Jiayuguan (嘉峪关)

1. Introduction

Jiayuguan City is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Gansu Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northwestern part of Gansu Province. The city is bordered by Jiuquan City to the west, north, and east, and shares a boundary with Zhangye City to the south. Situated in the western section of the Hexi Corridor, it features the Heishan Mountains to the northwest, the Wenshu Mountains to the south, and the Hexi Corridor Plain in the central area. The Taolai River flows through the southeastern part of the city. The total area of the city is 1,224 square kilometers, with a population of 243,900. The municipal government is located on Tiyu Avenue. Historically, Jiayuguan City was long part of Jiuquan County. It derives its name from the Jiayuguan Pass at the western end of the Ming Great Wall. The city's development began in the 1950s following the discovery of iron ore in Jingtieshan, Sunan County, and the subsequent establishment of the Jiuquan Iron and Steel Company. Jiayuguan City was established in 1965, marking its first formation as an administrative entity, and became a prefecture-level city directly under the jurisdiction of Gansu Province in 1971.

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2. History

As early as the Neolithic Age, the Jiayuguan area was inhabited by humans. Cultural relics dating back 5,000 years have been discovered on the cliff walls of the Heishan Gorge. Nomadic peoples such as the Qiang, Rong, Yuezhi, Wusun, and Xiongnu all lived and thrived in the region. During the Western Han Dynasty, the Jiayuguan area was under the control of the Xiongnu. In the second year of the Yuanshou era (121 BCE), Emperor Wu of Han launched the Hexi Campaign, defeated the Xiongnu, and incorporated the Hexi Corridor into the territory of the Western Han Dynasty. Jiayuguan was then placed under the newly established Jiuquan Commandery. In the late Han and early Wei periods, the area was plagued by military conflicts. Local figures such as Qu Yan, Huang Hua, and Zhang Jin rebelled against Cao Wei from the region but were later defeated by Su Ze and Zhang Ji. Consequently, the Jiayuguan area came under the jurisdiction of Cao Wei, where the tuntian (military-agricultural colonies) system was implemented, gradually restoring and developing agricultural production. Subsequently, through the rule of the Former Liang, Later Liang, and Northern Liang, the area remained part of Jiuquan Commandery. After the Northern Wei captured Guzang, the region was placed under the Guazhou (Shazhou) Jiuquan Commandery. Following the Northern Wei, the area was also under the jurisdiction of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou. After the Sui Dynasty succeeded the Northern Zhou, the area belonged to Fulu County of Suzhou. Later, as Fulu County was renamed Jiuquan County, the area followed suit. In the early Tang Dynasty, the administrative arrangement remained the same as in the Sui period. During this time, the area was occupied by the Tibetan Empire but was soon recaptured by Zhang Yichao, the military governor of the Guiyi Army. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom defeated the Guiyi Army and began ruling the area until the Western Xia conquered the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the area still belonged to Jiuquan, Suzhou. In the fifth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1372), Feng Sheng captured Hexi and subsequently built the Jiayuguan Pass in Suzhou, which is the origin of the name of today's Jiayuguan City. In the sixth year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1649), the Qing government gained control of the area, with Jiayuguan then belonging to Jiuquan County of Suzhou Zhili Prefecture, Gansu Province.

After the establishment of the Republic of China, Jiayuguan remained part of Jiuquan County. Due to its deep inland location, the area suffered little damage from warfare during the Second Sino-Japanese War. In the later stages of the Chinese Civil War, the People's Liberation Army defeated the National Revolutionary Army and liberated the Jiayuguan area on September 25, 1949. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the newly formed Gansu Provincial Government dispatched a resource survey team in 1953 to conduct mineral exploration across the province. In March 1955, the survey team confirmed the presence of a large iron ore deposit at Jingtieshan, southwest of Jiayuguan. In June 1956, the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry decided to establish a steel enterprise in Jiayuguan, with a designed annual output of 2 million tons. Subsequently, the Jingtieshan Iron Mine was exploited, and Jiayuguan gradually developed due to the steel industry. In 1965, the State Council of the People's Republic of China decided to carve out the Jiayuguan Commune of Jiuquan County and part of the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County to establish the county-level Jiayuguan City. On September 27, 1971, the State Council of the People's Republic of China approved the elevation of Jiayuguan City from a county-level to a prefecture-level city, directly administered by the Gansu Provincial Revolutionary Committee (now the Gansu Provincial People's Government).

