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Lanzhou (simplified Chinese: 兰州; traditional Chinese: 蘭州; pinyin: Lánzhōu; Wade–Giles: Lan-chou; Postal System Pinyin: Lanchow) is the capital of Gansu province, China.

History

Early settlement in this region could be dated to Han Dynasty and has a history of over 2,000 years. The city used to be called the Golden City, when it was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road. To protect the city, the Great Wall of China was extended as far as Yumen.

After the fall of the Han Dynasty, Lanzhou became the capital of a succession of tribal states. Mixed with different cultural heritages, the area at present-day Gansu province, from the 5th to the 11th century, became a center for Buddhist study.

The city acquired current name in 1656, during Qing Dynasty.

See also:

Dunhuang
Bingling Temple
White Pagoda Hill (pinyin: bai2 ta3 shan1).

Geography

Area: 14,620 sq km
Elevation: 1600m above sea level
China's geographic center
More than 20km along urban corridor along the southern banks of the Yellow River.
Character of zonary basin
Mountains: the south and north
- Qilian Ranges, Mt. Pingliang and Mt. Kongtong (the most famous in Taoism)
Rivers:
- The Yellow River flows through from east to west.

Climate and Pollution

The semi-dry climate is in the temperate zone.

Lanzhou was famously one of the most polluted cities in China. The air quality was so poor that at times one cannot see Lanshan, the mountain rising straight up along the south side of the city. The city is located in a river valley with an unfortunate curve causing it to be hemmed in with no free air flow. Lanzhou also is the home of far too many factories including petroleum processing, and suffers from storms of dust kicked up from the Gobi Desert, especially in the winter and spring. In the recent years, through the city's effort to protect environment, Lanzhou has withdrawn from the most polluted city list. The air quality is improving continuously.

Demographics

Population: 3.2 million
Urban Population: 1.2 million (2004- considered to be 2.5 million inside Lanzhou City)
Ethnic groups: Han, Hui, Tibetan, Bonan, Dongxiang, Yugur, and Salar

Economy

The GDP per capita was 15051 yuan (RMB) (ca. US$1820) in 2003, ranked no. 134 among 659 Chinese cities.

Lanzhou is a sister city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States.

Natural resources

Mineral: coal, gold, silver, zinc, nickel, manganese, clay, and dolomite
waterpower

Industry

Gansu has one of the largest oil refineries in the country and is the center of China's atomic energy industry.

Main Industries: textile mills, rubber, fertilizer plants, oil refinery, petrochemical, machinery, and metallurgical industry.

Agriculture

spring wheat, vegetables, beans, oil-boiling, melon, peaches, and tobacco
roses and lilies

Transportation

Lanzhou is a rail, highway, and air hub and the junction point to remote Xinjiang in extreme NW China.

Airways: Flights from Lanzhou fly to more than 20 cities around the country.
Railroad: Lanzhou is linked by rail to Beijing and to the Republic of Mongolia and Russia
Highways: on the highway to Tibet.
- Lan-Xin railway: only railway leading into Xinjiang

See also: Trolleybus.

Places of interest

(under construction)

Wuquan Mountain
Baita Mountain
Xinglong Mountain
Lutusi ancient government

Culture

Chinese drama/Chinese opera: Qinqiang Drama
Cuisine: Lanzhou beef noodles

Colleges and Universities

National Level

Lanzhou University (兰州大学), founded 1909

Other Public Institutions

Northwest Normal University (西北师范大学), founded 1902
Lanzhou University of Technology (兰州理工大学), founded 1919
Lanzhou Jiaotong University (兰州交通大学), founded 1958
Gansu Agricultural University (甘肃农业大学), founded 1958
Lanzhou Medical College (兰州医学院)
Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (甘肃中医学院)
Lanzhou Commercial College (兰州商学院)
Gansu Political Science and Law Institute (甘肃政法学院)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor's degree programs are not listed.

External links

@@ Line 59: / Line 59: @@
 ==Transportation==
 Lanzhou is a rail, highway, and air hub and the [[junction point]] to remote [[Xinjiang]] in extreme [[Northwestern China|NW China]].
-* [[Airway]]s: The airplane here can take you to more than 20 cities all over the country.
+* [[Airway]]s: Flights from Lanzhou fly to more than 20 cities around the country.
 * [[Railroad]]: Lanzhou is linked by rail to Beijing and to the Republic of Mongolia and Russia
 * [[Highway]]s: on the highway to Tibet.