Urumqi

Urumqi:

The capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, located on the middle southern edge of Jungar Basin and to the north of the eastern section of  Tianshan mountains. The city is surrounded by mountains in the three sides, with an arid climate of the temperate zone. The name ‘Urumqi’ is said as a Mongolian word, meaning”beautiful pastures”. Urumqi is inhabited by the Han, Uygur, Kazak, Mongolia and other nationalities of over 40, totaling over 1.5 million in population. Time changes and the land has developed into a mordern city, the political, economic and cultural center of Xinjiang today.

Urumqi in history:

During the Western Han dynasty,Chinese troops were garrisoned in the vicinity of present-day Urumqi in a concerted effort to open the grassland to agriculture. The Tang dynasty established small cities combined with military barracks in the area to encourage the development of the new northern Silk Road. In 1767,a city was established on the east bank of the Urumqi River, settled by Chinese soldiers and exiles, and given the name Dihua in 1762.The town grew in importance with the opening of silver and lead mines as well as Emperor Qianlong’s military into the Junggar region. Dihua was declared the capital of Xinjiang Province in 1884.