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The main route from mainland China to Xinjiang. It starts from Wushaoling in the east and ends at Guyumenguan in the west. It is between the Nanshan Mountains (Qilian Mountains and Altun Mountains) and the Beishan Mountains (Mazong Mountain, Heli Mountain and Longshou Mountain) in the north and south. It is about 900 kilometers long and several kilometers to nearly 100 kilometers wide. The long and narrow flat land running from northwest to southeast, shaped like a corridor, is called the Gansu Corridor. Because it is located to the west of the Yellow River, it is also called the Hexi Corridor.
The Hexi Corridor has always been the chokepoint from eastern China to the Western Regions. Since the Han and Tang Dynasties, it has become part of the "Silk Road". After the 15th century, it gradually declined. It is currently the main road connecting eastern China and Xinjiang, and is an important area for border defense in the northwest.
Geology, landforms and water systems The Hexi Corridor belongs to the depression zone at the edge of the Qilian Mountain geosyncline. During the Himalayan Movement, the Qilian Mountains were greatly uplifted, and the corridor received a large amount of flood and alluvial deposits since the Cenozoic. From south to north, the slope accumulation belt at the northern foot of Nanshan Mountain, the alluvial belt, the alluvial alluvial belt, the alluvial belt and the slope accumulation belt at the southern foot of Beishan Mountain appear in sequence. The terrain of the corridor is flat, generally about 1,500 meters above sea level. The alluvial plains along the river form large oases such as Wuwei, Zhangye, and Jiuquan. The rest of the vast area is dominated by wind and dry erosion, and Gobi and deserts are widely distributed. Especially west of Jiayuguan, the Gobi has a large area and the oases have an even smaller area. The corridor is divided into three major inland water systems: Shiyang River, Heihe River and Shule River, bounded by Heishan Mountain, Kuantai Mountain and Dahuang Mountain. They all originate from the Qilian Mountains and are supplied by melted ice and snow water and rainwater. They are generally frozen in winter. After each river comes out of the mountains, most of them seep into the Gobi Desert to form undercurrents or are used for irrigation by oases. Only the lower reaches of larger rivers flow into terminal lakes. ①Shiyang River water system. Located in the eastern section of the corridor, the front mountain area of ??the Qilian Mountains in the south is composed of loess Liangmao landforms and foothill alluvial fans, while the north is dominated by gravel desert, with denuded stony mountains and residual hills. The east is the Tengger Desert, and the middle is the Wuwei Basin. ②Heihe River system. The east and west are between Dahuang Mountain and Jiayuguan. Most of it is gravel desert and sandy gravel desert, with many sand dunes distributed on the northern edge. Only Zhangye, Linze, Gaotai and Jiuquan have formed a large area of ??oasis, which is an important agricultural area in Hexi. Since ancient times, it has been known as "Gold Zhangye, Silver Wuwei". ③Shule River system. Located at the west end of the corridor. There are high mountains in the eastern section of the Altyn Mountains and the western section of the Qilian Mountains in the south. In front of the mountains there is a series of low denuded rocky mountains running east-west (namely, Sanwei Mountain, Jie Mountain, Mushroom Tai Mountain, etc.); in the north there is Mazong Mountain. The central corridor is the oasis in the middle reaches of the Shule River and the Dunhuang oasis in the lower reaches of the Dang River. The lower reaches of the Shule River are salt-alkali flats. There is a relatively large Gobi desert outside the oasis, with sand dunes scattered in between.