3. Geography

3.1 Territory

At its initial establishment on July 19, 1965, the territory of Jiayuguan City essentially comprised the area of what is now the Jiayuguan Commune and the Jingtieshan mining area. On January 1, 1972, the Xincheng and Wenshu communes of Jiuquan County, along with the Qiwen and Qiqing communes of the Qifeng District in Sunan County, were placed under the jurisdiction of Jiayuguan City. However, the Qiwen and Qiqing communes were subsequently reassigned back to Sunan on December 8, 1972. Since then, the territorial scope of Jiayuguan City has remained as it is today.

Present-day Jiayuguan City is located in the northwest of Gansu Province, at the western end of the central Hexi Corridor, approximately 750 kilometers from the provincial capital, Lanzhou. The city lies between latitudes 39°39′N and 39°59′N, and longitudes 97°51′E and 98°31′E. It stretches about 40 kilometers from east to west and about 35 kilometers from north to south, characterized by a longer east-west dimension than its north-south span. The total land area is approximately 1,224 square kilometers. It borders Suzhou District of Jiuquan City to the east; Yumen City to the west; the Qilian Mountains and Sunan Yugur Autonomous County to the south; and the Gobi Desert and Jinta County of Jiuquan to the north. The total length of its administrative boundaries is about 196.6 kilometers, with boundaries to Yumen, Jinta, Suzhou, and Sunan measuring 43 km, 38 km, 55.6 km, and 60 km respectively.

3.2 Topography and Landforms

Jiayuguan City is situated in the transitional zone between the Qilian Mountains and the Hexi Corridor. Its geological structure is simple, with uniform rock strata. The area was once submerged under the sea and later gradually emerged. Through several intense tectonic activities during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, the current topography and landscape of Jiayuguan were formed. The overall terrain of Jiayuguan City is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The Qilian Mountains in the southwestern corner have elevations above 2,000 meters, with the highest peaks exceeding 2,700 meters. The central area is primarily covered by gravelly flat Gobi desert, with sparse vegetation and only a few oases. The northeastern corner mainly consists of alluvial fans and valleys formed by the sedimentation or flooding of the Beida River, featuring relatively more vegetation. Beyond the Qilian Mountains, the local northwestern, southeastern, and northern areas also contain mountain ranges such as Yushugou Mountain, Wenshu Mountain, and Heishan Mountain.

3.3 Climate

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |-------------------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|----------| | Avg High °F | 28 | 37 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 72 | 59 | 41 | 32 | 58 | | Avg Low °F | 3 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 45 | 54 | 59 | 57 | 46 | 32 | 21 | 10 | 34 | | Avg High °C | −2 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 22 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 15 | | Avg Low °C | −16 | −11 | −3 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 0 | −6 | −12 | 1 |

3.4 Mineral Resources

Proven mineral resources include 21 types, with over 40 production sites. Iron, manganese, copper, gold, limestone, mirabilite, molding clay, and barite are among the city's advantageous minerals. The total iron ore reserves of the Jingtieshan Mine are 483 million tons, and it has now established a production capacity of 5 million tons, making it the largest underground metallurgical mine in China. The Xigou Limestone Mine has reserves of 206 million tons, is open-pit mined, and has an annual output of 800,000 tons. The total reserves of molding clay at Dacaotan are 98 million tons. Neighboring areas also contain considerable reserves of mirabilite and exploitable deposits of chromium, manganese, fluorite, and glacial stone.

4. Administrative Divisions

| Division Code | Division Name | Chinese Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population | Communities | Administrative Villages | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|--------------------------|-----------------|----------------------------| | 620200001 | Xiongguan Subdistrict | Xióngguān Jiēdào | 38.01 | 178,000 | 17 | 0 | | 620200002 | Gangcheng Subdistrict | Gāngchéng Jiēdào | 119.8 | 149,100 | 14 | 0 | | 620201100 | Xincheng Town | Xīnchéng Zhèn | 271.8 | 10,756 | 0 | 8 | | 620201101 | Yuquan Town | Yùquán Zhèn | 802 | 3,082 | 0 | 3 | | 620201102 | Wenshu Town | Wénshū Zhèn | 134 | 7,505 | 0 | 6 |

Jiayuguan City is one of the four prefecture-level cities in the People's Republic of China that do not have county-level districts (direct tube cities). It administers two subdistrict offices, Xiongguan Subdistrict and Gangcheng Subdistrict, and three designated towns: Xincheng Town, Yuquan Town, and Wenshu Town.

