|
|
|
|
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.hktdc.com).) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
