Yulin (榆林)

1. Introduction

Yulin City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northern part of Shaanxi. The city borders Yan'an to the south, Qingyang in Gansu Province and Wuzhong in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region to the southwest, Ordos in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the west and north, and is separated by the Yellow River from Xinzhou and Lüliang in Shanxi Province to the east. Situated in the transitional zone between the edge of the Mu Us Desert and the Loess Plateau, the area contains tributaries of the Yellow River such as the Wuding River, Kuye River, and Tuwei River. With a total area of 42,920 square kilometers, it is the largest prefecture-level city in Shaanxi by area. It has a population of 3.8503 million, and the Municipal People's Government is located at No. 8 Qingshan Road, Yuyang District. Yulin was one of the nine important frontier garrisons during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Great Wall passes through the northern part of the city, making it a crucial route from beyond the Great Wall into Shaanxi and a frontier city where nomadic and agricultural cultures blended. Yulin is a nationally significant producer of coal, petroleum, natural gas, and salt, earning it the nickname "China's Kuwait."

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2. History

2.1 Ancient Times

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, parts of Yulin City (such as Shenmu, Fugu, Jiaxian, etc.) were within the territory of the Zhai people. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was part of the Bai Di in Yongzhou, and during the Warring States period, it was the territory of Shangjun Commandery of the Qin state.

In 221 BCE, after Qin unified the six states, the First Emperor divided the empire into 36 commanderies, with Shangjun being one of them.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Shangjun and Xihe Commandery were under the control of the Xiongnu, and no administrative divisions were established.

In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Helian Bobo of the Tiefu tribe of the Xiongnu established the Great Xia Kingdom at Tongwan City (now the Tongwan City Ruins in Jingbian).

In 427 CE, the Northern Wei Dynasty conquered the Great Xia Kingdom and established the Tongwan Garrison. In the 12th year of the Taihe era of Northern Wei (488 CE), it was reorganized into Xia Prefecture.

In the third year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (583 CE), four prefectures were established: Xia (governed from Tongwan), Chang (governed from Changze, now within Jingbian), Sui (governed from Longquan, now Suide County), and Yin (governed from Rulin, now within Hengshan). In the first year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty (605 CE), Sui Prefecture was renamed Shang Prefecture, and the Shuofang and Diaoyin Commanderies were established.

During the Five Dynasties period, Xia Prefecture (governing Shuofang, Dejing, and Ningsuo counties, all within present-day Jingbian), Yin Prefecture (governing Zhenxiang, Kaiguang, and Rulin counties, now within Mizhi and Jiaxian), Lin Prefecture (governing Xinqin, Liangu, and Yincheng, now within Shenmu), Fu Prefecture (now Fugu), and Sui Prefecture (governing Suide, Longquan, Yanfu, Chengping, and Dabin counties, now within Suide, Qingjian, Wubu, and Zizhou) were established.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, Yulin City belonged to the Yongxingjun Circuit (initially part of the Shaanxi Circuit). Later, in the 22nd year of the Dading era (1182), the military circuit was abolished, and Suide Prefecture and Jinning Prefecture (renamed Jia Prefecture in the 24th year) were established.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Suide Prefecture and Jia Prefecture were under the Yan’an Circuit. Suide Prefecture governed present-day Qingjian and Mizhi counties, while Jia Prefecture governed present-day Shenmu and Fugu counties.

During the Ming Dynasty, it was one of the Nine Frontier Garrisons. In the seventh year of the Chenghua era (1471), the Yulin Garrison was established along the Great Wall.

During the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, Yulin Prefecture and Suide Directly Administered Prefecture were established as provincial-level administrative regions.

2.2 Modern and Contemporary

After the Xinhai Revolution in 1913, the prefecture system was abolished, and the Yulin Circuit was established. Later, the Yulin Circuit was also abolished, and counties were directly administered by the province.

In 1937, the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region Government was established. Except for Yuyang District, all counties in the city were successively liberated. Based on the original Soviet regime, people's governments were established, and two districts, Suide and Sanbian, were set up to govern Suide, Mizhi, Jiaxian, Hengshan, Qingjian, Wubu, and Jingbian, Dingbian, and Anbian (later abolished).

