Ürümqi

Ürümqi ئۈرۈمچی 乌鲁木齐
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Uyghur transcription(s)
- Uyghur Ereb Yéziqi	ئۈرۈمچی
- Uyghur Latin Yéziqi	Ürümchi
- Yengi Yeziķ	Ürümqi
- pronunciation in IPA	[yrymˈtʃi]
- Türkish Uyghur	Urumçi
- Cyrillic Uyghur	Үрүмчи
Chinese transcription(s)
- Simplified Chinese	乌鲁木齐
- Traditional Chinese	烏魯木齊
- Pinyin	Wūlǔmùqí
From top: A panoramic view of Ürümqi's CBD, Red Mountain (Hong Shan), Ürümqi Night Market, and a view of Tian Shan from Ürümqi
Ürümqi Location within China
Coordinates: 43°48′N 87°35′E / 43.8°N 87.583°E / 43.8; 87.583
Country	China
Province	Xinjiang
County-level divisions	8
Government
- CPC Committee Secretary	Zhu Hailun[1]
- Mayor	Jerla Isamudin (吉尔拉·衣沙木丁)
Area
- Total	10,989 km2 (4,242.9 sq mi)
Population (2005)
- Total	2,681,834
- Density	244/km2 (632.1/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard Time (UTC+8)
Postal code	830000
Area code(s)	991
License plate prefixes	新A
GDP (2008)	CNY 102 billion
- per capita	CNY 43,211
ISO 3166-2	CN-65-01
Website	http://www.urumqi.gov.cn/ (Chinese)

Ürümqi or Ürümchi (English pronunciation: /uːˈruːmtʃi/; Uyghur: ئۈرۈمچی‎, Ürümchi; simplified Chinese: 乌鲁木齐; traditional Chinese: 烏魯木齊; pinyin: Wūlǔmùqí), formerly Dihua, is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country.

With an urban population of over 2.3 million people, Ürümqi, whose name means "beautiful pasture" in the Mongolian language of the Dzungar people, is by far the largest city on China's vast Western interior. Since the 1990s Ürümqi has become gradually developed economically and now serves as a regional transport node and commercial centre.

History

Although Ürümqi is situated near the northern route of the Silk Road, it is a relatively young city. During the 22nd year of Emperor Taizong's reign in the Tang Dynasty, AD 648, the Tang government set up the town of Luntai in the ancient town seat of Urabo,^[2] 10 kilometers from the southern suburb of present-day Ürümqi. Ancient Luntai Town was a seat of local government, and collected taxes from the caravans along the northern route of the Silk Road.

Little is heard of the region following the Tang Dynasty until the conquest of Dzungaria in 1755 under the Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. The Dzungars were deliberately exterminated in a brutal campaign of ethnic genocide. One writer, Wei Yuan, described the resulting desolation in what is now northern Xinjiang as: "an empty plain for a thousand li, with no trace of man." After 1759 state farms were established, "especially in the vicinity of Urumchi, where there was fertile, well-watered land and few people."^[3] It has been estimated that more than a million people were slaughtered, and it took generations for it to recover.^[4]

During the Qing Dynasty (1763) the Qianlong Emperor named the expanded town of Luntai "Dihua" (Chinese:迪化; pinyin: Díhuà; Manchu: Wen de dahabure fu), meaning "to enlighten." In 1884, the Guangxu Emperor established Xinjiang as a Province, with Dihua as its capital.^[5]

Following the founding of the People's Republic of China, on February 1, 1954, the city was renamed Ürümqi, meaning "beautiful pasture" in the Mongolian language of the Dzungar people.

The city was the site of major rioting in July 2009 due to conflicts between Han and Uyghur ethnic groups in which nearly 200 people were left dead.

Demographics

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According to the 2000 census, Ürümqi has 2,081,834 inhabitants, with a population density of 174.53 inhabitants/km².

Administrative divisions

Ürümqi currently comprises 8 administrative sub-divisions, county-level units, of these, 7 are districts and 1 is a county.

The areas of the city are divided into 7 districts and 1 county:

	Subdivision			Population	Land area
	Name	Hanzi	Uyghur	as of 2002	km²
	Ürümqi City Proper
	■ Xinshi-qu	新市区	يېڭىشەھەر رايونى‎	360,000	142
	■ Shuimogou-qu	水磨沟区	شۇيموگۇ رايونى	150,000	91
	■ Tianshan-qu	天山区	تەڭرىتاغ رايونى	450,000	171
	■ Saybagh-qu	沙依巴克区	سايباغ رايونى‎	440,000	422
	Ürümqi Suburban and Rural
	■ Midong-qu	米东区		100,000	244
	■ Toutunhe-qu	头屯河区	تۇدۇڭخابا رايونى	130,000	276
	■ Dabancheng-qu	达坂城区	داۋانچىڭ رايونى	40,000	5,042
	■ Ürümqi County	烏魯木齊县	ئۈرۈمچى ناھىيىسى	80,000	4,601

Geography and climate

The largest city in the western half of the People's Republic of China, Ürümqi has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. It is about 1,400 miles (2,500 km) from the nearest coastline (Ürümqi being the city closest to the Eurasian^{[citation needed]} Pole of inaccessibility). The city has an area of 10,989 km². The average elevation is 800 meters.

In Ürümqi a cold desert climate prevails. Ürümqi features hot summers in July with average temperatures of 24°C (75°F) as well as very cold winters with average temperatures in January of -16°C (3°F). The annual average temperature is 5.4°C (41.7°F). Ürümqi is arid, with its summers slightly wetter than its winters. Its annual precipitation is about 240 mm.

