Zhongwei (中卫)

1. Introduction

Zhongwei City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It is located in the western part of Ningxia, on the west bank of the Yellow River. The city borders Wuzhong City to the east, Guyuan City to the south, Baiyin City of Gansu Province to the west, and the Alxa League of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north. Situated at the junction of Ningxia, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia, it lies on the southern edge of the Tengger Desert. The terrain is higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, with alluvial plains along both banks of the Yellow River and the Longzhong Mountains and loess hills in the south. The Yellow River flows through the northern part of the city, and the Qingshui River joins it in the east. The municipal people's government is located in Shapotou District. In recent years, Zhongwei has focused on developing into a tourist city, featuring the famous national 5A-level tourist attraction, Shapotou.

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2. History

Zhongwei boasts a long history, with human habitation and activity dating back over 30,000 years. During the Spring and Autumn period, it was an area inhabited by both the Qiang and Rong peoples. In the 35th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin (272 BC), the Qin state dispatched troops to defeat the Yiqu, subsequently establishing the commanderies of Longxi, Beidi, and Shangjun. Zhongwei fell under Fuping County in Beidi Commandery. In the second year of Emperor Gaozu of Han (205 BC), fortifications along the river were rebuilt, and Xuanjuan County was established within the present-day Zhongwei area. In the third year of the Yuanshou era of the Western Han (120 BC), Emperor Wu of Han relocated over 700,000 disaster victims from the interior to the lands south of the Hetao region for garrison farming, marking the beginning of irrigated agriculture in Zhongwei. Between the sixth year of Yuanding and the second year of Yuanfeng (111–109 BC), the excavation of the Zhizhu Canal (today's Meili Canal) for irrigation began locally.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it belonged to Mingsha County in Lingzhou Commandery. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, it was part of Xiongzhou and Feng'an County. In the Northern Song dynasty, it was under Changhua Town. During the Western Xia, it was organized as Yingjili Stockade and Yingli Prefecture. The Yuan dynasty continued to administer Yingli Prefecture. In the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty (1403), the Ningxia Right Guard was renamed Ningxia Zhongwei, subordinate to the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission and defended by 6,000 soldiers—this marks the origin of the name "Zhongwei." In the fourth year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming dynasty (1439), the Zhongwei Confucian Temple School was established. In the 31st year of the Jiajing era (1552), Song Wenjian passed the provincial imperial examination in the Renwu year, becoming Zhongwei's first successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

In the second year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing dynasty (1724), Zhongwei County was established under Ningxia Prefecture. In 1933, it was divided into Zhongwei and Zhongning counties. In 1954, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu Province. With the establishment of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in 1958, Zhongwei and Zhongning were successively placed under the jurisdiction of Yinchuan Prefecture, Yinnan Prefecture, and Wuzhong City, while Haiyuan was successively under Guyuan Prefecture and Guyuan City. In April 2004, Zhongwei was established as a prefecture-level city.

3. Geography

Zhongwei City is located in the central-western part of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, at the junction of Ningxia, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. It is the first gravity-fed irrigation city in the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River. The terrain is higher in the southwest and lower in the northeast, with an average urban elevation of 1,225 meters. The landforms are divided into five major units: the Yellow River alluvial plain, terraces, deserts, mountains, and hills.

Zhongwei City boasts fertile land and abundant resources, often described as "the Yellow River enriches Ningxia, and Zhongwei is the richest of all." With 1.11 million mu of irrigated land from the Yellow River, it is an important production base for commercial grain, aquatic products, and greenhouse vegetables in northwestern China. The region is rich in diverse mineral resources, with significant reserves of over 20 types, including coal, gypsum, silica, clay, limestone, gold, silver, copper, and iron. Among these, gypsum reserves amount to approximately 7 billion tons, ranking second in the country. Water resources are abundant, with the Yellow River flowing 182 kilometers through the city, featuring a maximum natural drop of 144 meters, an average annual flow of 24 billion cubic meters, and a flow rate of 1,040 cubic meters per second. These exceptional water resources offer immense development potential. The national key project "West-East Gas Pipeline" traverses the entire region.

Zhongwei City experiences a temperate arid to semi-arid climate. Influenced by the desert, it enjoys ample sunshine and significant diurnal temperature variations. The average annual temperature ranges from 7.3°C to 9.5°C, with an average relative humidity of 57%. The frost-free period lasts 158 to 169 days, and the average annual precipitation ranges from 180 to 367 millimeters.