On January 10, 1944, parts of Suide, Mizhi, Qingjian, Hengshan, and Zichang (from the Yan’an District) were combined to establish Zizhou County, which belonged to the Suide District. At that time, the eastern areas of Shenmu and Fugu were designated as the Shenfu Special Zone, under the jurisdiction of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Border Region.

On June 1, 1949, Yulin City was peacefully liberated. The Sanbian District was abolished, and the Yulin District was established, governing six counties: Yulin, Dingbian, Jingbian, Hengshan, Shenmu, and Fugu.

In May 1950, the Suide and Yulin Special Districts were established.

In October 1956, the Suide Special District was abolished, and its six counties—Suide, Mizhi, Jiaxian, Wubu, Qingjian, and Zizhou—were merged into the Yulin Special District. Zichang and Yanchuan were merged into the Yan’an District.

In 1958, the twelve counties were merged into six: Yulin (including Hengshan), Shenmu (including Fugu), Jingbian, Dingbian, Suide (including Wubu, Qingjian, and Zizhou), and Mizhi (including Jiaxian).

In 1961, the merged counties were restored to their original administrative divisions. In 1968, the Yulin Administrative Office was renamed the Yulin Regional Revolutionary Committee.

In 1979, it was renamed the Yulin Regional Administrative Office, a direct agency of the Provincial People's Government. On September 2, 1988, Yulin County was upgraded to the county-level Yulin City.

On July 1, 2000, the Yulin Regional Administrative Office was abolished, and Yulin City was established as a prefecture-level city. The former county-level Yulin City was renamed Yuyang District.

3. Geography

3.1 Location and Scope

Yulin City is situated in the northern part of Shaanxi Province, on the Loess Plateau, within the border region connecting the five provinces (autonomous regions) of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi. It faces the Yellow River and Shanxi Province to the east, connects with the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province to the west, borders the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north, and is adjacent to Yan'an City to the south. It lies between 107°28′–111°15′ east longitude and 36°57′–39°34′ north latitude and administratively belongs to the Northwest China region. It is a regional central city for the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia-Ningxia area. The region spans approximately 385 km from east to west and 263 km from north to south, with a total area of 43,578 square kilometers.

3.2 Topography and Landforms

The landforms are demarcated by the Great Wall. North of the Great Wall is the wind-blown sand and grassland area, accounting for about 43% of the total jurisdiction area, while south of it is the loess hilly and gully region, accounting for about 57%. In terms of geological structural units, it belongs to the central and northern parts of the Ordos Platform Slope and the Northern Shaanxi Platform Depression of the North China Platform. Its northeastern part is close to the Dongsheng Platform Uplift. Historically, there has been no formation of magmatic rocks or magmatic activity, and earthquakes are extremely rare. The overall terrain slopes from west to east. The average altitude in the southwest is 1600–1800 meters, while in other areas it averages 1000–1200 meters. The highest point within the city is Wei Liang in the south of Dingbian County, with an altitude of 1907 meters. The lowest point is the estuary of the Wuding River into the Yellow River in Qingjian, with an altitude of 560 meters. The landforms are categorized into three major types: wind-blown sand and grassland area, loess hilly and gully region, and ridge-like low mountain and hill area.

3.3 Environment

Yulin is located in the transitional zone between the Mu Us Desert and the Loess Plateau, suffering from severe wind erosion, desertification, and soil erosion. The hilly and gully region in the southeast is the area with the most severe soil erosion in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Since the start of the Ninth Five-Year Plan period, the state has designated Yulin as a key area for desertification prevention and control. Twelve counties and districts have implemented key projects such as returning farmland to forests and grasslands, the Natural Forest Protection Program, and the fourth phase of the Northern Shaanxi Shelterbelt Project. For decades, the people of Yulin have persistently pursued "managing soil in the south and managing sand in the north." Led by projects like the "Three Hundred Million Trees" initiative, they have cumulatively brought initial control to 26,400 square kilometers of soil erosion area, accounting for 55% of the total soil erosion area. Annual sediment flow into the Yellow River has been reduced by 240 million tons, a 43.5% decrease compared to the 1950s. The city's forest and grass coverage has reached 30%, with preserved forest area of 16.29 million mu. Of the 8.6 million mu of shifting sand in sandy areas, over 6 million mu have been stabilized or semi-stabilized, shifting the trend from "sand advancing, people retreating" to "people advancing, sand retreating." Desert control heroes such as Niu Yuqin and Shi Guangyin have emerged.

