) "eight blocks" was ruined in 1928 by savage fighting between the muslims and Guominjun forces during the Muslim Conflict in Gansu (1927–1930).
Well known muslim individuals in Hezhou in the 1940s included La Shih-Chun, who was part of the Gansu Provincial Government Committee, and Ma Chuanyuan, the supermagistrate of five districts.
The hydro dams
In 1955, just a few years after the creation of the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, the Communist government announced a large-scale program of hydroelectric dam construction on the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
. Two of them were constructed in Linxia Prefecture's Yongjing County: the 57-meter high Yanguoxia Dam (1958-1961) and the 147-meter high Liujiaxia Dam
Liujiaxia Dam
The Liujiaxia Dam is a major hydroelectric dam on the upper Yellow River, in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of China's Gansu Province. The dam and its hydroelectric facility are located in Liujia Gorge, or Liujiaxia , just downstream from the fall of the Tao River into the Yellow River...
(1958-1969). One more - the 33-meter high Bapanxia Dam (1968-1975) - although located in Lanzhou's Xigu District
Xigu District
The Xigu District is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 17 districts of Gansu. It is part of the Lanzhou prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefecture seat.-Economy:...
, had much of its reservoir within Yongjing County as well. The dams contributed greatly to the national economy - Liujiaxia Hydro Power Station remained the country's largest until the 1980s - but the reservoirs they created in narrow, but fertile valleys of the Yellow River and its tributaries displaced a large number of local farmers. The three reservoirs flooded 118,229 (7,881 hectares) of farmland and displaced 43,829 residents, primarily in Yongjing County. The compensation payments to the farmers affected by the Yanguoxia and Liujiaxia Dams averaged, supposedly, 250 yuan and 364 yuan per person, were grossly insufficient to allow them to reestablish their way of life. It is said that the residents received lower compensation amount than they could otherwise because in 1958, when the Yanguoxia project started, they understated the value of their assets, as they were afraid to be classified as "rich peasants", i.e. class enemies.
Even the more generous payments (averaging 1,100 per person) to those affected by the Bapanxia Dam were not an adequate substitute for the loss of the farmland.
Traditional local products
Linxia is famous for a certain style of round glasses worn during the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
that are still made there today.
Administration
The prefecture is subdivided into 8 county-level divisions: 1 county-level cityCounty-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
, 5 counties and 2 autonomous counties:
| Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010) |
Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| 1 | Linxia | 临夏市 | Línxià Shì | 274,466 | 88 | 3,189 |
| 2 | Linxia County | 临夏县 | Línxià Xiàn | 326,123 | 1,212 | 269 |
| 3 | Kangle County | 康乐县 | Kānglè Xiàn | 233,173 | 1,361 | 171 |
| 4 | Yongjing County | 永靖县 | Yǒngjìng Xiàn | 180,161 | 1,863 | 97 |
| 5 | Guanghe County | 广河县 | Guǎnghé Xiàn | 227,466 | 556 | 409 |
| 6 | Hezheng County | 和政县 | Hézhèng Xiàn | 185,083 | 960 | 193 |
| 7 | Dongxiang Autonomous County Dongxiang Autonomous County Dongxiang Autonomous County is an Autonomous County in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, province of Gansu of the People's Republic of China. With ethnic minority of the Dongxiang.- Tangwangchuan :... |
东乡族自治县 | Dōngxiāngzú Zìzhìxiàn | 284,507 | 1,467 | 194 |
| 8 | Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County Jishishan Bonan, Dongxiang and Salar Autonomous County is a Autonomous County in the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, province of Gansu of the People's Republic of China.... |
积石山保安族 东乡族撒拉族自治县 |
Jīshíshān Bǎo'ānzú Dōngxiāngzú Sālāzú Zìzhìxiàn |
235,698 | 910 | 259 |
Demographics
2008 population was 2 million people. Average population density is 233 per km². Ethnic minority groups include HuiHui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
, Tibetans
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
, Salar, Bao'an
Bonan
The Bonan people are an ethnic group living in Gansu and Qinghai provinces in northwestern China...
, Dongxiang
Dongxiang people
The Dongxiang people are one of 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China...
and others,and their population is up to 50,64%.Altogether there are 16 minority ethnic groups with a population of 1,700,000; 56% of the total population of Linxia.
