Minqin County
Encyclopedia
Minqin County is an administrative district in Gansu
, the People's Republic of China
. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu. It is part of the Wuwei prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefecture seat. Its postal code is 733300, and its population in 1999 was 281,826 people.
In older literature, today's Minqin is referred to as Zhenfan (镇番, Wade-Giles
: Chen-fan). According to Pyotr Kozlov
, the Mongol name for the city was Sogo Khoto.
Geographically, Minqin county occupies one of Gansu's panhandle
s, bordering in the north, east, and southeast on the Alashan League
of Inner Mongolia
.
, flowing from the Qilian Mountains. However, the livelihood of Chinese farmers here was often precarious;
in the 1920s it was considered as somewhat of a regular famine district. Large number of Zhenfan people, nicknamed "Sand-hollow Mice", worked as "camel-pullers" with caravans
owned by Mongols from the adjacent Alashan
, or moved—temporarily or permanently—to Xinjiang
. For example, as of 1926, the main population of the small oasis of Santanghu (now, officially, Santanghu (三塘湖) township) in what's today Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County of Xinjiang were migrants from Minqin (Zhenfan) and their descendants.
By the late 20th century, the environmental situation in the Minqin area deteriorated, as smaller amounts of the Shiyang River water reached the area, due to the increased irrigation of use of it upstream
. Ground water levels fell, and desertification became a serious threat.
Minqin is now identified as one of the major sources of sandstorms
in China.http://environment.fudan.edu.cn/CACS/papers/%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E5%A4%A7%E6%B0%94%E9%A2%97%E7%B2%92%E7%89%A9%E6%B1%A1%E6%9F%93%E6%9C%AC%E5%9C%B0%E6%BA%90%E4%B8%8E%E5%A4%96%E6%9D%A5%E6%BA%90%E7%9A%84%E5%8C%BA%E5%88%86-%E5%85%83%E7%B4%A0%E6%AF%94%E5%80%BCMgAl%20%E7%A4%BA%E8%B8%AA%E6%B3%95%E4%BC%B0%E7%AE%97%E7%9F%BF%E7%89%A9%E6%B0%94%E6%BA%B6%E8%83%B6%E5%A4%96%E6%9D%A5%E6%BA%90%E7%9A%84%E8%B4%A1%E7%8C%AE-%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E7%89%88.pdf
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
, the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It is one of 58 counties of Gansu. It is part of the Wuwei prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefecture seat. Its postal code is 733300, and its population in 1999 was 281,826 people.
In older literature, today's Minqin is referred to as Zhenfan (镇番, Wade-Giles
Wade-Giles
Wade–Giles , sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a romanization system for the Mandarin Chinese language. It developed from a system produced by Thomas Wade during the mid-19th century , and was given completed form with Herbert Giles' Chinese–English dictionary of 1892.Wade–Giles was the most...
: Chen-fan). According to Pyotr Kozlov
Pyotr Kozlov
Pyotr Kuzmich Kozlov was a Russian and Soviet traveler and explorer who continued the studies of Nikolai Przhevalsky in Mongolia and Tibet.Although prepared by his parents for military career, Kozlov chose to join Przhevalsky's expedition. After his mentor's death, Kozlov continued travelling in...
, the Mongol name for the city was Sogo Khoto.
Geographically, Minqin county occupies one of Gansu's panhandle
Panhandle
A panhandle is an informal geographic term for an elongated arm-like protrusion of a geo-political entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state.-Term:...
s, bordering in the north, east, and southeast on the Alashan League
Alxa League
Alxa League is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and three extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, Bayan Nur to the northeast, Wuhai and Ordos to the east, Ningxia to the southeast, and Gansu to the south and west. The capital is Bayan Hot in the aimag's...
of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
.
History
Historically, Chinese agricultural settlement in the area was made possible by the Shiyang RiverShiyang River
The Shiyang River is a river in the eastern Hexi Corridor in China. The river's old name was Gu River .The catchment area of the Shiyang River is about 41 600 km2, most of which is within today's Wuwei prefecture-level city of the Gansu province. The river originates from the Qilian Mountains,...
, flowing from the Qilian Mountains. However, the livelihood of Chinese farmers here was often precarious;
in the 1920s it was considered as somewhat of a regular famine district. Large number of Zhenfan people, nicknamed "Sand-hollow Mice", worked as "camel-pullers" with caravans
Camel train
A camel train is a series of camels carrying goods or passengers in a group as part of a regular or semi-regular service between two points. Although they rarely travelled faster than the walking speed of a man, camels' ability to handle harsh conditions made camel trains a vital part of...
owned by Mongols from the adjacent Alashan
Alxa League
Alxa League is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and three extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. The league borders Mongolia to the north, Bayan Nur to the northeast, Wuhai and Ordos to the east, Ningxia to the southeast, and Gansu to the south and west. The capital is Bayan Hot in the aimag's...
, or moved—temporarily or permanently—to Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
. For example, as of 1926, the main population of the small oasis of Santanghu (now, officially, Santanghu (三塘湖) township) in what's today Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County of Xinjiang were migrants from Minqin (Zhenfan) and their descendants.
By the late 20th century, the environmental situation in the Minqin area deteriorated, as smaller amounts of the Shiyang River water reached the area, due to the increased irrigation of use of it upstream
Liangzhou District
The Liangzhou District is an administrative district in Gansu, the People's Republic of China. It is one of 17 districts of Gansu. It is part of the Wuwei prefecture, with the city of the same name being the prefectural seat.-Geography:...
. Ground water levels fell, and desertification became a serious threat.
Minqin is now identified as one of the major sources of sandstorms
Dust storm
A dust / sand storm is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Particles are transported by saltation and suspension, causing soil to move from one place and deposition...
in China.http://environment.fudan.edu.cn/CACS/papers/%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E5%A4%A7%E6%B0%94%E9%A2%97%E7%B2%92%E7%89%A9%E6%B1%A1%E6%9F%93%E6%9C%AC%E5%9C%B0%E6%BA%90%E4%B8%8E%E5%A4%96%E6%9D%A5%E6%BA%90%E7%9A%84%E5%8C%BA%E5%88%86-%E5%85%83%E7%B4%A0%E6%AF%94%E5%80%BCMgAl%20%E7%A4%BA%E8%B8%AA%E6%B3%95%E4%BC%B0%E7%AE%97%E7%9F%BF%E7%89%A9%E6%B0%94%E6%BA%B6%E8%83%B6%E5%A4%96%E6%9D%A5%E6%BA%90%E7%9A%84%E8%B4%A1%E7%8C%AE-%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E7%89%88.pdf