Zhongwei

Zhongwei (simplified Chinese: 中卫; traditional Chinese: 中衛; pinyin: Zhōngwèi; Wade–Giles: Chung-wei; lit. 'middle guard', Xiao'erjing: جْووِ شِ) is a prefecture-level city of Ningxia, People's Republic of China. It has an area of 16,986.1 km² (6,558.4 sq mi) and a population of 1,174,600 in 2019.^[4][5] The city is known for its wolfberry and Gobi watermelon cultivation.^[2] One of the world's largest photovoltaic power station, Tengger Desert Solar Park, is located in Zhongwei.^[6]

Zhongwei 中卫市 · جْووِ شِ‎
Prefecture-level city
Wolfberry fields in Zhongning County, Zhongwei City
Zhongwei in Ningxia
Zhongwei Location of the city centre in Ningxia
Coordinates (Zhongwei municipal government): 37°30′01″N 105°11′48″E
Country	People's Republic of China
Autonomous region	Ningxia
Municipal seat	Shapotou
Area
• Prefecture-level city	16,986.1 km2 (6,558.4 sq mi)
Elevation [1]	1,225 m (4,019 ft)
Population  (2019)[2]
• Prefecture-level city	1,174,600
• Density	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
• Urban [2]	526,500
GDP[3]
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 31.7 billion US$ 5.1 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 27,857 US$ 4,473
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	755000
Area code	0955
ISO 3166 code	CN-NX-05
Website	www.nxzw.gov.cn

History

Under general Meng Tian, the Qin captured the area of Zhongwei and established the Beidi Commandery. In 205 BC a city built at the current location of Zhongwei urban area, which would grow as irrigation systems were built to allow farming.^[7]

In 1226 Genghis Khan captured Zhongwei, and in 1403 the city was named Zhongwei, part of Shaanxi.^[7]

In 1920 Zhongwei was struck by the Haiyuan earthquake; and in 1926 the highway from Lanzhou to Zhongwei opened.^[7]

Tourism

Zhongwei's main attraction is Gao Miao, a temple that has hosted Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist ceremonies. A bomb shelter was also built beneath the temple during the Cultural Revolution. It has since been converted into a rendition of a Buddhist hell.^[8] The prefecture is also the location of the beginning of the northern bend in the Yellow River that produces the Ordos Loop. A drum tower is located in the city center.^[9]

Administrative divisions

Map
Shapotou Zhongning County Haiyuan County
Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Xiao'erjing	Population (2019)[2]	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)
Shapotou District	沙坡头区	Shāpōtóu Qū	شَاپُوَتِوْ ٿِيُوِ‎	414,200	4,633	89
Zhongning County	中宁县	Zhōngníng Xiàn	جْونِئٍ‌ ثِيًا‎	351,700	2,841	124
Haiyuan County	海原县	Hǎiyuán Xiàn	خَيْ‌يُوًا ثِيًا‎	403,900	6,979	58

Geography

Zhongwei is located on the northern banks of the Yellow River and bordered directly by the Tengger Desert in the north.^[9] The city has been battling desertification since the 1950s.^[10] Using straw checkerboard patterns the advance of sand dunes is stopped.^[11][12]

Climate

Climate data for Zhongwei, elevation 1,227 m (4,026 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	14.0 (57.2)	22.5 (72.5)	28.2 (82.8)	33.6 (92.5)	36.0 (96.8)	35.4 (95.7)	37.6 (99.7)	36.3 (97.3)	35.7 (96.3)	29.6 (85.3)	22.7 (72.9)	15.2 (59.4)	37.6 (99.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	1.1 (34.0)	6.4 (43.5)	13.4 (56.1)	20.5 (68.9)	24.8 (76.6)	28.4 (83.1)	29.9 (85.8)	28.2 (82.8)	23.8 (74.8)	18.0 (64.4)	9.8 (49.6)	2.7 (36.9)	17.3 (63.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−7.0 (19.4)	−2.1 (28.2)	5.1 (41.2)	12.5 (54.5)	17.5 (63.5)	21.6 (70.9)	23.3 (73.9)	21.5 (70.7)	16.4 (61.5)	9.7 (49.5)	2.2 (36.0)	−4.8 (23.4)	9.7 (49.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−13.1 (8.4)	−8.5 (16.7)	−1.5 (29.3)	5.0 (41.0)	10.2 (50.4)	14.8 (58.6)	17.1 (62.8)	15.7 (60.3)	10.6 (51.1)	3.4 (38.1)	−3.0 (26.6)	−10.2 (13.6)	3.4 (38.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−29.1 (−20.4)	−27.1 (−16.8)	−18.5 (−1.3)	−8.7 (16.3)	−3.8 (25.2)	5.4 (41.7)	8.1 (46.6)	7.1 (44.8)	−2.7 (27.1)	−11.4 (11.5)	−15.3 (4.5)	−28.8 (−19.8)	−29.1 (−20.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	1.9 (0.07)	1.1 (0.04)	4.2 (0.17)	8.9 (0.35)	17.9 (0.70)	27.0 (1.06)	40.5 (1.59)	43.5 (1.71)	29.2 (1.15)	13.2 (0.52)	2.5 (0.10)	0.6 (0.02)	190.5 (7.48)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	1.9	1.3	2.1	3.1	4.9	6.0	7.0	7.6	7.2	4.1	1.9	0.8	47.9
Average snowy days	2.9	2.2	1.7	0.6	0.1	0	0	0	0	0.4	1.8	1.5	11.2
Average relative humidity (%)	52	46	42	39	46	54	62	67	68	60	59	55	54
Mean monthly sunshine hours	210.7	214.2	248.0	265.8	295.5	294.5	286.4	267.5	223.9	237.8	219.9	214.4	2,978.6
Percentage possible sunshine	68	69	67	67	67	67	64	64	61	69	73	72	67
Source: China Meteorological Administration[13][14]

Transportation

Zhongwei Railway Station in December 2015

• Zhongwei Shapotou Airport
• Baotou–Lanzhou railway
• Baoji–Zhongwei railway, to points south (connections to Xi'an, Chengdu)
• Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan railway, to the east (connection to Beijing)
• Gantang–Wuwei railway, to western Gansu and westward
• Zhongwei–Lanzhou high-speed railway
• G70 Fuzhou–Yinchuan Expressway
• G2012 Dingbian–Wuwei Expressway
• China National Highway 109

Gallery

• 
  Desert Lake
• 
  Desert Lake
• 
  Desert Lake
• 
  Shapotou scenic area
• 
  Camels in Shapotou
• 
  Zhongwei cultural centre

See also

• Zhongwei-Tongxin fault