Transport
China National Highway 213China National Highway 213
China National Highway 213 runs from Lanzhou in Gansu to Mohan in Yunnan. It is 2827 kilometres in length and runs via Chengdu, Sichuan and Kunming, Yunnan.-Route and distance:...
crosses the prefecture from Lanzhou
Lanzhou
Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. A prefecture-level city, it is a key regional transportation hub, allowing areas further west to maintain railroad connections to the eastern half of the country....
border in the north to the Gannan border in the south, via Liujiaxia Town (Yongjing County seat), Dongxiang County seat, and Linxia City. There is now a shortcut between Liujiaxia Town and Linxia City, bypassing Dongxiang County and crossing the Liujiaxia Reservoir
Liujiaxia Reservoir
The Liujiaxia Reservoir is a reservoir in China's Gansu Province, formed by the Liujiaxia Dam on the Yellow River. It occupies over , and is located entirely within Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, between Yongjing County , Dongxiang Autonomous County , Linxia County The Liujiaxia Reservoir is a...
on a ferry instead.
A number of provincial roads connect all other county seats of the prefecture with Linxia City as well.
The eastern part of the prefecture is connected with Lanzhou via the Lanhai expressway (G75), which, however, runs not within the prefecture itself, but within the Dingxia prefecture-level city, just on the other side of the prefecture border.
The railway transport in the prefecture is limited to a short branch line in its very north, connecting the industrial Liujiaxia Town with the Lanzhou-Xining mainline
Lanqing railway
Lanqing railway was built as the first step of an ambitious plan set by the People's Republic of China to connect Tibet with the rest of China by railway. LanQing railway, designed in 1956 and built from May 1958 to September 1959, runs 188 Kilometers long, connecting Lanzhou, the capital city of...
(which runs along the northern border of the prefecture, but mostly on the Lanzhou prefecture side of it).
Economy
Linxia's 2002 GDP was 3.3 billion RMB, which was 10.7% growth over the previous year. The per capita GDP was 1,778RMB, which was 9.9% growth over the previous year. Agriculture, manufacturing, building materials, finance, hydropower (Liujiaxia DamLiujiaxia Dam
The Liujiaxia Dam is a major hydroelectric dam on the upper Yellow River, in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of China's Gansu Province. The dam and its hydroelectric facility are located in Liujia Gorge, or Liujiaxia , just downstream from the fall of the Tao River into the Yellow River...
and Yanguoxia Dam on the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
), and tourism are all important industries. The prefecture's capital, Linxia City (formerly known as Hezhou), is the center of trade, transport, and industry for the area directly south of Lanzhou.
Tourism
Linxia is blessed with both natural and cultural wonders. The Yellow River runs through the north of the prefecture, forming a larger reservoir at Yongjing's Liujiaxia DamLiujiaxia Dam
The Liujiaxia Dam is a major hydroelectric dam on the upper Yellow River, in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture of China's Gansu Province. The dam and its hydroelectric facility are located in Liujia Gorge, or Liujiaxia , just downstream from the fall of the Tao River into the Yellow River...
, and a smaller one at Yanguoxia Dam further downstream.
Yongjing's Liujiaxia wharf (near Liujiaxia Dam) is also the starting point to trips to the Bingling Temple
Bingling Temple
The Bingling Temple is a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River. It lies just north of where the Yellow River empties into the Liujiaxia Reservoir...
's ancient Buddhist cave grottoes.
Dinosaur fossils and footprints have been discovered in the dry rugged Badland
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
-esque terrain, resulting in the creation of Liujiaxia National Dinosaur Geopark (刘家峡恐龙国家地质公元) in the northern part of Yongjing County (between Liujiaxia and Yanguoxia) in 2001.
The local traditional folk sing huaer is called the soul of northwest or the encyclopedia of northwest(it is usually refer to five provinces in northwesten China)
There are numerous mosques and temples throughout the rest of Linxia. Beautiful mountain scenery can be found at Taizi Mountain Nature Reserve, which stretches along the prefecture's southern border.
In 2002 these sites and others drew 400,000 tourists, up 20%, who added a total 110,000,000 RMB, up 50%, to the local economy.
Linxia is also a stop on trips from Lanzhou to towns in the Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an parts of southern Gansu including the famed Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
News
On September 6, 2006 it was reported that 879 or more villagers from the Xinsi and Maba villages had been poisoned by leadLead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
from a local smelter.
External links
- Official website (ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
)