4.1 Evolution of Divisions

The Jiayuguan City government originally had two dispatched agencies: the Urban Area Work Office and the Suburban Area Work Office. On December 1, 2009, these were changed to three management districts: Xiongguan District, Changcheng District, and Jingtie District. These were county-level administrative management districts established by Jiayuguan City and also served as dispatched agencies of the Jiayuguan Municipal People's Government. The original three towns—Xincheng, Yuquan, and Wenshu—and the seven subdistrict offices—Xinhua, Wuyi, Shengli, Qianjin, Jianshe, Chaoyang, and Yuyuan—were all placed under the jurisdiction of these management districts.

In 2012, the city abolished the seven subdistrict offices—Xinhua, Wuyi, Shengli, Qianjin, Jianshe, Chaoyang, and Yuyuan—and established 30 large communities. On June 28, 2019, according to Document No. 74 (2019) of Gansu Provincial Government, "Reply of Gansu Provincial People's Government on Approving the Establishment of Xiongguan Subdistrict Office and Gangcheng Subdistrict Office in Jiayuguan City," the Xiongguan Subdistrict Office (at the prefecture level) and Gangcheng Subdistrict Office (at the prefecture level) were established. At the same time, with the approval of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee's Organization and Establishment Committee, the Jiayuguan City Suburban Area Party Working Committee (Suburban Area Work Office) (at the prefecture level) was re-established, primarily responsible for managing and guiding the work of the three towns: Yuquan Town, Xincheng Town, and Wenshu Town. Following the reform, Xiongguan District, Changcheng District, and Jingtie District were all abolished.

5. Economy

Jiayuguan City has experienced rapid economic development in recent years, demonstrating a favorable trend of steady progress and simultaneous improvement in both scale and quality.

5.1 Economic Growth

In 2023, Jiayuguan City's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached 38.279 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.7%, with a growth rate higher than the provincial average. In the first three quarters of 2024, Jiayuguan's GDP grew by 8.3%, ranking third in the province and maintaining its position in the province's first tier for six consecutive quarters. Specifically, the added value of the primary industry was 549 million yuan, up 5.2%; the secondary industry added value was 20.363 billion yuan, up 9.6%; and the tertiary industry added value was 10.08 billion yuan, up 6.4%.

5.2 Industrial Economy

Industry is the core of Jiayuguan's economic development. In 2023, the total output value of industries above a designated size in the city reached 118.4 billion yuan, with the industrial added value accounting for over 60% of GDP. Through the implementation of the "Strengthening Industry" initiative, Jiayuguan has promoted the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and the layout of emerging industries, forming a diversified industrial cluster encompassing steel, non-ferrous metals, new energy, nuclear technology applications, and equipment manufacturing. Furthermore, the total industrial output value of the Jiayuguan Industrial Park reached 84.86 billion yuan and is expected to exceed the 100-billion-yuan mark this year.

5.3 Foreign Trade and Open Cooperation

Jiayuguan City actively integrates into the Hexi Corridor Economic Belt, strengthens cooperation and exchanges with neighboring cities, and promotes logistics supply security and industrial chain integration. In the first three quarters of 2024, the city's foreign trade import and export achieved significant growth, increasing by 132.5% year-on-year, further expanding its export-oriented economy.

5.4 Consumer Market

From January to November 2024, the total retail sales of consumer goods above the designated size in Jiayuguan City reached 2.856 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%. Catering revenue and commodity retail sales grew by 5.6% and 3.3% respectively, indicating a steady recovery in the consumer market.

5.5 Innovation-Driven Development and Industrial Upgrading

Jiayuguan City leads economic development through technological innovation, achieving breakthroughs particularly in the field of high-end food packaging. Simultaneously, the city emphasizes the development of the digital economy and promotes the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector.

