Yining
Encyclopedia
Ghulja, officially Yining (Ĝulja) City ' onMouseout='HidePop("90982")' href="/topics/Kazakh_language">Kazakh
: قۇلجا; ; also spelled Ining), also called Ili or Yili (following pinyin
orthography), is a county-level city in western Xinjiang
Uighur Autonomous Region of northwestern China
, and the capital of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
. Historically, Yining is the succcessor to the ruined city of Almaliq
in Huocheng County
.
Kulja was also a name of the Ili
region in the past.
The land area and population of the City of Yining were smaller before 2004; the increase resulted from the transfer of two villages with some 100 km² (38.6 sq mi) of land from the adjacent Yining County
, which is a separate administrative unit from the City of Yining.
known as Almaligh. Another Mongolian
empire—the Zunghar Khanate
—established its capital in the area. In the 19th and early 20th century, the word Kuldja or Kulja was often used in Russia and in the West as the name for the entire Chinese part of the Ili River basin as well as for its two main cities. The usage of 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica is fairly characteristic: it defines Kulja as a "territory in north-west China" bounded by the Russian border and the mountains that surround the Ili basin, and it talks about two major cities of the region:
Suiding was located some 40 km (24.9 mi) to the northwest of Yining, in today's Huocheng County
; the regional capital was moved there circa 1883, prior to which the apellation New Kulja or Manchu Kulja was applied to the Huiyuan Cheng fortress, which was a bit closer to Yining.
1851, which opened the area for trade.
In 1864-66, the city suffered severely from fighting during the Muslim Rebellion. The city and the rest of the Ili River basin was seized by the Russia
ns in 1871 during Yakub Beg
's independent rule of Kashgaria. It was restored to China
under the terms of the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
.
officer Liu Bin Di engaged in combat against Soviet backed Turkic muslim rebels, and was killed in action in November 1944 in Ghulja.
.
In 1997, it what came to be known as the Gulja Incident or massacre, the city was rocked by two days of demonstrations or riots followed by a government crack down resulting in at least 9 deaths following the execution of 30 Uighur
activists.
in the Dzungaria
n basin, near the border with Kazakhstan
, and about 710 km (441.2 mi) west of Ürümqi
. The Ili River valley is far wetter than any other part of Xinjiang
and has rich grazing land
.
The City of Yining borders on Huocheng County
in the west and the Yining County
in the east; across the river in the south is Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County
.
BSk), without the strong variation in seasonal precipitation seen across most of China. Dry and sunny weather dominates year-round. Winters are cold, with a January average of -8.8 °C. Yet the influence of the mountain range to the north helps keep the city warmer than other cities of similar latitude located further east. Summers are hot, with a July average of 23.1 °C (73.6 °F). Diurnal temperature ranges tend to be large from April to October. The annual mean temperature is 9 °C (48.2 °F).
of the Ili River
valley. It is an old commercial center trading in tea
and cattle
, and it is still an agricultural area with extensive livestock raising. It has fruit orchards. Iron
, coal
and uranium
are mined nearby.
Kazakh language
Kazakh is a Turkic language which belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic languages, closely related to Nogai and Karakalpak....
: قۇلجا; ; also spelled Ining), also called Ili or Yili (following pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
orthography), is a county-level city in western Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
Uighur Autonomous Region of northwestern 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...
, and the capital of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
. Historically, Yining is the succcessor to the ruined city of Almaliq
Almaliq, China
Almalik was a medieval city in Central Asia's Ili river basin. Its site is located within the present-day Huocheng County in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, between the city of Yining and the border with Kazakhstan.Almalik was originally one of...
in Huocheng County
Huocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
.
Kulja was also a name of the Ili
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture , in northernmost Xinjiang, is the only Kazakh autonomous prefecture of the People's Republic of China.-Geography and coordinates:The following figures excludes both Tacheng Prefecture and Altay Prefecture....
region in the past.
