Tianshui

From Wiki China org cn

Tianshui is the second largest city in Gansu Province in northwest China. Tianshui extends across the Yangtze River and the Yellow River systems. It is 195 km long from east to west and 121 km wide from north to south. Having Jurisdiction over two districts of Qincheng and Beidao, five Hui Autonomous counties, namely Qingshui, Qin'an, Gangu, Wushan and Zhangjiachuan, Tianshui has a total area of 14,325 square kilometres and a population of 3.21 million. There are 28 nationalities in Tianshui City, with Han nationality as the main.

Today, the city has become a major city that focuses on tourism and processing, and the center of economy, culture and commerce, and the transportation pivot in the southeast of Gansu.

Natural Resources

Tianshui City is rich in natural resources. It is known that there are more than 30 kinds of mineral resources including lead, zinc, copper, magnesium, gold, limestone, serpentine, dolornite and talcum. The non-metal minerals are not only abundant in reserves but also with convenient transportation - near the railways. The famous "Cup of Phosphorescent Jade" is made from it.

Agriculture

The main cereal crops are wheat, cotton, potato, Chinese sorghum, millet and bean; main industrial crops are rape, flax , hemp and tobacco; melon crops are radish , Chinese cabbage, wild cabbage, carrot, celery, tomato, eggplant, pepper, chive, garlic, scallion, water - melon and cucumber. And there are various fruit trees, such as apple, peach, apricot, plumit, persimmon and grape, especially rich in apple trees. Tianshui, with an annual apple output of 100 million kilograms, is one of the ten biggest apple bases in the country. Quality fruits and vegetables , such as "Huaniu Apple," "Mutan Garlic Stalk," "Gangu Pepper" and "Qin'an Chinese Prickly Ash" are sold all over the country. "HuaniuApple" won the golden prize at 94' Bangkok International Fair.

Tourism

Tianshui got its name from the legend of "The Sky Pouring Water." It is one of the cradles of Chinese earlier culture. In the chain of Qinling Mountain, there are more than 35 scenic spots including Maiji Mountain, whose forest and springs rank first in Gansu Province; the Immortals Cliff, which is regarded as the most scenically beautiful place; and Shimen Mountain, which is called "Little Huangshan Mountain." Altogether 180 scenic spots formed the famous "Maiji Mountain Scenic Spot," covering an area of 215 square km.

Cultural Activities

The City of Tianshui has folk arts and traditional cultural activities, such as overwhelming sheepskin drum dancing in Wushan County, the age old unique dancing with lively rhythm in Qincheng County, and Lahua dancing with its own style in Qin'an County. All these, revealing marked local characteristics, compose another tourism feature of Tianshui.

The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, refers to an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa and Europe.