3.4 Natural Resources

Renowned for its abundant energy and mineral resources, Yulin is hailed as China's "Kuwait" and is a national energy and heavy chemical industry base under construction, ultimately aiming to become a technology-integrated, resource-based Chinese "Energy Silicon Valley." Eight major categories and 48 types of minerals have been discovered within the city. Coal: estimated reserves are 694 billion tons, with proven reserves of 166 billion tons. The Shenfu Coalfield is one of the world's seven largest coalfields. Natural Gas: predicted reserves are 6–8 trillion cubic meters, with proven reserves of 1.1 trillion立方米. It is the largest onshore monolithic gas field discovered in China to date, with the main gas storage areas in Jingbian and Hengshan counties. Petroleum: predicted reserves are 600 million tons, with proven reserves of 300 million tons. The main oil storage areas are in Dingbian, Jingbian, Hengshan, and Zizhou counties. Lake Salt: predicted reserves are 60 million tons, with proven reserves of 3.3 million tons. Rock Salt: predicted reserves are 6 trillion tons, accounting for about 50% of the national total, with proven reserves of 885.4 billion tons. Additionally, there are relatively abundant resources of kaolin, bauxite, limestone, quartz sand, etc. The total annual self-produced water resources within the city amount to 3.092 billion cubic meters, with exploitable groundwater of 781 million cubic meters.

Since the 1980s, Yulin has entered a phase of large-scale exploration and development. With the direct involvement of the Shenhua Group Corporation and the China National Petroleum Corporation, the state and local authorities have invested over 30 billion yuan in construction. The "West Coal East Transport" initiative has formed a modern coal base centered on Daliuta. Asia's largest natural gas purification plant has been built in Jingbian, and the "West-East Gas Pipeline" project already supplies gas to major cities like Beijing, Xi'an, and Yinchuan. The "West-East Electricity Transmission" project is located in Yulin, which will become the country's largest thermal power production base. In 1998, the former State Planning Commission officially approved Yulin as a national energy and heavy chemical industry base.

Yulin City is known as the second granary of Shaanxi Province and is one of China's important grain-producing areas. The total cultivated land area reaches 1.0467 million square kilometers, of which 709,300 square kilometers are regularly cultivated. Main crops include corn, potatoes, millet, and mung beans.

3.5 Climate

Yulin has a semi-arid continental monsoon climate with four distinct seasons, significant monsoon characteristics, and high sunshine levels. Winters are cold and dry, summers are hot and muggy, and spring and autumn are relatively short. The average January temperature is −9.4°C, the average July temperature is 23.4°C, and the annual average temperature is 8.3°C. | Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-----------------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|------------|-----------|-----------|------------|------------| | Avg High °C | -0.9 | 3.8 | 10.4 | 18.6 | 24.5 | 28.5 | 30.0 | 27.6 | 22.9 | 16.4 | 8.1 | 0.9 | 15.9 | | Avg High °F | 30.4 | 38.8 | 50.7 | 65.5 | 76.1 | 83.3 | 86.0 | 81.7 | 73.2 | 61.5 | 46.6 | 33.6 | 60.6 | | Daily Mean °C | -8.7 | -3.7 | 3.1 | 11.0 | 17.4 | 21.7 | 23.7 | 21.4 | 16.1 | 9.1 | 0.7 | -6.5 | 8.8 | | Daily Mean °F | 16.3 | 25.3 | 37.6 | 51.8 | 63.3 | 71.1 | 74.7 | 70.5 | 61.0 | 48.4 | 33.3 | 20.3 | 47.8 | | Avg Low °C | -15.1 | -9.9 | -3.0 | 3.9 | 10.1 | 14.8 | 17.7 | 16.1 | 10.5 | 3.3 | -4.9 | -12.3 | 2.6 | | Avg Low °F | 4.8 | 14.2 | 26.6 | 39.0 | 50.2 | 58.6 | 63.9 | 61.0 | 50.9 | 37.9 | 23.2 | 9.9 | 36.7 | | Avg Precip mm | 2.3 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 18.7 | 36.0 | 48.4 | 73.7 | 107.0 | 51.3 | 22.3 | 6.9 | 2.1 | 383.4 | | Average precipitation inches | 0.09 | 0.13 | 0.44 | 0.74 | 1.42 | 1.91 | 2.90 | 4.21 | 2.02 | 0.88 | 0.27 | 0.08 | 15.09 | | Average precipitation days | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 8.1 | 9.7 | 10.4 | 8.9 | 5.3 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 65.1 | | Average relative humidity (%) | 55 | 49 | 45 | 40 | 44 | 51 | 60 | 67 | 67 | 62 | 57 | 55 | 54 | | Mean monthly sunshine hours | 197.8 | 187.7 | 220.3 | 245.0 | 282.4 | 278.8 | 269.5 | 252.1 | 232.5 | 225.7 | 198.5 | 186.5 | 2,776.8 | | Percentage of possible sunshine | 65 | 62 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 63 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 65 | 63 | 63 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Yulin City administers 2 districts, 9 counties, and has jurisdiction over 1 county-level city.