Area and Population
Administratively, the City of Yining is a county-level administrative unit. As of 2004, it occupied 629 km² (242.9 sq mi), with the population of 430,000 people. The city is located at the elevation of about 640 metres (2,099.7 ft).The land area and population of the City of Yining were smaller before 2004; the increase resulted from the transfer of two villages with some 100 km² (38.6 sq mi) of land from the adjacent Yining County
Yining County
The Yining County is a county within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The county seat is in the town of Jiliyuzi ....
, which is a separate administrative unit from the City of Yining.
Note on historical place names
From 13-15th century it was under the control of Chagatai KhanateChagatai Khanate
The Chagatai Khanate was a Turko-Mongol khanate that comprised the lands ruled by Chagatai Khan , second son of the Great Khan Genghis Khan, and his descendents and successors...
known as Almaligh. Another Mongolian
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
empire—the Zunghar Khanate
Zunghar Khanate
The Zunghar Khanate was a nomadic power on the Eurasian steppe. It covered the area called Dzungaria and stretched from the west end of the Great Wall of China to present-day eastern Kazakhstan, and from present-day northern Kyrgyzstan to southern Siberia .In 1678 Galdan received from the Dalai...
—established its capital in the area. In the 19th and early 20th century, the word Kuldja or Kulja was often used in Russia and in the West as the name for the entire Chinese part of the Ili River basin as well as for its two main cities. The usage of 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica is fairly characteristic: it defines Kulja as a "territory in north-west China" bounded by the Russian border and the mountains that surround the Ili basin, and it talks about two major cities of the region:
- Kulja (i.e. today's Yining), or more specifically Old Kulja (elsewhere, also called TaranchiTaranchiThe term Taranchi denotes the Muslim sedentary population living in oases around the Tarim Basin in today's Xinjiang, whose native language is Turkic Karluk, and whose ancestral heritages include Iranic and Tocharian populations of Tarim and the later Turco-Mongol immigrants of the Qarluq, Uyghur,...
Kulja), which was the commercial center of the region. - Suidun (i.e. Suiding, now called Shuiding), or more specifically New Kulja, ManchuManchuThe Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
Kulja, or Ili (elsewhere, also Chinese Kulja), the Chinese fortress and the regional capital.
Suiding was located some 40 km (24.9 mi) to the northwest of Yining, in today's Huocheng County
Huocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
; the regional capital was moved there circa 1883, prior to which the apellation New Kulja or Manchu Kulja was applied to the Huiyuan Cheng fortress, which was a bit closer to Yining.
Qing Dynasty
Yining was the site of the Sino-Russian Treaty of KuljaTreaty of Kulja
The Treaty of Kulja was a treaty established in 1851 between Qing Dynasty and Russian Empire, opening Kulja and Chuguchak to Sino-Russian trade...
1851, which opened the area for trade.
In 1864-66, the city suffered severely from fighting during the Muslim Rebellion. The city and the rest of the Ili River basin was seized by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
ns in 1871 during Yakub Beg
Yakub Beg
Muhammad Yaqub Bek was a [Turkic peoples] adventurer who became head of the kingdom of Kashgaria.-Spelling variants:In English-language literature, the name of Yaqub Beg has also been spelt as Yakub Beg , Yakoob Beg , or Ya`qūb Beg...
's independent rule of Kashgaria. It was restored to 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...
under the terms of the Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
Treaty of Saint Petersburg (1881)
The Treaty of Saint Petersburg , also known as Treaty of Ili, was the treaty between the Russian Empire and the Chinese Empire, signed in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 12 February 1881...
.
Republic of China
During the Ili Rebellion, the Chinese MuslimHui 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...
officer Liu Bin Di engaged in combat against Soviet backed Turkic muslim rebels, and was killed in action in November 1944 in Ghulja.