Ürümqi with the Tian Shan mountain range in the distance

Economy

Outer ring road bridges in Urumqi at night

Ürümqi is a major industrial center within Xinjiang. Ürümqi, together with Karamay and Bayingolin, account for 64.5% of the total industrial output of Xinjiang. Ürümqi is also the largest consumer center in the region, recording ¥41.9 billion retail sales of consumer goods in 2008, an increase of 26% from 2007. The GDP per capita reached US$6,222 in 2008 [1]. According to statistics, Urumqi ranked 7th in 2008 by the disposable income for urban residents among cities in Western China.^[6] Ürümqi has been a central developmental target for the China Western Development project that the Central Government is pursuing.

Partial panorama of Urumqi at dusk, April 2008

The Urumqi Foreign Economic Relations and Trade Fair (Chinese: 乌洽会) has been held annually since 1991. Its purpose is to promote domestic and foreign markets. The 17th Fair has attracted participants from the Ministry of Commerce and the China Council for Promotion of International Trade.^[7]

As the economic center, Urumqi has expanded its urban area since the 1990s. The CBDs in the city increased rapidly all around the major districts. Zhong Tian Plaza, located in one of the CBDs in North Xinhua Road, is the tallest building in Urumqi and Xinjiang; with a height of 229 metres, it is also the tallest in Northwestern China and Central Asia. Lacking in subway, the city built an outer ring road (外环路) in 2003, which considerably facilitates transport. Zhongshan Road (Sun Yat-sen Road, Chinese: 中山路) in Urumqi has been one of the ten most famous commercial streets in the People's Republic of China since 2005 (through official appraisals). The others are Wangfujing, etc. The commercial street of Zhongshan Road has the largest computer, mobile phone and consumer electronics market, i.e Baihuacun, Ccyber Digital Plaza and Fountain Plaza, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region; it is believed to be the focal point of technological products in Urumqi.

Tourism

• The International Grand Bazaar of Xinjiang (Chinese: 新疆国际大巴扎, Uyghur: شىنجاڭ خەلقئارا چوڭ بازىرى) is an Islamic bazaar located on South Jiefang Road (解放南路). It is one of the most attractive tour sites in Xinjiang and Urumqi.
• Hong Shan Mountain (红山) is the symbolic scenic spot of Urumqi, located in the Hong Shan Park.
• Glacier No. 1 (一号冰川), origin of Urumqi River, is the largest glacier located near a city in China.
• People's Square (人民广场)
• Nanhu Square (南湖广场)
• Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum (新疆维吾尔自治区博物馆)
• Shuimugou Hot Springs (水磨沟温泉) is located 5 km northeast of Urumqi.
• Xinjiang Silk Road Museum (新疆丝绸之路博物馆) [2] is located right next to the Grand Bazaar at No.160 Shengli Road. Bus No.110 stops very close to it. It is located on the fourth and fifth floor of a very large European style building which houses a shopping complex as well. The admission charge is 30 Yuan per person. Most of the exhibits have English names as well and some of their guides speak some English.

Education

Urumqi has many educational campuses including Xinjiang University, Xinjiang Normal University, Xinjiang Agricultural University , Xinjiang Medical University and many others.

Universities

• Xinjiang University (新疆大学)
• Xinjiang Medical University (新疆医科大学)
• Xinjiang Normal University (新疆师范大学)
• Xinjiang Agricultural University (新疆农业大学)
• Xinjiang Arts Institute (新疆艺术学院)
• Xinjiang University of Finance & Economics (新疆财经大学)

High schools

• Urumqi No.1 High School (乌鲁木齐市第一中学)
• Urumqi No.8 Middle School (乌鲁木齐市第八中学)
• Xinjiang Experimental High School (新疆实验中学)
• Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps No.2 High School (新疆生产建设兵团第二中学)
• Senior High School of Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市高级中学)
• Bayi Middle School of Urumqi (乌鲁木齐市八一中学)

Transportation

Air

Ürümqi is served by the Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport. The airport is one of the five major airports in the People's Republic of China. It is also a hub for China Southern Airlines. It has been rumored that a new airline China Central Airlines will start operations at the airport sometime in late 2010.

Rail

• A railway line connects the city to Kashgar (southwest)
• Ürümqi is also on the Beijing–Almaty (Kazakhstan) railway line via Dostyk, Kazakhstan. In 2008, there is a proposal to build a more direct line to Almaty.

Road

• China National Highway 216
• China National Highway 312
• China National Highway 314.

Media

Logo of Urumqi Television Station, shaped after Hong Shan

The Xinjiang Networking Transmission Limited operates the Urumqi People's Broadcasting Station and the Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station, broadcasting in the Mandarin, Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongolian, Russian and the Kyrgyz languages.

The Xinjiang Television Station (XJTV), located in Urumqi, is the major TV broadcasting station in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The local television station for Urumqi city is Urumqi Television Station (UTV)(乌鲁木齐电视台).

Sport

• Xinjiang Flying Tigers is a major basketball team in the region.
• Xinjiang Ticai is a local football team in the Chinese Football Association Yi League

Sister cities

• Peshawar, Pakistan
• Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
• Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Chelyabinsk, Russia

References and footnotes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Urumqi

• Ürümqi Government Official website
• Ürümqi travel guide from Wikitravel

v • d • e Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region History • Politics • Economy • Uyghur people Prefecture-level cities Karamay • Ürümqi Prefectures Aksu • Hami • Hotan • Kashgar • Turpan • Altay1 • Qoqek1 Autonomous prefectures Bayin'gholin • Bortala • Changji • Ili • Kizilsu Sub-prefecture-level cities Aral • Shihezi • Tumushuke • Wujiaqu 1 Part of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture See also: List of Xinjiang County-level divisions

Coordinates: 43°44′N 87°34′E / 43.733°N 87.567°E / 43.733; 87.567