Climate Cold wave weather often occurs in the Hexi Corridor in winter and spring. The main source of summer precipitation is the summer monsoon that invades this area. The climate is dry, with drastic changes in heat and cold, and is windy and sandy. From east to west, the annual precipitation decreases and the dryness increases. For example, the annual precipitation in Wuwei is 158.4 mm, and in Dunhuang is 36.8 mm; the dryness degree to the east of Jiuquan is 4 to 8, and to the west is 8 to 24. Precipitation varies greatly from year to year. Precipitation accounts for 50 to 60% of the annual total in summer, 15 to 25% in spring, 10 to 25% in autumn, and 3 to 16% in winter. There are less clouds and the sunshine hours increase, reaching 3,000 hours in most areas, and as high as 3,336 hours in Dunhuang in the west. The annual average temperature is 5.8~9.3℃, but the absolute maximum temperature can reach 42.8℃ and the absolute minimum temperature is -29.3℃. The difference between the two is more than 72.1℃. The average temperature difference between day and night is about 15℃, and there can be four seasons in one day. Minqin has more than 50 sandstorm days a year, while Anxi has 80 wind days a year with level 8 or above gales, so it is known as the "Wind Bank". The wind direction in the corridor changes. The northwest wind is dominant in Wuwei and Minqin areas; the northeasterly and easterly winds are dominant in Yumen, Anxi, Dunhuang and other places west of Jiayuguan.
Brown desert soil is distributed in the west of the soil and vegetation corridor, gray-brown desert soil is distributed in the middle, and gray desert soil, light brown calcic soil and gray calcic soil are distributed in the eastern part of the corridor. The light brown calcic soil is distributed in the southern part of the soil and vegetation corridor close to the desert. The prairie desert zone on the edge of the Qilian Mountains; gray calcium soil is distributed in the Qilian Mountain piedmont loess hills, alluvial alluvial fan terraces and plain oases.
The western end of the gray-brown desert soil zone is dominated by gypsum gray-brown desert soil, the eastern end is dominated by ordinary gray-brown desert soil and loose sandy primitive gray-brown desert soil, and the northeastern primitive gray-brown desert soil and gray-brown desert soil are dominated by pine. Sand dominates the landscape. Saline soil is widely distributed in low-lying areas, and its area gradually expands from east to west. The distribution area of ??meadow soil decreases from east to west.
The zonal vegetation is mainly composed of hyperxerophytic shrubs, semi-shrub deserts and hyperxerophytic semi-arbor deserts. The desert vegetation in the eastern part of the country has obvious grassland characteristics, forming a relatively unique type of grassland desert, such as the Salsola sibirica group and the Echinacea group. etc., and are also accompanied by grassland components of varying degrees, mainly including Stipa spp., Stipa breviflora, Gobi Stipa, Cryptophyllum glabra, Central Asian Stipa, multi-rooted onion, Mongolian onion, etc. The west is widely covered with gravelly Gobi desert and dry and denuded stony residual hills, making the ecological environment even harsher. Typical desert vegetation is distributed in the gravel Gobi, such as red sand, Ephedra membranaceus, Ephedra vesiculata, Asteroptera spp., and Adenocarpus nudifolia and other community types. Common moving sand dunes include Shaguai Zao, Zigao, Shami, Shajiao, etc. Fixed sand dunes are commonly found with multi-branched tamarisks, white thorns, and white thorns. There are a small number of Populus euphratica and Elaeagnus acuta forests in the middle and lower reaches of Shule River and the middle reaches of Beida River. In the lake basin lowland, a hidden habitat replenished by salinization and phreatic recharge, there are distributed the fine-leafed salt claws, leafy salt claws, and salthorn grass salt deserts. The river alluvial plain is distributed with halophytic meadows composed of reeds, splendens, licorice, camel thorn, flowering firewood, sophora bean, horse bark, sedge, etc.
In order to prevent the invasion of sand and dry and hot winds, the oasis In this area, the use of poplar, poplar, Xinjiang poplar, Elaeagnus angustifolia, etc. has been used to create windbreak forest belts, and the effect is remarkable. Humanities Overview The Hexi Corridor Irrigated Agricultural Area has a long history and is one of the important agricultural areas in Gansu Province. The flat oasis area mainly grows spring wheat, millet, millet, corn and a small amount of rice, sorghum and potatoes. The main oil crop is flax. The melons include watermelon and honeydew melon, and the main fruit trees are dates, pears, and apples. The piedmont area mainly grows summer cereals, including highland barley, rye, broad beans, peas, potatoes and rapeseed. The animal husbandry industry in Hexi is developed, such as Shandanmayingtan, which has been a famous military horse farm since ancient times.
