Jiayuguan city

Updated: 2013-10-17
( travelchinaguide.com )

Population: 300,000

Area: 3,000 square kilometers

Ethnic groups: Han, Hui, Tibetan, Dongxiang, Yugu, Baoan, Hazake, Tu, Sala, Manchu, and Mongolian

Zip Code: 735100

Area Code: 0937

Administrative Division: three districts (Changcheng district, Xiongguan district, Jingtie district), eight sub-district offices (Wuyi, Xinhua, Qianjin, Shengli, Jianshe, Chaoyang, Yuyuan, Jingtieshan Diggings) and three towns (Yuquan, Wenshu, Xincheng). 　

Overview：Jiayuguan sits in the northwest of Gansu province, west of the Hexi Corridor. It was an important link in the ancient Silk Road and represented the beginning of the western end of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It integrates Silk Road and Great Wall cultures and is well-known for its impregnable geographic conditions. The city has well-developed industries and a strong tourism business. It is home to Jiuquan Iron and Steel (Group) Co, the largest company of its kind in Northwest China. The city was established in 1965 and became an integral part of the Eurasian Continental Bridge. It set up Changcheng, Jingtie and Xiongguan districts in December 2009. The city covers an area of 3,000 square kilometers, with a planned downtown area of 260 sq km. It has a population of 230,000 and an urbanization rate of 93.9 percent.

Location: Jiayuguan city is located at 98°17' east longitude and 39°47' north latitude. It lies in the Gobi desert, at the middle of Hexi Corridor, 776 kilometers away from Lanzhou and 5 - 6 hours away by bus from Dunhuang.

Neighboring Areas: Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Qinghai provinces, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous regions

History: Jiayuguan has a history over 630 years. In 1372, during the Ming Dynasty, a fortress was built to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire. It was completely built up in 1540 and became a small township engaged in local trading, catering to the needs of the military garrisons stationed at the fort. The city was used to be the pass of the famous Silk Road and the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.

Climatic Features: Jiayuguan possesses a continental desert climate, warm and aridity with the frost-free period of 160 days. The average temperature is about 6.7C (44F) – 7.7C (18.1F), of which the lowest temperature is -21C (-5.8F) in January and the highest is 34C (93F) in July. It has an annual precipitation of 100 millimeters, with rainfall concentrated in summer. The weather is sandstorm from March to May and strong wind from November to December.When to Go: The most suitable time is from May to October, because the weather is the most favorable of the year at that period.

Eonomy: In 2011, the city's GDP totaled 23.56 billion yuan ($3.87 million), an increase of 17.4 percent over the previous year. The primary industry's added value reached 310 million yuan, up 8.0 percent year-on-year. The secondary industry's added value totaled 19.3 billion yuan, up 18.8 percent year-on-year. The tertiary industry's added value reached 3.95 billion yuan, up 12.2 percent year-on-year. For the wholesale and retail industry, added value totaled 995 million yuan, up 12.3 percent year-on-year. The finance and insurance industry saw added value reach 340 million yuan, up 14.5 percent year-on-year. The real estate industry’s added value reached 260 million yuan, up 9.5 percent year-on-year. The ratio of the three industries was 1.3-to-81.9-to-16.8, with the proportion of the secondary industry up by 1.7 percentage points and the tertiary industry down by 1.7 percent points. Regional fiscal income stood at 3.3 billion yuan, 1.9 times that of 2006. Average annual growth of fiscal income was 14.2 percent, an increase of 24.6 percent over the previous year. Total fixed assets investment over the past five years was 31 billion yuan.

Competitive industries: Jiuquan Iron and Steel (Group) Co mainly engages in the production of carbon steel and stainless steel, including hundreds of products such as high-speed wire rod and hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets. In 2011, the company ranked 144 on the Chinese Top 500 Companies list and 66 on the Chinese Top 500 Manufacturing Companies list. It passed ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System and ISO14001 Environment Management System Certification, and its physical testing and chemical testing were approved by the China National Accreditation Board for Laboratories. It’s A, B and D steel ship plates are recognized by classification societies in China, Britain, Norway, Germany and Japan. Its hot rolled ribbed steel bars are exempt from inspection. The company’s iron and steel products won the Golden Cup award from the China Metallurgical Association and the Excellent Product award in the metallurgical industry. The company was named a famous brand in Gansu province.

Gansu Zixuan Wine Co was the first grape wine producer certified both in China and abroad as an organic product company. Its Zixuan series have won countless awards. In 2010, Zixuan wine established its name at the Shanghai World Expo. It was used exclusively for the UN pavilion and won the Millennium Gold Prize. The Zixuan trademark was also named a Chinese famous brand. In December 2011, a 450,000-ton aluminum alloy energy conservation and technological transformation project was completed and put into operation. The tourism industry witnessed fast development. The East Lake Ecological scenic spot and Zixuan Vineyard were successfully transformed into national 4A tourist attractions, receiving 2.2 million tourists in 2011, up 32.2 percent year-on-year. Progress was also made in urban construction and management.

People's life: People's living standards have improved significantly. Urban per capita disposable income grew from 11,815 yuan in 2006 to 18,931 yuan in 2011, up 9.9 percent year-on-year on average. Per capita net income for farmers rose from 5,194 yuan in 2006 to 9,304 yuan in 2011, up 12.4 percent. Per capita housing area reached 38.4 square meters.

Environmental protection: Jiayuguan invested 7.22 million yuan in a medical wastes disposal facility, which went into trial operations in August 2010 and passed checks by the Gansu provincial environment protection department on April 17, 2011. The facility utilizes a high temperature and high-pressure steam sterilization process. It can treat 3 tons of medical waste a day. Jiuquan Iron and Steel (Group) Co’s 160,000-ton sewage recovery project helped raise the utilization rate of industrial wastewater. The city also extended waste collection and treatment to rural areas, covering 17 villages. It also carried out urban drinking water resource protection work. It was named a model city for rural environment improvement in Gansu.

Social undertakings: The city has made education development a priority and spent 160 million yuan improving education conditions. It has put more than 80 million yuan towards improving urban and rural medical and health conditions. Government-run and private medical institutions have also stuck to established drug prices. The city enhanced scientific and technological innovation ability, completed 328 provincial and municipal science and technology projects, and won 15 science and technology progress awards. Cultural undertakings have been developing steadily, with new libraries and cultural center renovation projects underway. A digital cinema and 52 community activity centers were built. Museums were opened to the public for free. The third national cultural relics census was a success.

The city also successfully hosted the international triathlon, an aviation gliding event, and a cross-country rally. It carried out the activities to build a national civilized city. The city designed a women and children development plan. The city also steadily carried out social management innovations, built stability and mediation mechanisms, and improved floating population management. It renovated 10 residential areas, setting up 20 entrance monitoring systems in residential areas to increase security.