• Districts: Yuyang District, Hengshan District
• County-level City: Shenmu City
• Counties: Fugu County, Jingbian County, Dingbian County, Suide County, Mizhi County, Jia County, Wubu County, Qingjian County, Zizhou County Yulin High-Tech Industrial Development Zone is a national-level high-tech industrial development zone established by Yulin City. | Division Code | Division Name | Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|---------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 610800 | Yulin City | Yūlín Shì | 42,920.18 | 3,624,750 | Yuyang District | 719000 | 29 | 147 | 8 | | 610802 | Yuyang District | Yǔyáng Qū | 6,809.94 | 967,639 | Qingshanlu Subdistrict | 719000 | 12 | 14 | 5 | | 610803 | Hengshan District | Héngshān Qū | 4,286.62 | 283,918 | Xiazhou Subdistrict | 719100 | 5 | 13 | | | 610822 | Fugu County | Fǔgǔ Xiàn | 3,201.37 | 255,397 | Fugu Town | 719400 | | 14 | | | 610824 | Jingbian County | Jīngbiān Xiàn | 4,970.36 | 389,002 | Zhangjiaban Subdistrict | 718500 | 1 | 16 | | | 610825 | Dingbian County | Dìngbiān Xiàn | 6,821.39 | 339,077 | Dingbian Subdistrict | 718600 | 1 | 16 | 2 | | 610826 | Suide County | Suíde Xiàn | 1,853.33 | 255,294 | Mingzhou Town | 718000 | | 15 | | | 610827 | Mizhi County | Mǐzhī Xiàn | 1,178.70 | 141,324 | Yinzhou Subdistrict | 718100 | 1 | 8 | | | 610828 | Jia County | Jiā Xiàn | 2,029.82 | 113,035 | Jiazhou Subdistrict | 719200 | 1 | 12 | | | 610829 | Wubu County | Wǔbǔ Xiàn | 420.84 | 53,938 | Songjiachuan Subdistrict | 718200 | 1 | 5 | | | 610830 | Qingjian County | Qīngjiàn Xiàn | 1,850.32 | 115,645 | Kuanzhou Town | 718300 | | 9 | | | 610831 | Zizhou County | Zǐzhōu Xiàn | 2,023.68 | 138,612 | Shuanghuyu Subdistrict | 718400 | 1 | 11 | 1 | | 610881 | Shenmu City | Shénmù Shì | 7,473.83 | 571,869 | Tengzhou Subdistrict | 719300 | 6 | 14 | |

5. Economy

In 2023, Yulin City achieved a gross domestic product (GDP) of 709.144 billion yuan, an increase of 4.4% over the previous year, making its economic aggregate the second largest in Shaanxi Province; the total fiscal revenue (temporarily unknown) was billion yuan.

6. Transportation

6.1 Public Transportation

There are currently 31 bus routes in operation with 429 vehicles. The fare for most urban bus routes is 1 yuan, while a few longer-distance routes cost 2-3 yuan. Citizens using the Yulin Tuocheng Tong card can enjoy a 30% discount, student cardholders receive a 50% discount, and citizens aged 60 and above ride for free. The Tuocheng Tong card has joined the National Urban Public Transportation Card Interoperability Platform, enabling interoperability with public transportation cards from 35 cities, including Shanghai, Tianjin, and Shenyang. Citizens from networked cities can use their local public transportation IC cards to pay for public transit and other consumption in other networked cities, while also enjoying various local preferential policies.