5.6 Ecological Environment and Improvement of People's Livelihood

The quality of Jiayuguan's ecological environment continues to improve, with public satisfaction ranking first in the province for two consecutive years. Regarding people's livelihood, over 80% of the city's fiscal expenditure is allocated to livelihood-related areas. Jiayuguan has successfully established itself as a National All-for-One Tourism Demonstration Zone and launched the immersive night tourism project "The World's Jiayuguan," enriching its tourism offerings.

5.7 Future Outlook

Jiayuguan City will continue to deepen supply-side structural reforms and promote high-quality development. Concurrently, the city is making every effort to establish a National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, aiming to achieve a "zero" breakthrough for a national-level high-tech zone in the Hexi Corridor.

Through multiple measures such as the strategy of strengthening the city through industry, innovation-driven development, open cooperation, and ecological priority, Jiayuguan City has achieved high-quality economic development and demonstrates strong growth momentum within the province and across the nation.

6. Transportation

6.1 Highways

Jiayuguan is located on the Silk Road, which connected the Eurasian continent and was primarily used for trade. The later National Highway 312, linking Gansu and Xinjiang provinces, largely runs parallel to the Silk Road. In 1936 (the 25th year of the Republic of China), the predecessor of National Highway 312, the Ganxin Highway, was opened to traffic reaching Jiayuguan, becoming the region's first modern motor road. Later, to transport oil produced from the Yumen Oilfield, the Nationalist government constructed the Minzhong Highway, which also passed through the area. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Jiujuan county government vigorously built roads in Jiayuguan, and the Ganxin Highway was upgraded to National Highway 312, becoming the main highway artery within Jiayuguan city. The G30 Lianhuo Expressway also traverses Jiayuguan from west to east. As of 2022, the total road mileage in Jiayuguan city is approximately 523 kilometers, including 140 kilometers of expressways, 1.8 kilometers of first-class highways, and 80.9 kilometers of second-class highways.

6.2 Railway

The Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway began construction in 1952 and reached Jiayuguan with a station established in 1956. Double-tracking was added in 1994, and electrification was completed in 2012. The Jiayuguan section of this line is about 42 kilometers long, generally passing through the urban area from west to east, with four stations: Jiayuguan Station, Wenshu Station, Dacaotan Station, and Heishanhu Station. Among them, Jiayuguan Station became a hub station on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang line in 1969 and is now a first-class passenger and freight station with its own marshalling yard. The Jiajing Railway, Jiayuguan Ring Railway, and Yumen South Branch Line also converge with the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway at this station. In terms of high-speed rail, the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway Second Double-Track Line, opened on December 26, 2014, has Jiayuguan South Station in the city. Additionally, state-owned enterprises like Jiugang (Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group) have their own dedicated railway lines, with the Jiajing Railway and Jiance Railway being the longest and having the highest freight volume. The Jiajing Railway opened in 1969, is about 70 kilometers long, starts from Jiabei Station in the Jiayuguan urban area, runs from north to south through Jiayuguan city and Sunan County, and finally ends at Jingtieshan Station deep in the Qilian Mountains. The Jiance Railway also starts from Jiabei Station, runs from south to north through Gansu and Inner Mongolia, and ends at the Ceke Port in Inner Mongolia. This railway line primarily transports coal from Mongolia's Nalin Suhaite Coalfield to the Jiugang factory.

6.3 Aviation

In 1938 (the 27th year of the Republic of China), the Nationalist government built an air force airport in Jiayuguan. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation selected this airport as a civil aviation station and relocated it to the Jiuquan South Suburb Airport, establishing the Civil Aviation Jiuquan Station. On July 1, 1953, the Jiuquan Aviation Station was completed and opened for service, later renamed Jiayuguan Airport. On March 20, 2023, the Civil Aviation Administration of China renamed Jiayuguan Airport to "Jiayuguan Jiuquan Airport," a name that continues to be used today. In addition to operating domestic routes, Jiayuguan Jiuquan Airport has also hosted numerous international and domestic gliding competitions.