The ethnic groups in the Hexi Corridor include Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Yugu, Kazakh, Hui, Manchu, etc. Mainly Han nationality, they mainly engage in agriculture in the oasis area. Tibetans, Yugu people, Kazakhs and Mongolians are engaged in animal husbandry.
The mineral resources in the Hexi Corridor include Yumen Petroleum, Shandan Coal, Jinchang Nickel and many other metals.
Wuwei
Wuwei County City was originally built by the Xiongnu, so it was built as a Zang city, and later it was renamed Gu Zang. From the Western Han Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, except for the Northern Wei Dynasty when it was renamed Linzhong County, it was all governed by Guzang County. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Wei Dynasty moved to Liangzhou to govern here. From the Jin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of Wuwei County in Liangzhou. Xixia was governed by the Xiliang Prefecture. It belonged to Xiliangzhou on Yongchang Road in the Yuan Dynasty, and it belonged to Liangzhou Wei, the capital of Shaanxi Province in the Ming Dynasty. In the early Qing Dynasty, Wuwei County was governed by Liangzhou Prefecture. After the Revolution of 1911, the government was abolished and the county was preserved. The city was restructured in 1985. Wuwei City is located in the center of the largest Wuwei Oasis in the Hexi Corridor. It is the gateway to the eastern section of the Hexi Corridor and a "Silk Road" channel in historical times. It has a history of more than 2,000 years.
The altitude is about 1530 meters, the annual average temperature is 7.7℃, the average temperature in January is -8.7℃, and the average temperature in July is 21.9℃. The annual precipitation is 158 mm, and it has a temperate continental arid climate. In the suburbs, there are enterprises engaged in automobile and tractor repair, mining machinery, linen textiles, cement products, carpets, and leather. The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway and the Gansu-Xinjiang Highway pass through here, and the Qian (Tang) Wu (Wei) Railway is connected to the Bao-Lanzhou Railway.
There is a Confucian Temple built in the Ming Dynasty in Wuwei City, which collects a large number of cultural relics. The Xixia Monument engraved in 1094 AD is the most famous and is a national key cultural relic protection unit. In addition, there are Dayun Temple and Luoshi Temple Pagoda built in the Tang Dynasty. The Leitai Han Tomb, one kilometer north of the city, is where the Eastern Han Dynasty's bronze galloping horse, known as the "Heaven's Horse Xingkong", and 231 types of gold, copper, jade and other utensils were unearthed. 2.5 kilometers northwest of the city are the Haizang Temple built in the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Xiliang Emperor's Platform and the Qijia Cultural Relics, all of which are provincial cultural relics protection units.
The Tiantishan Grottoes (also known as the Great Buddha Temple or Tianti Temple), about 40 kilometers south of the city, were first excavated during the period of Juqu Mengxun (401-432), King of Northern Liang. Newly built or renovated. The grottoes were excavated on the red sandstone cliff. Today there are 26 grottoes on three floors, 8 of which contain murals and statues. The scale is comparable to Thousand Buddha Caves in Dunhuang and Ten Thousand Buddhas Gorge in Anxi. There is a large stone seated Buddha statue about 30 meters high, but its head, arms, hands and other parts have been damaged. There was originally Guangshan Temple on the mountain, also known as Grotto Temple. Due to the construction of the Huangyang River Reservoir in 1959, the cave site became a flooded area. Except for the large Buddha statue, the remaining caves contain Buddhist statues, Chinese and Tibetan scriptures, and silk paintings. They were moved to the Gansu Provincial Museum and the Central Ministry of Culture in 1957. save.
