Zhangye

Zhangye 张掖市 張掖市
Prefecture-level city
Near Aviko french fry factory in Liuba Town, Minle County, Zhangye
Location of Zhangye City jurisdiction in Gansu
Coordinates:
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Gansu
Area
• Total	42,000 km2 (16,000 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,199,515
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	734000
Website	zhangye.gov.cn

Zhangye
Traditional Chinese	張掖
Simplified Chinese	张掖
Postal	Changyeh
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhāngyè Wade–Giles Chang1-yeh4

Zhangye (simplified Chinese: 张掖; traditional Chinese: 張掖; pinyin: Zhāngyè) is a prefecture-level city in northwest-central Gansu province, People's Republic of China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the north and Qinghai to the south.

History

The Dafo Temple contains the largest reclining wooden Buddha in China, and is the reputed birthplace of Kublai Khan.

Zhangye is in the center of the Hexi Corridor. The area was the frontier for much of China's history, forming a natural passage to the Central Asian portion of the empire. In fact, the name Zhangye (lit. "to extend the arm") is an abbreviation of 张国臂掖，以通西域 (lit. To extend the arm of the country, through to the Western Realm). During the Western Han dynasty, Chinese armies were often engaged against the Xiongnu in this area. It was also an important section of the Silk Road. The Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan is said to have been born in the Dafo Temple, which is also the site of the longest reclining wooden Buddha in China.

The city was formerly known as Ganzhou (甘州), a name retained both in the municipal region seat Ganzhou District and the Gan of the province of Gansu. In The Travels of Marco Polo, Marco Polo describes spending a year in a city called Campichu, which has been identified with Ganzhou (Zhangye).

Geography and climate

Zhangye is located in far western Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia and in the south Qinghai. It has a large area of 42,000 km² (16,000 sq mi) and is blessed with numerous streams, abundant sunlight and fertile soil, making it an important agricultural centre for Gansu and all of China.

The Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, covering an area of 510 square kilometres (200 sq mi), is located in Linze and Sunan counties of Zhangye, 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of the city center. Known for its colorful rock formations, it has been voted by Chinese media outlets as one of the most beautiful landforms in China.

Climate data for Zhangye (1971−2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	0.1 (32.2)	3.6 (38.5)	10.0 (50)	17.9 (64.2)	23.5 (74.3)	27.2 (81)	29.3 (84.7)	28.2 (82.8)	23.2 (73.8)	16.3 (61.3)	8.0 (46.4)	1.7 (35.1)	15.75 (60.36)
Average low °C (°F)	−16.2 (2.8)	−12.2 (10)	−4.8 (23.4)	2.2 (36)	7.8 (46)	11.6 (52.9)	14.2 (57.6)	13.3 (55.9)	7.8 (46)	0.1 (32.2)	−6.9 (19.6)	−13.7 (7.3)	0.27 (32.48)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	1.4 (0.055)	1.2 (0.047)	3.8 (0.15)	4.8 (0.189)	11.7 (0.461)	24.1 (0.949)	29.6 (1.165)	29.2 (1.15)	16.6 (0.654)	4.6 (0.181)	2.0 (0.079)	1.4 (0.055)	130.4 (5.135)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	2.4	1.8	2.8	3.0	4.4	7.4	9.4	8.3	5.4	2.5	1.8	2.4	51.6
Source: Weather China

Administration

Zhangye has 1 urban district, 4 counties, 1 autonomous county, 97 towns, and 977 villages.

Map
#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
1	Ganzhou District	甘州区	Gānzhōu Qū	507,433	4,240	120
2	Minle County	民乐县	Mínlè Xiàn	219,356	3,687	59
3	Linze County	临泽县	Línzé Xiàn	134,328	2,777	48
4	Gaotai County	高台县	Gāotái Xiàn	143,446	4,312	33
5	Shandan County	山丹县	Shāndān Xiàn	161,299	5,402	30
6	Sunan Yugur Autonomous County	肃南裕固族自治县	Sùnán Yùgùzú Zìzhìxiàn	33,653	20,456	2

Demographics

Zhangye has a total population of 1,199,515, only 260,000 being urban residents. There are 26 ethnic minorities other than Han represented including many Hui, Yugur and Tibetans.

Transport

Zhangye is served by China National Highways numbers G30 Expressway, 227 and 312.

Zhangye Railway Station is on the Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway, located to the north east of the city. A high speed railway station has been constructed on the south west side of the city, Zhangye West Railway Station was opened on the 26th of December, 2014 as part of the Lanzhou–Ürümqi High-Speed Railway.

Zhangye Ganzhou Airport, a combined civilian-military airport, opened in October 2011 with flights to Lanzhou and Xi'an.

Economy

The 2002 GDP was 7.566 billion RMB, almost 9% growth over the previous year. Annual urban income was 5960 RMB,10.4% growth from the previous year and rural income was 3092 RMB, up 5%.

Education

Hexi University (河西学院) is located in Zhangye. Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled at the university.

Sport

Parc Ferme at Zhangye International Rally 2011 in front of the Wooden Pagoda

Zhangye has hosted a round of the Chinese Rally Championship (CRC) since 2011. Held on specially constructed roads across the deserts north and to the south of the city. The event attracts over 100 entries regularly, including international foreign drivers. A stadium for side-by-side super special stages has also been constructed.

External links

• Official Website(Chinese)