|
Brief introduction
The word "Urumqi" is originally a Mongolian term, meaning "beautiful
pasture", just as it once was. In the Han
Dynasty (206BC-220), the government ordered the garrison troops and newly
settled peasants to open up the land for cultivation of food grains. In the Sui
Dynasty (581-618) when the place was the border area, local inhabitants
crossed the boundary for trade. In 702 during the Tang
Dynasty (618-907), the troops and local peasants continued the tradition of
the Han Dynasty and built some castles, gradually transforming the place into an
important town along the Silk
Road. At the beginning of the Qing
Dynasty (1644-1911), the original town was devastated by war. In the 28th
year of the Qianlong
Reign (1763), the government of the Qing Dynasty built a new city and named it
"Dihua", which was chosen as the provincial capital when Xinjiang
became a province in 1884. In 1953, the city resumed its name of "Urumqi",
Urumqi is now the biggest city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region with a
population of 1,441,500 that includes 43 ethnic groups such as the Uygur, Han,
Hui, Kazak, Xibe, Manchu and Russia. As a modern and dynamic municipality in
China's remote west, Urumqi still retains the ancient flavor of Western Regions.
Occupying an area of 83 square kilometers and an altitude range of 680-920
meters, Urumqi is composed of seven districts and one county. Urumqi is located
at the north foot of Tianshan Mountain, bordering Bogda Peak, which is the
highest in the eastern section of Tianshan Mountain in the east. The city opens
to the Juggar Basin on the west and north, and thousands of miles of Tianshan
Mountain forest belt is situated on its south.
The typical continental climate contributes to the great
temperature difference between daytime and evenings. The average annual
temperature is 5.7 degrees Celsius and the annual precipitation is less than 300
millimeters, contributing to a dry climate.
(Author: Jeff)
|
|
E-Mail
This Article 
Print
Friendly Format 