Zhangye

Zhangye

Zhangye is a prefecture level city in Gansu Province. It is located in the northwest of Gansu Province, in the middle of Hexi corridor. It was called "Ganzhou" in ancient times, which is the origin of the word "Gan" in Gansu Province. Zhangye covers an area of 40874 square kilometers and has a population of 1.31 million. It has jurisdiction over Ganzhou District, Linze County, Gaotai County, Shandan County, Minle county and Sunan Yugur Autonomous County. By the end of 2017, there were 1.293 million permanent residents. There are 38 ethnic groups, including Han, Hui, Tibetan and Yugu, among which Yugu is the only ethnic group living in Zhangye.

Zhangye is a national historical and cultural city

As an important town of the ancient Silk Road, it is the main road of the new Eurasian Continental Bridge, an excellent tourist city in China, and the second largest inland river in China, Heihe River, runs through the whole territory. It is the commodity grain base of Gansu Province, and has been known as "jinzhangye and yinwuwei" since ancient times. Zhangye has the largest military horse farm in Asia, a national wetland reserve approved by the State Council, and Zhangye National Geopark, which is rated as one of the top ten wonders of the world by National Geographic magazine.

Zhangye has a long history, splendid culture, beautiful natural scenery and unique cultural landscape. Since ancient times, Zhangye has been known as Jiangnan and jinzhangye. The ancients had a poem that they did not look at the snow on the top of Qilian Mountain and mistook Zhangye for Jiangnan. There are many places of interest in the city, such as Dafo temple, Muta temple, TUTA temple, Xilai temple, MATI temple, Zhenyuan building, Shanxi guild hall, Minqin guild hall, Heishui state site and so on.

Historical evolution

In 1954, archaeologist an Zhimin discovered the sibatan site, about 4000 years ago, 6 kilometers south of Shandan County, Zhangye City. It belongs to the Majiayao culture at the end of Neolithic age. At the same time, he discovered the bronze statue of the ancestors who founded Zhangye nearly a thousand years ago. On its back, there can be a seal character: Yangyang Zhangye. In 1984 and 1987, stone axes and painted pottery of the Neolithic age were successively discovered at the "Heishui state" site in Zhangye City. In July 1987, the Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics team excavated a large number of ground stone tools, pottery, carbonized grain, and tooth bones of pigs, cattle, sheep, and deer at the donghuishan site, 3km northeast of Liuba Township, Minle County, Zhangye City. It is proved that more than 5000 years ago In the Neolithic Age on the right, the ancestors of Zhangye had been engaged in primitive agricultural production and animal husbandry here. They could spin and make clothes with stone balls and spinning wheels, make colorful pottery, and began to use bronze ware.

Zhangye Danxia landform

In the first year of Emperor Yu of Xia Dynasty, Zhangye belonged to the territory of Yongzhou in Yugong and the ruins of Xirong. Yu granted his son to Xirong and became the leader from generation to generation.

 

In the 13th year of King Mu of Zhou Dynasty, Jigong led his division to the West with King Mu, and Xirong surrendered.

 

Before the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC), the Yueshi kingdom was dominated by the Qilian Mountains in Dunhuang, and Zhangye was its territory.

 

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, Rong and Di people lived here.

 

During the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, Wusun and Yueshi lived together in Hexi. After that, Yueshi lived alone.

 

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Xiongnu in the North became strong, defeated and drove away the Yues, and Hexi became the territory of Youxian king of Xiongnu. The East and west of Heihe River were respectively led by King XiuTu and King hunxie.

 

In the Western Han Dynasty, in the second year of Yuanshou (121 BC), Huo Qubing, a general of Hushi, marched into Hexi and defeated Xiongnu. Hunxie and XiuTu led the people to return to the Han Dynasty. In the sixth year of the reign of emperor Ding of the Han Dynasty (111 BC), Zhangye county was established with the meaning of "Zhangguo arm ye, in order to reach the western regions".

 

In the first year of the founding of the people's Republic of China (9 years), Wang Mang abolished the Han Dynasty and established a new one, which changed the names of counties and counties. Zhangye county was renamed as Pingjun County, and Chen county was renamed as an official.

 

In the 27th year of Jianwu, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu ordered the counties to restore their old names. Zhangye county and its counties were restored to their original names.

 

In the first year of Jiankang (144), there were 180 earthquakes in Zhangye, Wuwei, Longxi, Hanyang, Beidi and Wudu since last September. The valley cracked, the temple was destroyed, the people were killed and injured, and the air situation was heavy. Emperor Shun issued an imperial edict and sent doctor Guanglu to visit Zhangye to comfort the people.

 

Xiandi Xingping first year (194) in June, divided into Zhangye County rile, Shandan home West County.

 

During the period of Jin Dynasty and southern and Northern Dynasties, Juqu Mengxun established Beiliang state in Zhangye, with capital Jiankang (today's camel city in Gaotai County). He took measures such as developing agriculture, promoting Confucianism, expanding cultural exchanges with western regions, inheriting and carrying forward Han culture, promoting Buddhism, translating Buddhist scriptures, digging grottoes, and combining local music, song and dance with kuci music to create a new music "Qin and Han Ji" Zhangye culture presented an unprecedented prosperity and became the center of Buddhism in northern China. At the same time, Zhangye became the intermediary of communication and trade between Mainland China and western regions. In the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-535), qinhanji was introduced into the Central Plains, known as Xiliang music, and became the "national skill" of the northern court; Zhangye's Buddhist music was introduced into the Central Plains, known as Xiliang Zhoubei, and became the music of Buddhist temples in the Northern Dynasty. In 554, Zhangye was changed to Ganzhou because of Ganquan.

