Wuwei, Gansu

Wuwei 武威市
Prefecture-level city
South Gate of Wuwei
Location of Wuwei City jurisdiction in Gansu
Coordinates: 37°55′41″N 102°38′29″E / 37.92806°N 102.64139°E / 37.92806; 102.64139Coordinates: 37°55′41″N 102°38′29″E / 37.92806°N 102.64139°E / 37.92806; 102.64139
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Gansu
Area
• Total	33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,815,054
• Density	55/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Website	ww.gansu.gov.cn

Wuwei (Chinese: 武威; pinyin: Wŭwēi) is a prefecture-level city in northwest central Gansu province. In the north it borders Inner Mongolia, in the southwest, Qinghai. Its central location between three western capitals, Lanzhou, Xining, and Yinchuan makes it an important business and transportation hub for the area. Because of its position along the Hexi Corridor, historically the only route from central China to western China and the rest of Central Asia, many major railroads and national highways pass through Wuwei.

In ancient times, Wuwei was called Liangzhou (涼州 - the name retained by today's Wuwei's central urban district) and is the eastern terminus of the Hexi Corridor. People began settling here 5,000 years ago. It was a key link for the Northern Silk Road, and a number of important archaeological finds were uncovered from Wuwei, including ancient copper carts with stone animals. The motifs and types of objects in the Wuwei graves, as well as their earthenware, lacquer, and bronze composition, constitute typical examples of the Han Chinese burial style that can be found all over China. Other graves found along the Hexi Corridor show Xiongnu and other minority influence, which are used to trace regimes such as the Northern Liang. It became an important provincial capital during the Former Han Dynasty as the Hou Hanshu makes clear:

"In the third year [170 CE], Meng Tuo, the Inspector of Liangzhou (modern Wuwei), sent the Assistant Officer Ren She, commanding five hundred soldiers from Dunhuang. He, with the Wuji Major Cao Kuan, and Chief Clerk of the Western Regions, Zhang Yan, brought troops from Yanqi (Karashahr), Qiuci (Kucha), and the Nearer and Further Kingdoms of Jushi (Turfan and Jimasa), altogether numbering more than 30,000, to punish Shule (Kashgar). They attacked the town of Zhenzhong (Arach) but, having stayed for more than forty days without being able to subdue it, they withdrew. Following this, the kings of Shule (Kashgar) killed one another repeatedly and, for its part, the Imperial Government was unable to prevent it."