Qingyang, Gansu

Qingyang 庆阳市
Prefecture-level city
Location of Qingyang Prefecture within Gansu
Coordinates (Qingyang municipal government): 35°42′33″N 107°38′37″E / 35.7091°N 107.6436°E / 35.7091; 107.6436
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Gansu
County-level divisions	1 district 7 counties
Township-level divisions	3 subdistricts 36 towns 79 townships 1 ethnic township
Village-level divisions	74 residential communities 1,254 villages
Municipal seat	Xifeng District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	27,119 km2 (10,471 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Prefecture-level city	2,158,400
• Urban	949,200
• Rural	1,209,200
GDP[2]
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 60.9 billion US$ 9.8 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 27,366 US$ 4,394
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	745100
Area code	0934
ISO 3166 code	CN-GS-10
Licence plate prefixes	甘M
Administrative division code	621000
Website	www.zgqingyang.gov.cn

Qingyang (simplified Chinese: 庆阳; traditional Chinese: 慶陽; pinyin: Qìngyáng) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China.

Geography and climate

Qingyang is the easternmost prefecture-level division of Gansu and is thus sometimes referred to as "Longdong" (陇东). It forms an administrative peninsula, as it is surrounded, on all sides but the south, by Shaanxi and Ningxia. It is in the lower middle part of the Yellow River on the loess plateau and is within the eastern Gansu basin. Elevation ranges from 885 to 2082 meters above sea-level. There are 5 major rivers in Qingyang including the Malian (马莲河), Pu (蒲河), Hong (洪河), Xilang (四郎河), and Hulu or "Gourd" (葫芦河). Their combined annual flow is more than 800 million cubic meters. Bordering prefecture-level cities are:

Shaanxi:

• Yulin – north
• Yan'an – northeast
• Xianyang – southeast

Gansu:

• Pingliang – south/southwest

Ningxia:

• Guyuan – west
• Wuzhong – northwest

Qingyang has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb) with monsoonal influences. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from −4.2 °C (24.4 °F) in January to 21.4 °C (70.5 °F) in July, with the annual mean standing at 9.20 °C (48.6 °F). The normal annual precipitation is 528 mm (20.8 in), with a two/thirds of it occurring from June to September, and winter seeing minimal precipitation.

Average temperatures for most of Qingyang's administrative area range between 7 and 10 °C. Annual precipitation is 480 to 660 mm and there are between 140~180 frost free days.^{[citation needed]}

The area is 27,119 km² (10,471 sq mi) with 200 km² (77 sq mi) of forest and 530 km² (200 sq mi) of grassland.^{[citation needed]}

History

Qingyang was part of the area where the earliest cultures along the Yellow River developed and was part of the heartland of the Qin state that would eventually unite China. It was also an important place in the Chinese Communist Revolution.

Meteor shower

In March or April 1490 AD a presumed meteor shower occurred in the Qingyang district.^[5][6] If a meteor shower did occur, it may have been the result of the breakup of an asteroid. At least three surviving Chinese historical records describe a shower during which "stones fell like rain", killing more than 10,000 people.^[5][7] Due to the paucity of detailed information and the lack of surviving meteorites or other physical evidence, researchers have also been unable to definitively state the exact nature of the dramatic event.^[8]

Administration

Qingyang has 1 urban district, 7 counties, and 146 towns with a total population of 2,158,400, of which 949,200 live in urban areas.^[1]

Map
Xifeng Qingcheng County Huan County Huachi County Heshui County Zhengning County Ning County Zhenyuan County
#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2022 est.)[9]	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
1	Xifeng District	西峰区	Xīfēng Qū	513,900	996	331
2	Qingcheng County	庆城县	Qìngchéng Xiàn	235,200	2,673	120
3	Huan County	环县	Huán Xiàn	301,700	9,236	37
4	Huachi County	华池县	Huáchí Xiàn	118,300	3,776	34
5	Heshui County	合水县	Héshuǐ Xiàn	134,700	2,976	57
6	Zhengning County	正宁县	Zhèngníng Xiàn	173,200	1,329	173
7	Ning County	宁县	Níng Xiàn	331,700	2,633	197
8	Zhenyuan County	镇原县	Zhènyuán Xiàn	510,000	3,500	146

Economy

In 2022 Qingyang's GDP was 102.226 Billion RMB, 4.4% growth over the previous year. 12.2% of GDP was generated by the primary sector, 54.0% by the secondary sector and 33.8% by the tertiary sector. The per capita income was 22,878 RMB, for urban residents 37,585 RMB and for rural residents 12,276 RMB^[1]

Petroleum and natural gas are the backbone of Qingyang's economy. Agricultural products include grains, donkeys, Huan County sheep, cattle, Jin jujubes, milk, apple, apricots and other fruits, vegetables, and berries. 69 different kinds of Chinese medicinal plants and herbs are collected or grown here, 25 of which are exported.

Transportation

• Qingyang Airport
• China National Highway 211
• China National Highway 309
• G22 Qingdao–Lanzhou Expressway
• Xi'an-Pingliang railway (limited service, station at Ning County)

Culture

Qingyang is famous for its rich folk culture. Traditional Chinese art forms such as shadow puppet theater, paper cuts (such as the Qingyang sachet), folk music, and songs are still part of Qingyang's culture.

The local newspaper is called Longdong Daily (Chinese: 陇东报).^[1]

References

External links

• Official Website (Chinese)