 

During the Tang Dynasty, agricultural production was vigorously developed, "opening up farmland, making the best use of land and water, achieving a good harvest of rice, and accumulating military grain for decades.". The international trade status of Hexi has reached an unprecedented peak, and Zhangye has become an important place for China's foreign trade. Economic prosperity promotes cultural prosperity. Xuanzang, a famous monk, went to India (Tianzhu) to learn Buddhist Scriptures through Zhangye. Chen Zi'ang, a poet, visited Zhangye and wrote "Shangjian wuhoushu". Wang Wei, Gao Shi, cen Shen and Ma yunqi all left famous poems in Ganzhou. After the introduction of Ganzhou music "bolomen Buddhist music" into the court, Tang Xuanzong changed it into "Ni Shang Yu Yi dance music". After entering the Central Plains, Ganzhou frontier songs became Jiaofang Daqu. The cipai and Qupai named after ganzhoupo, ganzhouzi, basheng Ganzhou and ganzhouqu spread widely. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Zhangye had a close relationship with the Central Plains and the western regions, developed trade through mutual market, and the Buddhist culture was further exchanged with monks.

 

In the Five Dynasties, in the first year of Qianhua in the Later Liang Dynasty (911), Ganzhou Uighur attacked Shazhou, and Zhang Chengfeng made an alliance under the city and took Uighur Khan as his father. In June of the second year of Tongguang (924) of Zhuangzong in the later Tang Dynasty, the Uighur envoys in Ganzhou sent tribute to the later Tang Dynasty, and conferred the title of Wang Renmei as Yingyi Khan. In the third year of emperor Tiancheng (928), the Uighur king Renyu (the younger brother of Renmei) of Ganzhou sent an envoy to pay tribute and was granted the title of Fenghua Khan.

 

In the Northern Song Dynasty, in the sixth year of Tiansheng (1028), Li Yuanhao, the leader of Dangxiang nationality, defeated the Uighurs in Ganzhou and established Xixia. Inheriting the tradition of Han culture, we continued to build water conservancy, develop agriculture, set up education, respected Buddhism and Taoism, and built a large-scale Buddhist temple, the great Buddhist temple.

 

In the Yuan Dynasty, Gansu Province was set up and Zhangye was the provincial capital. Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, personally ordered Dong Wen, a doctor, to use the land of Ganzhou as paddy field and plant rice in the way of Ningxia. Zhahun granary, the largest granary in Gansu Province, was built in the city to supply all kinds of military grain. Marco Polo, an Italian traveler, once stayed in Ganzhou for one year on his way to Shangdu. In Marco Polo's travels, he described the wealth of Zhangye, the scale of the city and the magnificence of religious temples.

 

In the Ming Dynasty, Zhangye was the capital of Shaanxi Province and the seat of Gansu town.

In the Qing Dynasty, Zhangye was the headquarters of Ganzhou Prefecture, the Governor General of Gansu Province and the commander in chief of Liangzhou, Suzhou, Xining and Ningxia. Ganzhou was taken as the military transfer center and logistics base in all the military operations of the Qing Dynasty in the West. In the late Qing Dynasty, Wang Zhizuo, a native of Zhangye, joined the alliance led by Sun Yat Sen when he studied in Japan. After returning home, he publicized revolutionary ideas. His book to Ma Anliang openly supported the Wuchang Uprising, supported the Republic, and abolished the imperial system, which swept the whole province.

 

In 1927, Zhangye county was established.

In May 1985, Zhangye county was abolished and county-level Zhangye City was established, with the former administrative region of Zhangye County as the administrative region of Zhangye City. On August 12, 1992 and June 18, 2000, General Secretary Jiang Zemin visited Zhangye twice and wrote inscriptions on "jinzhangye" and "recasting the glory of jinzhangye". On March 1, 2002, the State Council approved the cancellation of Zhangye Prefecture Level and county level Zhangye City and the establishment of prefecture level Zhangye City. The Municipal People's government is stationed in the newly established South Ring Road of Ganzhou district. Ganzhou district was established in Zhangye City, and the former administrative region of Zhangye City at county level was the administrative region of Ganzhou district. The District People's government is located in Xianfu street. Prefecture Level Zhangye City governs Linze County, Gaotai County, Shandan County, Minle County, Sunan Yugur Autonomous County and the newly established Ganzhou district.

 

administrative division

Zhangye City now governs Ganzhou District, Linze County, Gaotai County, Shandan County, Minle county and Sunan Yugu Autonomous County, with a total of 93 townships and 904 administrative villages. The total area is 40874 square kilometers. There are 26 ethnic groups, including Han, Hui, Yugur, Tibetan and Mongolian, with a population of 1.26 million. The Yugur people living in Sunan County at the northern foot of Qilian Mountain are mainly engaged in animal husbandry. Its unique ethnic customs, is one of the unique ethnic minorities in China.

 

geographical environment

Location context

Zhangye City is located in the west of Gansu Province, in the middle of Hexi Corridor, 97 ° 20 ′～ 97 ° 20 ′ E