7. Education

Modern educational system schools were introduced to Jiayuguan during the Republic of China era. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the central government began to gradually carry out socialist transformation of local education and added vocational-technical schools, primary and secondary schools, and other educational institutions. These schools were once administered by the Jiugang (Jiuquan Iron and Steel) Company and were all transferred to the management of the Jiayuguan Municipal Government after February 2007. As of 2022, Jiayuguan City has 77 schools of various types, including 1 tertiary institution, 3 specialized secondary schools, 2 senior high schools, 5 junior high schools, 14 primary schools, 49 kindergartens, and 1 special education school. There are 3,725 full-time teachers across all types of schools. The student enrollment includes 6,817 in tertiary institutions, 1,847 in vocational senior high schools (specialized secondary schools), 6,062 in regular senior high schools, 8,221 in junior high schools, 19,717 in primary schools, 13,324 in kindergartens, and 65 in special education.

Gansu Vocational College of Iron and Steel Technology is the first tertiary institution located in Jiayuguan City. Originally a staff training institution under the Jiugang Company, it was restructured into a vocational university in 2006, primarily cultivating qualified vocational and technical talents in engineering fields. Gansu Radio and Television University (now Gansu Open University), which offers adult education courses, also once had a campus in Jiayuguan City. In 2022, it continued enrollment under the name Jiayuguan Open University. Additionally, two schools in Jiayuguan City have been selected as "Demonstrative Regular Senior High Schools of Gansu Province": Jiayuguan No. 1 Middle School and Jiugang No. 3 Middle School, both of which are independent public senior high schools.

8. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's resident population was 312,663. Compared with the 231,853 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was an increase of 80,810 people over the past decade, representing a growth of 34.85%, with an average annual growth rate of 3.04%. Among them, the male population was 162,360, accounting for 51.93% of the total population; the female population was 150,303, accounting for 48.07% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 108.02. The population aged 0–14 was 49,732, accounting for 15.91% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 215,296, accounting for 68.86% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 47,635, accounting for 15.24% of the total population, among which the population aged 65 and above was 34,935, accounting for 11.17% of the total population. The urban population was 295,257, accounting for 94.43% of the total population; the rural population was 17,406, accounting for 5.57% of the total population.

8.1 Ethnic Groups

Among the city's resident population, the Han ethnic group numbered 304,360, accounting for 97.34%; ethnic minorities numbered 8,303, accounting for 2.66%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han population increased by 77,301, a growth of 34.04%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.59 percentage points; ethnic minorities increased by 3,509, a growth of 73.2%, with their proportion of the total population increasing by 0.59 percentage points.

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9. Culture

9.1 Cultural Relics

• The Great Wall - Jiayuguan Pass
• Guoyuan–Xincheng Tomb Complex
• Heishan Rock Paintings

9.2 News Media

In terms of publications, Jiayuguan Daily is the official newspaper of the Jiayuguan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. It was first published on July 12, 1984, originally named Jiayuguan News, and changed to its current name on October 1, 2000. It also operates its own new media platforms and a weekly publication called Xiongguan Weekend. Additionally, the state-owned enterprise Jiugang (Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group) has its own official newspaper, Jiugang Daily, which was first issued on January 1, 1985, and became a publicly distributed publication in December 1987.

In broadcasting and television, radio was introduced to the area in 1970 with the establishment of the municipal broadcasting station. Television was introduced in January 1980. By 2010, television signal coverage in Jiayuguan City had reached 100%. Today, signals from major national media outlets in the People's Republic of China, such as China Central Television (CCTV), China National Radio (CNR), and radio and television channels under the Gansu Provincial Radio and Television Station, can be received in Jiayuguan City. These media outlets broadcast local news for the Jiayuguan area during certain time slots. The Jiayuguan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China operates the Jiayuguan Radio and Television Station, which manages two television channels and two radio frequencies. On March 22, 2022, Jiayuguan Daily and Jiayuguan Radio and Television Station integrated their resources to establish the Jiayuguan City Integrated Media Center. Furthermore, Jiugang Company operates its own cable television station, the Jiugang News Center, which was merged into the Gansu Radio and Television Network system in December 2014. Provincial media outlets such as Gansu Daily, Gansu Provincial Radio and Television Station, Gansu Legal News, and Gansu Economic Daily also have reporter stations in Jiayuguan City.

10. Sister Cities

• Jiaozuo City
• Jiuquan City
• Pamplona, Spain
• Xicheng District, Beijing

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Named after Jiayuguan

Sports Avenue

Yuanquan Town

Han
Hui
Manchu
Tibetan
Mongol

Sophora japonica

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