Qitai County
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Qitai County
Kitai | |
|---|---|
.png) Location of Qitai (pink) in Changji Prefecture (yellow) and Xinjiang | |
  Qitai Location in Xinjiang  Qitai Qitai (China) | |
| Coordinates: 44°01′N 89°35′E / 44.017°N 89.583°E | |
| Country | China |
| Region | Xinjiang |
| Autonomous prefecture | Changji |
| County seat | Qitai Town |
| Area | |
• Total | 16,645 km2 (6,427 sq mi) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 219,811 |
| • Density | 13/km2 (34/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard[a]) |
| Area code | 0994 |
| Website | www |
| Qitai County | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 奇台县 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 奇台縣 | ||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 古城县 | ||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 古城縣 | ||||||||||
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| Uyghur name | |||||||||||
| Uyghur | گۇچۇڭ ناھىيىسى | ||||||||||
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Qitai County (Chinese: 奇台县) as the official romanized name, also transliterated from Uyghur as Guqung County or Gucheng County (Uyghur: گۇچۇڭ ناھىيىسى; Chinese: 古城县), is a county in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China under the administration of the Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture. It covers an area of 16,641 square kilometres (6,425 sq mi) and as of the 2002 census[update] had a population of 230,000.
Qitai County's county seat is in Qitai Town. Gucheng Township is nearby.
Name
[edit]There are several theories regarding the origin of the place name "Qitai." One explanation is that in the 24th year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1759 AD), seven fortresses were built in what is now Laoqitai Town, Qitai County. This seventh fortress east of Ürümqi was called "Qitai" (Seven Fortresses). Since the Chinese characters for "seven" (七, qī) and "strange/unique" (奇, qí) are homophones, the name later evolved into "Qitai." Another theory is that in the old county seat (now Laoqitai Town), due to water shortages, every household dug wells with uniquely shaped "well platforms" called "qi" (奇), which was later abbreviated as Qitai. A third theory suggests that "Qitai" is a transliteration of "Khitan" (契丹), a historic ethnic group.[2][3]
History
[edit]In 119 BC (4th year of Emperor Wu's Yuanshou era), Zhang Qian led his second mission to the Western Regions, opening diplomatic relations with states such as Wusun and Dayuan.[4]
By 68 BC (2nd year of Emperor Xuan's Dijing era), General Zheng Ji conquered Jushi, and the region came under Han control; the Han government then established agricultural colonies and administrative offices.[5][6]
In 629 AD (14th year of Tang Taizong's Zhenguan), General Li Jing led a successful campaign against the Eastern Turks, after which the Tang dynasty solidified its control over the northern silk route.[7]
In 640 AD, under Tang Zhenguan 14, Pulai County (蒲类县) was established northwest of modern Qitai, under Tingzhou prefecture; by 702 AD, it fell under the Northern Protectorate administration, and by 732 AD the post of military governor was permanently stationed there.[8][9]
Located on one of the main routes of the Silk Road, the old Gucheng (often referred in the European writing of the past as "Ku Ch'eng-tze", Kucheng, Kuchengtze, etc., using Wade-Giles or Postal Romanization systems), was the western terminal for one of the caravan routes across the Gobi Desert. Owen Lattimore in The Desert Road to Turkestan leaves an account of his travel along this route in 1926-27.[10]
"Under the special circumstances of the caravan trade, camel traffic usually overshoots Hami ["the most easterly point on the arterial cart roads of Chinese Turkestan"], going on all the way to Ku Ch'eng-tze. This is partly because the pastures near Ku Ch'eng-tze are more adequate to caravan needs, but still more because, transport being cheaper by camel than by cart, it is to the advantage of merchants to have their goods carried as far as possible by caravan."[11]
Qitai briefly held city status. In 1953, the Xinjiang Provincial Government—before the region became an autonomous region—promoted the county seat of populous Qitai County to “Qitai City.” However, following the 20 September 1954 Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which required all local governments to establish revolutionary committees, the autonomous region abolished the City People's Government in 1956. Qitai Town People's Committee was created, administering the town's 12 subdistricts reorganized into 10 residents’ committees, under the Qitai County People's Committee. Since then, Qitai City has ceased to exist. [12][13] [14] [15]
Qitai has long been a place of multi-century Han Chinese settlement. The local dialect, often referred to as Xinjiang Mandarin or Xinjiang topolect, is considered a highly representative example of Mandarin in Xinjiang. It has been widely used in the region and even featured in performances by famed local sketch comedian Zhao Guozhu, whose “Xinjiang Sketches” are based on the Qitai dialect—earning the county a reputation as a center of Han cultural development in Xinjiang . [16] [17]
In the Cold War era, the United States established a station near Qitai to monitor Soviet nuclear and missile tests, replacing its former station in Iran .[18]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Qitai, elevation 794 m (2,605 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 5.1 (41.2) |
7.7 (45.9) |
26.0 (78.8) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.0 (96.8) |
37.6 (99.7) |
39.1 (102.4) |
40.5 (104.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
30.3 (86.5) |
25.1 (77.2) |
12.4 (54.3) |
40.5 (104.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −8.9 (16.0) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
5.8 (42.4) |
18.9 (66.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
29.3 (84.7) |
31.0 (87.8) |
30.2 (86.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −17.3 (0.9) |
−13.0 (8.6) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
