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Zhangye
Zhangye (simplified Chinese: 张掖; traditional Chinese: 張掖; pinyin: Zhāngyè), formerly romanized as Changyeh and also formerly known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south. Its central district is Ganzhou, formerly a city of the Western Xia and one of the most important outposts of western China.
Although Zhangye is the oldest recorded name, the city was also formerly also known as Ganzhou, named after the sweet waters (Chinese: 甘泉; pinyin: Gānquán) of its oasis. An alternative theory states that "Gan" was from the Ganjun Hill (绀峻山) near the city. The name of province came from a contraction of Ganzhou and Suzhou (modern Jiuquan). The name appears in Marco Polo's Travels under the name Campichu.
Zhangye Commandery was established by Western Han in 111 BC, with the seat at the site of modern Wuwei, Gansu. Etymology of Zhangye is unclear. A popular theory interprets the name Zhangye as "Extending Arm", excerpted from a phrase "to extend the arm of the country through to the Western Realm" (张国臂掖，以通西域) documented in Han Shu.
Zhangye lies in the centre of the Hexi Corridor. The area is on the frontier of China proper, protecting it from the nomads of the northwest and permitting its armies access to the Tarim Basin. During the Western Han dynasty, Han armies were often engaged against the Xiongnu in this area. It was also an important outpost on the Silk Road.[citation needed] Before being over-run by the Mongols, it was dominated by the Western Xia dynasty, and before by the Uyghurs from at least the early 10th century. Its relation to the larger Uyghur state of Qocho is obscure, but it may have been a vassal.
The Yuan dynasty founding emperor Kublai is said to have been born in the Dafo Temple, Zhangye, now the site of the longest wooden reclining Buddha in China.[citation needed] Marco Polo's journal states that he spent a year in the town during his journey to China.
The pine forests of the Babao Mountains (part of the Qilian range) formerly regulated the flow of the Ruo or Hei Shui, Ganzhou's primary river. By ensuring that the melt-waters lasted throughout the summer, they avoided both early flood and later drought for the valley's farmers. Despite recommendations that they should thus be protected in perpetuity, a Qing dynasty imperial official in charge of erecting the poles for China's telegraph network ordered them cleared in the 1880s. Almost immediately, the region became prone to flooding in the summer and draught in the autumn, arousing local resentment.
Christian missionaries arrived in 1879, after Suzhou (modern-day Jiuquan) was found to be too hostile for their settlement.
Zhangye has one urban district, four counties, one autonomous county, 97 towns, and 978 villages.
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Zhangye
Zhangye (simplified Chinese: 张掖; traditional Chinese: 張掖; pinyin: Zhāngyè), formerly romanized as Changyeh and also formerly known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south. Its central district is Ganzhou, formerly a city of the Western Xia and one of the most important outposts of western China.
Although Zhangye is the oldest recorded name, the city was also formerly also known as Ganzhou, named after the sweet waters (Chinese: 甘泉; pinyin: Gānquán) of its oasis. An alternative theory states that "Gan" was from the Ganjun Hill (绀峻山) near the city. The name of province came from a contraction of Ganzhou and Suzhou (modern Jiuquan). The name appears in Marco Polo's Travels under the name Campichu.
Zhangye Commandery was established by Western Han in 111 BC, with the seat at the site of modern Wuwei, Gansu. Etymology of Zhangye is unclear. A popular theory interprets the name Zhangye as "Extending Arm", excerpted from a phrase "to extend the arm of the country through to the Western Realm" (张国臂掖，以通西域) documented in Han Shu.
Zhangye lies in the centre of the Hexi Corridor. The area is on the frontier of China proper, protecting it from the nomads of the northwest and permitting its armies access to the Tarim Basin. During the Western Han dynasty, Han armies were often engaged against the Xiongnu in this area. It was also an important outpost on the Silk Road.[citation needed] Before being over-run by the Mongols, it was dominated by the Western Xia dynasty, and before by the Uyghurs from at least the early 10th century. Its relation to the larger Uyghur state of Qocho is obscure, but it may have been a vassal.
The Yuan dynasty founding emperor Kublai is said to have been born in the Dafo Temple, Zhangye, now the site of the longest wooden reclining Buddha in China.[citation needed] Marco Polo's journal states that he spent a year in the town during his journey to China.
The pine forests of the Babao Mountains (part of the Qilian range) formerly regulated the flow of the Ruo or Hei Shui, Ganzhou's primary river. By ensuring that the melt-waters lasted throughout the summer, they avoided both early flood and later drought for the valley's farmers. Despite recommendations that they should thus be protected in perpetuity, a Qing dynasty imperial official in charge of erecting the poles for China's telegraph network ordered them cleared in the 1880s. Almost immediately, the region became prone to flooding in the summer and draught in the autumn, arousing local resentment.
Christian missionaries arrived in 1879, after Suzhou (modern-day Jiuquan) was found to be too hostile for their settlement.
Zhangye has one urban district, four counties, one autonomous county, 97 towns, and 978 villages.