|
|
|
|
Gansu Province is shown
in black. Note that Chinese names are in MingLiU (Chinese Traditional) screen
font. This may appear as question
marks or other symbols if that font is not installed on your browser. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Provincial Capital: Lanzhou. Average temperatures: -14 deg
C to -3 deg C in January; 11 deg C to 27 deg C in July. Physical features: The
province has an irregular system of hills and basins, all of which contain
loess-type soil that is classified as semi-arid. The central and western regions have a rugged and barren
appearance, particularly where the land joins the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to
the west and the Mongolia Plateau to the north. Mountain ranges extend along the southern border. The total land area of the province is 390,000
square kilometres. Rivers: The Yellow River passes
through the central part of the province and is the main waterway. Others include Others include: Wei, Tao,
Bailong, Hei and Shule Rivers. Administrative divisions: 13 cities,
2 autonomous prefectures, 60 counties and 7 autonomous counties. Historical significance: The
province came under Chinese administration during the Qin Dynasty (221-207
BC) and became part of the trading network associated with the “Silk
Road”. Minority groups in the
province include the Hui（回）, Tibetan（藏）, Dongxiang （東鄉）, Yugur（裕固）and
Mongolian（蒙）. Major attractions include old outposts such as Dunhuang,
which is famous for its Mogao Grotttoes, and the Jiahuguan Pass, which is the
western limit of the Great Wall. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Notes: *In real terms |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Railways – Rail is an important means of
transport in China’s western region and Lanzhou is a major hub.
It is the intersection point of four trunk railway lines
(Lanzhou-Lianyungang/Longhai, Lanzhou-Xinjiang, Lanzhou-Baotao and
Lanzhou-Qinghai). The international
railway between Asia and Europe (the New Asia-Europe Continental Bridge which
starts from Lianyungang and joins with the Siberia Railway) also runs across
the province. The Lanzhou Western
Goods Station (the largest station for freight transport in northwest China)
is the main transit and consolidation hub of containers on the New
Asia-Europe Continental Bridge. A
double-track rail system goes westward from Lanzhou
and a new double-track line is proposed from Lanzhou
to Baoji in Shaanxi Province. Rail travel time between these two cities
is currently about 9 hours. The new
track system will reduce the journey to less than 6 hours. Roadways －Lanzhou is major road centre in the province. Five provincial-level roadways radiate
from the city, linking it to other provinces are either open or under
construction. Air Transport －The only airport in the province is in Lanzhou, though the scarcity of flat land places it some
distance from the city itself. It
services 37 domestic and overseas destinations. Telecommunications
－Direct telephone
services to over 100 overseas countries and regions are available. Currently, mobile phone subscribers number
about 220,000 and the rate of expansion is 7.8 per cent in Lanzhou. In 2000,
total revenue from telecommunications reached RMB 3.625 billion. Water --
The provincial government stated that more than RMB 619 million would be
allocated over the next three years to improve the water supply in the
province. Electricity － The Liujiaxia（劉家峽）hydropower station in Gansu is one of the
largest in China. With the abundant
hydropower resources of the Yellow river, Gansu is able to provide
electricity for the neighbouring provinces including Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan and Ningxia. Oil Supply － Construction of Lanzhou-Chengdu-Chongqing oil
pipeline has already started. It
would pass through 30 counties and cities in Gansu, Shaanxi and Chongqing
with an annual oil delivering capacity of more than 5 million tons. One of the key projects in the current
5-year plan is to construct an oil pipeline network that connects Xinjiang, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi
and Shanghai. This will allow oil products from the northwest region to be
delivered to the southwest region. It
is expected to be completed in 2002. Gas Supply － A new natural gas
pipeline, Sebei-Xining-Lanzhou, linking Qinghai and Gansu provinces is under
construction. The pipeline will run
953 kilometres from Sebei Natural Gas Field in the Qaidam Basin, through Xining in Qinghai Province to Lanzhou. It is
expected to deliver 2 billion cubic metres of natural gas from northwest to
the eastern parts of China. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Gansu is an important base of
oil refining and the petrochemical industry.
The roles of the Lanzhou Oil Refinery and the Lanzhou Company of
Chemical Industry are significant in developing petrochemical industry in
China. In order to accelerate
development of its resource-based industries, the province has introduced incentives
to encourage foreign investment in the mining, refining and processing of
minerals. Lanzhou
and Tianshui are two major centres for the production
of machinery. At present, the
province supplies over half of the oil-drilling equipment in the
country. In recent years, the textile
industry, including wool and cotton spinning, knitting and chemical fibres,
has developed quickly. Gansu’s major export items
included machinery, petrochemicals and garments. Major export markets were Japan, Hong Kong, the US, Republic of
Korea and Germany. Total amount of
trade in the first half of 2001 reached US$ 332 million, 68 per cent more
than the trade in the same period last year. The nearest seaport to Gansu is
Tianjin, which is 2,000 kilometres away.
As an incentive for exports, the government provides transportation
subsidies to all exporting enterprises, including foreign-invested
enterprises, in the province. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Although not as well developed as the eastern
provinces, Gansu leads China in certain research areas. Jiuquan（酒泉）is one of the satellite launching centre in
China. The particle accelerator
RIBLL, built in 1997, is among the most advanced accelerators in the world. Lanzhou High and New Technological Development Zone （蘭州高新技術產業開發區） This is is the only state-level ETDZ in Gansu. Approved by the State Council in 1988, the Lanzhou Development
Zone aims at developing high-tech industries such as new materials, chemical
products, bio-technology and medical products as well as mechanical and
electrical products. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Lanzhou
has been developed into a major distribution centre of goods in northwestern
China. The Lanzhou Commercial and
Trade Centre（蘭州商貿中心）is the largest commercial building in
Gansu. In addition, Lanzhou
has over 300 commodities distribution markets including markets of
non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, machinery and electronics, building materials,
fur and wool, grain, medicinal herb, vegetables and fruits. Major department stores and
shopping centres in Gansu include Lanzhou Mingzhu Department Store（蘭州民百股份有限公司）, Lanzhou Industrial and Commercial
Shopping Centre （蘭州工貿商場）, Lanzhou Hua Lian Supermarket （蘭州華聯超級市場）, Baiyin Tongcheng
Shopping Arcade（白銀銅城商廈）and Jinda Daxia Co. Ltd.（金達大廈有限公司） |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Ø
Lanzhou, Ø
Baiyun, and Ø
Jinchuan Southern industrial region: This includes the Wei River
and Tao River area: Ø
Tianshui |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The historical significance of Gansu Province and of Lanzhou
are virtually the same. Lanzhou was
an important garrison and transport centre from ancient times. It did not become industrialised until the
western rail line was constructed.
The city is built along the narrow flood plain of the Yellow River, with
low mountains rising a short distance from the river. As a result, when the city expanded it
followed the river for about 20 km. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The city of Jinchuan is located in the northern part of
the central region, on the fringe of the Gobi Desert. It is about 300 km from Lanzhou,
but it is another 800 km from there to the Xinjiang border. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The city of Tianshui is about 250 km southeast of Lanzhou. It is
closer to Baoji in Shaanxi
Province, which lies downstream on the Wei River. Immediately to the south of Tianshui is
Maijishan, a mountain noted for caves that date back to the Northern Wei and
Song dynasties. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Hong Kong Trade Development Council (http://www.tdctrade.com) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