16.9 (62.4) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.7 (71.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
7.1 (44.8) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−13.7 (7.3) |
5.7 (42.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −23.5 (−10.3) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
3.6 (38.5) |
9.3 (48.7) |
14.0 (57.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
8.3 (46.9) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−19.4 (−2.9) |
−1.0 (30.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −35.5 (−31.9) |
−37.6 (−35.7) |
−31.4 (−24.5) |
−13.7 (7.3) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
2.2 (36.0) |
6.8 (44.2) |
0.1 (32.2) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−12.9 (8.8) |
−31.9 (−25.4) |
−40.1 (−40.2) |
−40.1 (−40.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 7.5 (0.30) |
7.1 (0.28) |
11.1 (0.44) |
18.7 (0.74) |
23.0 (0.91) |
23.0 (0.91) |
34.4 (1.35) |
27.7 (1.09) |
18.0 (0.71) |
15.4 (0.61) |
14.1 (0.56) |
11.7 (0.46) |
211.7 (8.36) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 7.3 | 6.1 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.4 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 6.5 | 8.2 | 73.7 |
| Average snowy days | 15.4 | 12.4 | 6.3 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 8.1 | 15.5 | 61.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77 | 77 | 70 | 49 | 45 | 48 | 52 | 50 | 49 | 59 | 74 | 79 | 61 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 144.8 | 171.2 | 238.9 | 265.9 | 303.4 | 301.4 | 300.5 | 298.0 | 274.0 | 240.6 | 168.2 | 127.4 | 2,834.3 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 50 | 57 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 63 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration[19][20] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China[21] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Beitashan, Qitai County, elevation 1,654 m (5,427 ft), (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
1.9 (35.4) |
11.1 (52.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
24.6 (76.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
0.5 (32.9) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
9.3 (48.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.4 (9.7) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
4.9 (40.8) |
11.1 (52.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
18.7 (65.7) |
17.2 (63.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
3.4 (38.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −17.5 (0.5) |
−15.3 (4.5) |
−9.1 (15.6) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
5.4 (41.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
13.2 (55.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
6.1 (43.0) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−15.4 (4.3) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.2 (0.20) |
5.8 (0.23) |
8.8 (0.35) |
15.8 (0.62) |
18.9 (0.74) |
24.0 (0.94) |
39.4 (1.55) |
25.0 (0.98) |
12.8 (0.50) |
13.6 (0.54) |
15.1 (0.59) |
7.3 (0.29) |
191.7 (7.53) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 5.5 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 9.2 | 6.7 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 76.2 |
| Average snowy days | 8.3 | 8.0 | 9.1 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 6.6 | 10.0 | 9.8 | 61.2 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 56 | 56 | 54 | 46 | 41 | 42 | 46 | 43 | 42 | 50 | 57 | 57 | 49 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 194.7 | 208.5 | 254.8 | 262.9 | 303.2 | 296.2 | 295.5 | 294.7 | 270.6 | 231.5 | 180.4 | 176.2 | 2,969.2 |
| Percentage possible sunshine | 68 | 70 | 68 | 64 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 69 | 74 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 67 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration[19][20] | |||||||||||||
Economy
[edit]Qitai County is the leading grain producer in Xinjiang, ranks second in cultivated land area, and leads in flour and meat production. The county has approximately 2.5 million mu (≈166,700 ha) of arable land, with 1.89 million mu (≈126,000 ha) sown in 2012—the second-highest in Xinjiang after Shache County in Kashgar Prefecture. Its cultivated area exceeds that of Ürümqi, Bayingolin, Kizilsu, Turpan, and Hami combined.[22] Annually, Qitai produces over 800 million kilograms of grain—accounting for one-third of Changji Prefecture's output and one-sixth of Xinjiang's total—and is designated as a national-level major grain-producing county.[23]
Qitai is also known as the "Hometown of Chinese Snacks"—its guoyourou (fried pork) noodles are popular across Xinjiang, and Qitai yellow noodles are sold in every major city in the region. The county is likewise renowned as a "Liquor Hometown": Gucheng Liquor, produced locally, has earned national recognition as a "China Time-honored Brand" and a "Historical and Cultural Famous Liquor," winning gold at the 2nd International Wine Culture Festival. It also serves as the "master" distillery for Xinjiang Ilite Liquor Co.[24][25][26]
The county is also nationally famous for its dinosaur fossils and petrified wood. In 2019, the largest-known Asian specimen of Mamenchisaurus—the "Qitai Yellow River Giant"—was excavated there.[27] In 2020, the "Qitai Dino Park" opened to the public.[28] Tourist attractions like scenic Jiangbulak, the Tianshan Strange Slope (a Guinness World Record site), and the Han-era Shule Ancient City draw large seasonal crowds—during peak season, traffic jams occur on the Ürümqi–Qitai Expressway.[29][30]
Qitai is also rich in mineral resources, including coal, granite, iron, gold, silver, copper, mirabilite, graphite, limestone, bentonite, and perlite among more than 20 types. In particular, the coal reserves in Qitai—part of the Jundong coalfield—are estimated at 280.8 billion tonnes, making it the county with the largest coal reserves in China, surpassing Shenmu (50 bill.), Fugu (20 bill.) in Shaanxi and Ordos (169.6 bill.) in Inner Mongolia. The county's granite reserves are also substantial, estimated at 3 billion m3[31][32]
Subdivisions
[edit]Qitai County is made up of 9 towns, 3 townships, and 3 ethnic townships.