6.2 Aviation

Yulin Yuyang Airport is the second-largest aviation hub in Shaanxi Province. Currently, more than ten airlines operate at the airport, with flight destinations covering over 20 domestic cities, including Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Urumqi, Wuhan, and Nanjing.

6.3 Highways

In 2003, highway construction completed an investment of 2.4 billion yuan, representing a 33% increase, equivalent to the total investment during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. The total highway mileage in the city reached 20,540.9 kilometers, including 5,734.2 kilometers of classified highways and 200 kilometers of expressways, accounting for one-fifth of Shaanxi Province's total. Six high-grade highways were under simultaneous construction, with a highway density of 15.37 kilometers per 100 square kilometers. This formed a highway network centered on National Highways 210 and 307, as well as provincial highways such as Baoshenfu and Yujingxi. By the end of 2016, the total highway mileage in Yulin City reached 31,004 kilometers, an increase of 320 kilometers from the previous year. Of this total, expressways accounted for 1,005 kilometers, national highways for 1,098 kilometers, provincial highways for 254 kilometers, and rural roads for 28,647 kilometers. Among rural roads, county roads spanned 2,462 kilometers, and township roads covered 3,468 kilometers.

6.4 Highway Passenger Transport

In terms of highway passenger transport, Yulin North Bus Station and Yulin South Bus Station together form the passenger transport network, responsible for both intra-provincial and inter-provincial highway transportation.

6.5 Railway

Currently, there are three railway lines in Yulin:

• The Baotou-Shenmu Railway, with a total length of 189 kilometers, of which 48 kilometers are within Yulin.
• The Shenmu-Shuozhou Railway, with a total length of 274 kilometers, of which 100 kilometers are within Yulin.
• The Shenmu-Yan'an Railway, with a total length of 385 kilometers, of which 299.9 kilometers are within Yulin. By the end of 2013, Yulin had opened railway lines to over 20 domestic cities, including Xi'an, Beijing, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, Hohhot, Baotou, and Chongqing.

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7. Population

At the end of 2022, the city's permanent resident population was 3.6161 million, with a birth rate of 7.28‰, a death rate of 7.02‰, and a natural growth rate of 0.26‰. The urban population was 2.2528 million, accounting for 62.3%; the rural population was 1.3633 million, accounting for 37.7%.

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 3,624,750. Compared with the 3,351,436 people from the Sixth National Population Census, the total increase over the ten years was 273,314 people, a growth of 8.16%, with an average annual growth rate of 0.79%. Among them, the male population was 1,918,899, accounting for 52.94% of the total population; the female population was 1,705,851, accounting for 47.06% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 112.49. The population aged 0–14 was 775,935, accounting for 21.41% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 2,254,627, accounting for 62.2% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 594,188, accounting for 16.39% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 403,266, accounting for 11.13% of the total population. The urban resident population was 2,232,798, accounting for 61.6% of the total population; the rural resident population was 1,391,952, accounting for 38.4% of the total population.

7.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han ethnic group population was 3,617,623, accounting for 99.8%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 7,127, accounting for 0.2%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han ethnic group population increased by 270,380, a growth of 8.08%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.07 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 2,934, a growth of 69.97%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.07 percentage points.

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8. National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units

• Tongwan City Site
• Fuzhou City
• Baiyunshan Temple
• Yangjiagou Revolutionary Site
• Shimao Site
• Lijiaya City Site
• Linzhou Ancient City
• Wubao Stone City
• Yulin Wei City
• Panlongshan Ancient Architectural Complex
• Jiang's Manor
• Yinzhou Ancient City
• Dailai City Site
• Zouma Liang Han Dynasty Tomb Cluster
• Yangqiaopan Han Dynasty City Site and Cemetery
• Hongmen Temple Pagoda
• Qixing Temple
• Suide Dang's Manor

9. Sister Cities

On March 23, 2008, Yulin established a sister city relationship with Baytown, Texas, USA.

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Yuyang District

Yuyang District

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Elm

Peach blossom