People's Republic
Yining became the capital of an autonomous district in 1954. In 1962, major Sino-Soviet clashes took place along the Ili RiverIli River
thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributariesThe Ili River is a river in northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan .It is long, of which is in Kazakhstan...
.
In 1997, it what came to be known as the Gulja Incident or massacre, the city was rocked by two days of demonstrations or riots followed by a government crack down resulting in at least 9 deaths following the execution of 30 Uighur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
activists.
Geography
Yining is located on the northern side of the Ili RiverIli River
thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributariesThe Ili River is a river in northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan .It is long, of which is in Kazakhstan...
in the Dzungaria
Dzungaria
Dzungaria, also called Zungaria, is a geographical region in northwest China corresponding to the northern half of Xinjiang. It covers approximately , lying mostly within Xinjiang, and extending into western Mongolia and eastern Kazakhstan...
n basin, near the border with Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, and about 710 km (441.2 mi) west of Ürümqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
. The Ili River valley is far wetter than any other part of Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
and has rich grazing land
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
.
The City of Yining borders on Huocheng County
Huocheng County
The Huocheng County is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It's located between Yining and the border to Kazakhstan, occupies an area of 5,466 km² and has a population of 360,000...
in the west and the Yining County
Yining County
The Yining County is a county within the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The county seat is in the town of Jiliyuzi ....
in the east; across the river in the south is Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County
Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County
Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang is the only Xibe autonomous county of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 4,430 square kilometers and a population 160,000...
.
Climate
Ghulja has a semi-arid climate (KöppenKöppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
BSk), without the strong variation in seasonal precipitation seen across most of China. Dry and sunny weather dominates year-round. Winters are cold, with a January average of -8.8 °C. Yet the influence of the mountain range to the north helps keep the city warmer than other cities of similar latitude located further east. Summers are hot, with a July average of 23.1 °C (73.6 °F). Diurnal temperature ranges tend to be large from April to October. The annual mean temperature is 9 °C (48.2 °F).
Economy
Yining is the chief city, agricultural market, and commercial centreCommerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
of the Ili River
Ili River
thumb|right|300px|Map of the Lake Balkhash drainage basin showing the Ili River and its tributariesThe Ili River is a river in northwestern China and southeastern Kazakhstan .It is long, of which is in Kazakhstan...
valley. It is an old commercial center trading in tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, and it is still an agricultural area with extensive livestock raising. It has fruit orchards. Iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
are mined nearby.
Transportation
- Regular bus service is available to other cities in the region, and taxis are available locally.
- The Yining AirportYining AirportYining Airport is an airport serving Yining , a city in the autonomous region of Xinjiang in the People's Republic of China.-Facilities:...
is located several kilometers north of town, with commercial service to ÜrümqiÜrümqiÜrümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
only. - The Jinghe-Yining-Horgos Railway, an electrified railway from Ürümqi to Ghulja (Yining) to KhorgosKhorgosKhorgas , also known as Huoerguosi, Huocheng, Khorgos, Chorgos and Gorgos, is a Chinese town near the border with Kazakhstan. It is located in Huocheng County in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region...
(near the Kazakh border) was completed in the late 2009. Daily passenger service - an overnight Ürümqi-Ghulja train service began on July 1, 2010. - China National Highway 218China National Highway 218China National Highway 218 runs from Yining, Xinjiang to Ruoqiang, Xinjiang. It is 1,067 kilometres in length and runs southeast from Yining towards Ruoqiang.-Route and distance:-External links:*...
- China National Highway 312China National Highway 312China National Highway 312 , also referred to as Route 312 or The Mother Road, is an important highway that runs east-west across the breadth of People's Republic of China. It begins at the port city Shanghai and ends at Khorgas in the Ili River valley, on the border with Kazakhstan. In total it...
External links
- Yining City Government
- Map of the City of Yining (Borders shown as they were before the annexation of the villages of Dadamutu (达达木图乡 on the map) and Panjin (潘津村 on the map) in 2004)