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Uyghur (UEY) | Uyghur Latin (ULY) | Administrative division code | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towns | ||||||
| Qitai Town | 奇台镇 | Qítái Zhèn | گۇچۇڭ بازىرى | guchung baziri | 652325100 | |
| Laoqitai Town | 老奇台镇 | Lǎoqítái Zhèn | لوچىتەي بازىرى (كونا گۇچۇڭ بازىرى) |
lochitey baziri (kona guchung baziri) |
652325101 | |
| Banjiegou Town | 半截沟镇 | Bànjiégōu Zhèn | بەنجەگۇ بازىرى | benjegu baziri | 652325102 | |
| Jebki Town | 吉布库镇 | Jíbùkù Zhèn | جېبكى بازىرى | jëbki baziri | 652325103 | |
| Dongwan Town | 东湾镇 | Dōngwān Zhèn | دۇڭۋەن بازىرى | dungwen baziri | 652325104 | |
| Xidi Town | 西地镇 | Xīdì Zhèn | شىدى بازىرى | shidi baziri | 652325105 | |
| Biliuhe Town | 碧流河镇 | Bìliúhé Zhèn | بىلۇخې بازىرى | biluxë baziri | 652325106 | |
| Sangezhuangzi Town | 三个庄子镇 | Sāngèzhuāngzǐ Zhèn | سەنگىجاڭزا بازىرى | sengijangza baziri | 652325107 | |
| Xibeiwan Town | 西北湾镇 | Xīběiwān Zhèn | شىبېيۋەن بازىرى | shibëywen baziri | 652325108 | |
| Townships | ||||||
| Kariz Township | 坎尔孜乡 | Kǎn'ěrzī Xiāng | كارىز يېزىسى | kariz yëzisi | 652325202 | |
| Gucheng Township | 古城乡 | Gǔchéng Xiāng | گۇچۇڭ يېزىسى | guchung yëzisi | 652325204 | |
| Qihu Township | 七户乡 | Qīhù Xiāng | چىخۇ يېزىسى | chixu yëzisi | 652325204 | |
| Ethnic townships | ||||||
| Wumachang Kazakh Ethnic Township | 五马场乡 (五马场哈萨克族乡) |
Wǔmǎchǎng Xiāng (Wǔmǎchǎng Hāsàkèzú Xiāng) |
ۋۇماچاڭ قازاق يېزىسى | wumachang qazaq yëzisi | 652325203 | (Kazakh) ۋماچاڭ قازاق اۋىلى |
| Qorin Kazakh Ethnic Township | 乔仁乡 (乔仁哈萨克族乡) |
Qiáorén Xiāng (Qiáorén Hāsàkèzú Xiāng) |
چورىن قازاق يېزىسى | chorin qazaq yëzisi | 652325205 | (Kazakh) ٴشورىن قازاق اۋىلى |
| Daquan Tatar Ethnic Township | 塔塔尔乡 (大泉塔塔尔族乡) |
Tǎtǎ'ěr Xiāng (Dàquán Tǎtǎ'ěrzú Xiāng) |
داچۈەن تاتار يېزىسى | dachüen tatar yëzisi | 652325208 | (Tatar) Дацюань-Татар милли волосте |
Transportation
[edit]In 2009, the Ürümqi–Dzungaria Railway was constructed through the Jiangjun Gobi desert in the northern part of the county. It terminates at a coal mine in Jiangjunmiao.[33] In 2024, the Qitai Jiangbulake Airport opened.
