Tianshui

Tianshui
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Location of Tianshui Prefecture within Gansu (China).png
Tianshui Location of Tianshui Prefecture within Gansu (China).png
Coordinates: 34°35′N 105°44′E / 34.583°N 105.733°E / 34.583; 105.733
Country	China
Province	Gansu
Population (2004)
- Total	3,450,000
Time zone	China standard time (UTC+8)

Tianshui (Chinese: 天水; pinyin: Tiānshuǐ) is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. Its population is approximately 3,500,000.

Tianshui lies along the route of the ancient Northern Silk Road, through which much of trade occurred between China and the west.^[1] Nearby are the Maijishan Grottoes filled with thousands of Buddhist sculptures, represented by figures as Sakyamuni and Avalokitesvara, produced in as early as the Wei Dynasty and as late as the Song Dynasty by Buddhist monks who first came here via the North Silk Road and, later on, by local Buddhists, for worship purposes.^[2]

The Qin state, later to become the founding dynasty of the Chinese empire, grew out from this area, and the Qin name itself is believed to have originated, in part, from there^[3] Qin tombs have been excavated from Fangmatan near Tianshui, including one 2200 year old map of Guixian County.^[4]

Tianshui is a diocese of the Roman Catholic church, currently vacant.^[5]

Footnotes

1. ^ Silk Road, North China, C. Michael Hogan, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham
2. ^ "Artistic treasures of Maiji Mountain caves" by Alok Shrotriya and Zhou Xue-ying. [1]
3. ^ Peoples Daily online, Chinese surname history: Qin.
4. ^ Over 2,200-Year-old Map Discovered in NW China.
5. ^ Diocese of Tsinchow [Tianshui]

Sister cities

One sister city of Tianshui is:

• Bendigo, Australia

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Coordinates: 34°35′N 105°44′E / 34.583°N 105.733°E / 34.583; 105.733