Ürümqi

Ürümqi is a big city in China.

It sits near many tall mountains. These mountains have white snow on top.

The snow melts and makes rivers. These rivers bring water to the city.

This city is very far from the sea. It is the most remote city in the world!

Many people live and work there. It is a busy place to visit.

Ürümqi is a large city in northwest China.

It is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The city is very far from the ocean. In fact, it is the most remote city from any sea in the world.

Ürümqi sits near big mountains. The Tian Shan mountains are to the south. The Bogda Shan mountains are to the east. These mountains have snow on top. The melting snow creates small rivers. These rivers provide water for the city.

Many people live in Ürümqi. In 2020, about 4 million people lived there. It is a center for trade and travel. The city has a big bazaar, which is a type of market.

Long ago, the city had a different name. People called it Dihua. In 1954, the name was changed back to Ürümqi. Some say the name means "beautiful pasture."

Ürümqi is a huge city in northwestern China.

It is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Many people live here, with about 4 million people in 2020. This makes it the second-largest city in the northwest of China. It is also the second-largest city in Central Asia by population.

The city is a very important place for travel and trade. It serves as a major center for politics and business.

The city is located in a very special spot. It is surrounded by large deserts like the Gurbantünggüt and the Taklamakan.

Even though it is near deserts, the city has water. Small rivers flow down from the snowy Tian Shan mountains. The Bogda Shan mountains are also to the east. These mountains have many glaciers that provide water. One glacier is the largest near a major city in China. Because the city is growing, people built the Irtysh–Ürümqi Canal to help. This canal brings more water to the people and new industrial areas.

Ürümqi has a very long and interesting history. Long ago, nomadic people called the Jushi lived on the mountain slopes. In the year 648 CE, the Tang government founded a town called Luntai here. This town helped collect taxes from travelers on the Silk Road. Later, the area was used by the Mongols and the Uyghurs. The Mongols even called the area Bishbalik, which means five cities.

This name referred to the five towns near the city.

Different groups have controlled the city over many years. The Qing dynasty took control of the area in 1755. They built a walled city between 1763 and 1767. During this time, they gave the city a new name, Dihua. Dihua meant "to enlighten and civilize." The city was once a twin-city with two different sides. One side was for government and the other was for trade.

In 1954, the name was changed back to Ürümqi. The leaders felt the old name was not respectful.

Today, Ürümqi is a place of many different things. Some people believe the name means "beautiful pasture." It is also famous for being very far from the ocean. In fact, it is the most remote city from any sea.

It sits near the center point of Asia. A monument was built there in the 1990s for tourists to see. The city is a busy place where many cultures meet.

Ürümqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China.

It is a massive urban center with a population of 4 million as of 2020. This size makes it the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior, following Xi'an. In the context of Central Asia, it is the second-largest city by population, trailing only Kabul, Afghanistan.

Today, the city functions as a vital regional transport node. It is also a major hub for commerce, politics, and culture.

The name "Ürümqi" has several possible origins. Scholar Herold J. Wiens suggests it comes from Oirat words meaning "beautiful pasture." Another theory by Dai Matsui involves the Old Uyghur word "yürüng," meaning white or bright. This might combine with the Chinese element "chin." Matsui notes a Tang dynasty garrison called Baishuizhen existed near this area. This name might have evolved into the modern Ürümqi over many centuries. Documents from the 14th century support the existence of the name "Yürüng-chin."

History shows many different groups inhabited this land. In prehistory, nomadic Jushi people lived on the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains. They are considered likely precursors to the Tocharian peoples. The oldest known settlement, Urabo, sat near the southern suburbs of the modern city. In 648 CE, the Tang government founded a town called Luntai. This town served as a seat of government for the Protectorate General to Pacify the West. It collected taxes from caravans traveling the northern Silk Road route. Later, the area was used by Uyghurs and Mongols. The Mongols called the wider area Bishbalik, meaning "five cities."

The Qing dynasty conquered the area in 1755 during their campaign against the Dzungar Khanate. Following this, the Qing expanded the settlement into a walled city between 1763 and 1767. They renamed the city Dihua, which means "to enlighten and civilize."

The city functioned as a twin-city during this era. One part, Gongning Cheng, was the administrative seat for Manchu bannermen. The other part, Dihua, became a commercial center for Han Chinese and Hui Muslims. By 1762, more than 500 shops had opened due to Chinese migration. This period saw the city grow into a sophisticated commercial and financial hub.

In 1954, the Chinese Communist Party officially restored the name Ürümqi. They believed the name Dihua was belittling and ethnically chauvinist. The city's importance grew further in 1962. Following protests in Yining, the government moved administrative and industrial focuses to Ürümqi. This shift was prompted by the Yi–Ta incident, where 60,000 citizens left for the Soviet Union. To connect the region to the east, the government began building a railway. This infrastructure reoriented Xinjiang toward China proper. In the late 1970s, the city benefited from the growth of the oil and gas industry.

Geographically, Ürümqi holds a unique record. It is the most remote city from any sea in the world.

It is also located near the Eurasian pole of inaccessibility. In 1992, experts designated a location in the southwestern suburbs as the "center point of Asia." A monument stands there today as a tourist attraction. The city sits at an average elevation of 884 meters. Its administrative area covers 4,173 square kilometers.

Water is a critical resource for this desert-surrounded city. Ürümqi is flanked by the Gurbantünggüt desert to the north and the Taklamakan to the south.

However, rivers from the Tianshan and Bogda Shan mountains provide a steady supply. These mountains contain nearly half of China's 20,000 glaciers. The Tianshan Glacier No. 1 is the largest glacier near a major Chinese city. Because of growing demand, the Irtysh–Ürümqi Canal was built in the early 21st century. This canal feeds a reservoir known as "Reservoir 500" to support the city and its industrial parks.