The radio telescope project
[edit]In 2012, the officials of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Xinjiang government presided over the groundbreaking at the site of the Xinjiang Qitai Astronomical and Science Education Base.[34] The facility, in Qitai County's Banjiegou Town (半截沟镇), will be the home of the proposed Qitai Radio Telescope.[35] Once completed it will be the largest fully steerable single-dish radio telescope in the world.[36][37]
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Locals in Xinjiang frequently observe UTC+6 (Xinjiang Time), 2 hours behind Beijing.
- ^ Xinjiang: Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties
- ^ Yang Lian (2009-02-09). "Xinjiang Password Series III: Qitai, "The Residence of the Chinese People"". Xinjiang Metropolis Daily. Archived from the original on 2018-01-30. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "奇台县历史沿革". 行政区划网. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ^ Hulsewé, Anthony F. P. (1949). ""Zhang Qian and the Origins of the Silk Road"". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 81 (3): 209–213.
- ^ Wiltshire, Edward (2010). The Making of America. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45–46.
- ^ Watson, William (1987). ""Jushi under Early Han Rule"". Early China. 12: 101–117.
- ^ Barfield, Thomas (1989). ""The Expansion of Tang Power in Central Asia"". Asia Major. 2: 78–102.
- ^ Zhang, Xi (2015). A History of Xinjiang. Xinjiang University Press. pp. 98–101.
- ^ Millward, James A. (1980). ""The Northern Frontier in Tang China"". Journal of Asian History. 14: 105–132.
- ^ Lattimore (1929), pp. 52, 250.
- ^ Lattimore (1929), p. 250.
- ^ "New administrative changes in Qitai". Changji Daily. 1956.
- ^ 王庆祥, ed. (2001). 中国行政区划通史·新疆卷 (in Chinese). 中国社会出版社. p. 274. ISBN 9787508711812.
- ^ 马志远 (1998). "奇台县建制沿革与行政调整述略". 新疆地方史志 (in Chinese) (4): 44–46.
- ^ "昌吉州地方志（1950-1980）". 昌吉回族自治州人民政府. Archived from the original on 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ^ 李昌海 (2013). "新疆汉语方言的形成及演变". 语言研究 (in Chinese) (2): 45–52.
- ^ "赵国柱：用奇台话讲新疆人的故事". 新疆日报 (in Chinese). 2015-08-12.
- ^ Hu, Weizhen (2001). 美国对华 "一个中国"政策之演变: 从尼克森到柯林顿.
- ^ a b 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ 奇台城市介绍以及气候背景分析. Weather China (in Chinese). 中国气象局公共气象服务中心. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- ^ ""Major wheat production area in China's Xinjiang greets harvest"". Xinhua. 2024-07-10. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ China Agricultural Statistics (2023-12-20). "Qitai County's Grain Output in National Context". China Agri Data. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Qitai Distillery (2015-09-01). "Qitai Gucheng Liquor wins national and international awards". Changji Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Xinjiang Daily (2016-08-12). ""Gucheng Liquor takes gold at International Wine Culture Festival"". Xinjiang Daily.
- ^ Economy Journal Xinjiang (2018-05-20). "Qitai distillery partners with Ilite". Economy Journal Xinjiang. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Paleontology News China (2019-06-15). ""Asia's largest Mamenchisaurus skeleton discovered in Qitai"". Paleontology News China. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Xinjiang Science Daily (2020-09-10). "Qitai Dino Park opens to public". Xinjiang Science Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Changji Traffic Bureau (2022-08-05). "Tourism boom clogs U-Q Expressway". Changji Traffic Bureau. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Xinjiang Tourism Bureau (2023-07-22). "Visitor surge at Jiangbulak Scenic Area". Xinjiang Tourism Bureau. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ China Daily (2023-01-28). "Xinjiang coalfield reserves second-largest in China". China Daily. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Xinhua (2011-12-23). ""Asia's largest coal reserve discovered in China's Xinjiang"". Xinhua. Retrieved 2025-06-24.[permanent dead link]
- ^ (Chinese) "新疆精伊霍、乌精二线、奎北、乌准4条铁路新线开通运营" (Four new railways enter into service in Xinjiang: the Jinghe-Yining Line, the Ürümqi-Jinghe second track, the Kuitun-Beitun Line, and the Ürümqi–Dzungaria Line) 2009-11-06
- ^ "Groundbreaking Ceremony of Qitai Base". Archived from the original on 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
- ^ "QTT Project Proposal". Proceeds of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-12-25. Retrieved 2013-12-21.
- ^ "QTT Specification". QTT International Advisory Workshop. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
- ^ Na, Wang (May 2013). QiTai Radio Telescope. The Second China-U.S. Workshop on Radio Astronomy Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
References
[edit]- Lattimore, Owen (1929). The Desert Road to Turkestan. Owen Lattimore. Boston, Little, Brown, and Company. Reprinted with new introduction, 1972, AMS Press, New York, N.Y.
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