Meteorological Data of Zhongwei City (Average from 1981 to 2010)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------|----------|----------|----------| | Avg High °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 24.3 (75.7) | 27.7 (81.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 27.7 (81.9) | 23.6 (74.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 9.3 (48.7) | 2.5 (36.5) | 16.8 (62.2) | | Daily Mean °C (°F) | -7.2 (19.0) | -2.6 (27.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 11.8 (53.2) | 17.1 (62.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 22.9 (73.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 16.0 (60.8) | 9.5 (49.1) | 1.8 (35.2) | -4.9 (23.2) | 9.2 (48.6) | | Avg Low °C (°F) | -13.5 (7.7) | -9.0 (15.8) | -2.3 (27.9) | 4.3 (39.7) | 9.9 (49.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 16.6 (61.9) | 15.1 (59.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | -3.5 (25.7) | -10.4 (13.3) | 2.9 (37.2) | | Avg Precipitation mm (inches) | 1.5 (0.06) | 1.4 (0.06) | 3.4 (0.13) | 10.8 (0.43) | 18.1 (0.71) | 26.8 (1.06) | 33.6 (1.32) | 44.0 (1.73) | 22.8 (0.90) | 12.0 (0.47) | 1.6 (0.06) | 0.5 (0.02) | 176.5 (6.95) | | Avg Relative Humidity % | 52 | 47 | 45 | 41 | 49 | 57 | 63 | 68 | 68 | 60 | 59 | 56 | 55 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Zhongwei City administers 1 district and 2 counties.

• District: Shapotou District
• Counties: Zhongning County, Haiyuan County

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|--------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 640500 | Zhongwei City | Zhōngwèi Shì | 13,650.14 | 1,067,336 | Shapotou District | 751700 | | 21 | 19 | | 640502 | Shapotou District | Shāpōtóu Qū | 5,380.42 | 399,796 | Binhe Town | 751700 | | 10 | 1 | | 640521 | Zhongning County | Zhōngníng Xiàn | 3,280.17 | 334,022 | Ning'an Town | 751200 | | 6 | 6 | | 640522 | Haiyuan County | Hǎiyuán Xiàn | 4,989.55 | 333,518 | Sanhe Town | 751800 | | 5 | 12 |

5. Economy

In 2012, the city's regional GDP reached 25.041 billion yuan, local fiscal revenue amounted to 3.038 billion yuan, total fixed asset investment in the whole society was 24.664 billion yuan, total retail sales of consumer goods stood at 4.399 billion yuan, per capita disposable income of urban residents was 17,867 yuan, and per capita net income of rural residents was 5,927 yuan.

The world's 10th data center, Amazon AWS, is located in the "Zhongwei Western Cloud Base" in Zhongwei, Ningxia.

6. Transportation

6.1 Highways

• National Highway 109, National Highway 338
• G6 Beijing–Lhasa Expressway
• G70 Fuzhou–Yinchuan Expressway
• G2012 Dingbian–Wuhai Expressway
• G1816 Wuhai–Maqên Expressway
• Menghai Expressway
• Zhonghai Expressway
• Zhaihai Expressway

6.2 Railways

• Baotou–Lanzhou Railway
• Baoji–Zhongwei Railway
• Taiyuan–Zhongwei Railway
• Ganwu Railway
• Yinchuan–Lanzhou High-Speed Railway

6.3 Aviation

• Zhongwei Shapotou Airport

7. Education

• Ningxia University (Zhongwei Campus)

8. Population

At the end of 2022, Zhongwei City had a total registered population of 1.2215 million and a resident population of 1.0804 million. At the end of 2021, the total registered population of Zhongwei City was 1.2214 million.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 1,067,336. Compared with the 1,080,832 people from the Sixth National Population Census, the population decreased by 13,496 over the past ten years, a decline of 1.25%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.13%. Among them, the male population was 547,122, accounting for 51.26% of the total population; the female population was 520,214, accounting for 48.74% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 105.17. The population aged 0-14 was 242,394, accounting for 22.71% of the total population; the population aged 15-59 was 679,053, accounting for 63.62% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 145,889, accounting for 13.67% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 104,568, accounting for 9.8% of the total population. The urban population was 530,471, accounting for 49.7% of the total population; the rural population was 536,865, accounting for 50.3% of the total population.

8.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han population was 674,385, accounting for 63.18%; the Hui population was 390,000, accounting for 36.54%; and the population of other ethnic minorities was 2,951, accounting for 0.28%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population decreased by 31,017, a decline of 4.4%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 2.08 percentage points; the population of all ethnic minorities increased by 17,521, a growth of 4.67%, and their proportion of the total population increased by 2.08 percentage points. Among them, the Hui population increased by 16,657, a growth of 4.46%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 2 percentage points.

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9. Sister Cities

• 2007 Cuatrociénegas Municipality, Coahuila, Mexico
• 2019 Provence (region), Bouches-du-Rhône, France

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Shapotou District

Shapotou District

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