Zhangye
In the sixth year of Yuanding in the Western Han Dynasty (111 BC), Zhangye County was established, and the county governed the city. From the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms to the Jin Dynasty, because the Heihe River changed its course and moved eastward, the county was first moved to present-day Zhangye City on the east bank of the Heihe River and was renamed Yongping County. Qianliang, Qianqin, Houliang to Beiliang all had their capitals here. The Northern Wei Dynasty was governed by Xiliang Prefecture. In the Western Wei Dynasty, the city was renamed Ganzhou, named after the spring at the foot of Ganjun Mountain in the west of the city. In the Tang Dynasty, it was governed by Zhangye County in Ganzhou. Yuan was the capital of Gansu Province. In the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to Ganzhou Wei, the capital of Shaanxi Province. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhangye County was governed by Ganzhou Prefecture. In 1913, the government was abolished and the county was left. It was established as a city in 1956.
The oasis where the city is located is richer than Wuwei, and is known as "Gold, Zhangye, Silver and Wuwei". The altitude is 1,474 meters, the annual average temperature is 7℃, the average temperature in January is -10.2℃, the average temperature in July is 21.4℃, and the annual precipitation is 129 mm. It has a temperate arid climate, with long winters and short summers (20 days), and autumn is shorter than spring. Historically, it was the intersection point of the "Dragon City Ancient Road" for north-south transportation and the "Silk Road" for east-west transportation. Since the Han Dynasty, it has been a hub for economic and cultural exchanges between China and the West, and a political, military and transportation center city in Hexi. Industries include electricity, coal, chemicals, machinery, fertilizers, textiles, etc. The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway crosses the city and has 5 stations.
In the main hall of the Great Buddha Temple in the city, there is a wooden and clay sculpture of "Sakyamuni" reclining Buddha built in the Western Xia Dynasty (1089). It is 34.5 meters long and 7.5 meters wide at the shoulders, which is lifelike. The Xilai Temple, the Tang bell in the Bell and Drum Tower, and the Xicheng Yide Ancient City on the outskirts of the city are all provincial-level cultural relics protection units. Ganjun Fort (today's Ganjun Township), 25 kilometers west of the city, was the headquarters of the Red Fourth Front Army (West Route Army) after it entered Zhangye in 1937.
Jiuquan
Located in the alluvial fan oasis area in the middle reaches of Tuolai River and Hongshuiba River in the western section of the Hexi Corridor, it is between the ancient "Silk Road" tunnel and the current Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Station. one. It covers an area of ??3,386 square kilometers and has a population of 292,800. In the second year of Han Dynasty (121 BC), Jiuquan County was established to govern Lufu County at the present site. In the Sui Dynasty, Suzhou was established. In the Tang Dynasty, it was called Suzhou Jiuquan County and governed Jiuquan County. In 1913, the state was abolished and renamed Jiuquan County. In 1958, Jiuquan City was established. In 1964, the city was abolished and Jiuquan County was restored. It was changed to Jiuquan City in 1985. The urban area is 1,477 meters above sea level, with an average annual temperature of 7.3°C, an average temperature of -9.7°C in January, and 21.8°C in July. It has long winters and short summers, and an annual precipitation of 85 mm. It has a temperate arid climate. The industries include agricultural machinery, tractor and farm implement repair, motor, automobile repair, phosphate fertilizer, paper making and other factories. The "luminous cup" made of Jiuquan jade from Corridor Nanshan is a precious historical handicraft. There are many places of interest in the suburbs. The ancient city of Jiuquan still retains its city walls and bell and drum towers. Jiuquan, one kilometer east of the city, is now Quanhu Park. Wenshu Mountain, 15 kilometers southwest of the city, is divided into front and back mountains. The front mountain has Wenshu Temple and Ten Thousand Buddhas Cave. It was built during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. There are grotto statues in the cave, which is a provincial cultural relic protection unit.
The Hexi Corridor is only a must-pass for the Silk Road.