# Dingxi

Dingxi (Chinese: 定西; pinyin: Dìngxī), also known as Longyou (Chinese: 陇右; pinyin: Lǒngyòu) is a prefecture-level city in the southeast of Gansu province, People's Republic of China. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,524,097 inhabitants, of which 422,383 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of Anding urban district.

## History

Dingxi was important in the development of some of China's earliest cultures, specifically along the Wei River, one of the Yellow River's biggest tributaries. Numerous Neolithic sites from various cultures are found throughout the area.
A series of earthquakes in July 2013 killed at least 95 people and destroyed 120,000 homes.

## Geography

Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km (61 mi) east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little precipitation. Even though sunlight here can be intense, temperatures are generally cool. The surrounding terrain is mostly loess hills and ravines in the north and highlands in the south. The area is 20,300 km$^2$ (7,800 sq mi).
After the Qianlong Emperor period (18th century), the land of Dingxi went from lush grasslands and forests to being severely deforested as a result of war, famines and overpopulation.

## Climate

Dingxi has a monsoon- influenced cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) characterised like most of eastern Gansu by warm to very warm, humid summers and freezing, virtually snowless winters.
Climate data for Dingxi (Anding District), elevation 1,897 m (6,224 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.6 (58.3) | 20.3 (68.5) | 26.7 (80.1) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.2 (88.2) | 32.0 (89.6) | 35.1 (95.2) | 34.2 (93.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 20.9 (69.6) | 15.4 (59.7) | 35.1 (95.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 4.8 (40.6) | 10.3 (50.5) | 16.8 (62.2) | 21.0 (69.8) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.4 (79.5) | 25.1 (77.2) | 20.1 (68.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 8.8 (47.8) | 3.4 (38.1) | 14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) | −2.2 (28.0) | 3.3 (37.9) | 9.5 (49.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 8.1 (46.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | −4.6 (23.7) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.3 (9.9) | −7.6 (18.3) | −2.0 (28.4) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.8 (46.0) | 11.9 (53.4) | 14.4 (57.9) | 13.7 (56.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 3.5 (38.3) | −3.7 (25.3) | −10.1 (13.8) | 2.4 (36.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −25.5 (−13.9) | −22.1 (−7.8) | −14.8 (5.4) | −8.0 (17.6) | −2.8 (27.0) | 2.6 (36.7) | 4.3 (39.7) | 5.0 (41.0) | −1.3 (29.7) | −10.4 (13.3) | −18.1 (−0.6) | −29.7 (−21.5) | −29.7 (−21.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.4 (0.13) | 4.6 (0.18) | 10.5 (0.41) | 23.5 (0.93) | 46.9 (1.85) | 53.3 (2.10) | 69.7 (2.74) | 79.9 (3.15) | 47.6 (1.87) | 29.6 (1.17) | 4.7 (0.19) | 1.4 (0.06) | 375.1 (14.78) |
| Average snowy days | 8.2 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 38.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 59 | 58 | 54 | 51 | 54 | 60 | 65 | 68 | 72 | 71 | 64 | 58 | 61 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 197.9 | 184.6 | 209.1 | 229 | 243 | 235.2 | 236.7 | 218.8 | 165.2 | 171.6 | 189 | 207.7 | 2,487.8 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 63 | 59 | 56 | 58 | 56 | 54 | 54 | 53 | 45 | 50 | 62 | 69 | 57 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## Administration

Dingxi has 1 urban district, 6 counties, and 119 towns with a total population of 2,698,622.
Map :
| Anding Lintao County Longxi County Zhang County Min County Weiyuan County Tongwei County |||||||
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010 census) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| City proper |||||||
| Anding District | 安定区 | Āndìng Qū | 420,614 | 4,225 | 99.55 |
| Rural |||||||
| Tongwei County | 通渭县 | Tōngwèi Xiàn | 349,539 | 2,899 | 120.57 |
| Longxi County | 陇西县 | Lǒngxī Xiàn | 453,259 | 2,657 | 170.59 |
| Weiyuan County | 渭源县 | Wèiyuán Xiàn | 324,215 | 2,034 | 159.40 |
| Lintao County | 临洮县 | Líntáo Xiàn | 507,386 | 2,851 | 177.97 |
| Zhang County | 漳县 | Zhāng Xiàn | 192,957 | 2,164 | 89.17 |
| Min County | 岷县 | Mín Xiàn | 450,654 | 3,500 | 128.76 |

## Economy

Dingxi has been one of the most poverty-stricken regions in Gansu province and China as a whole. Up to 1999, some citizens still lacked food and clothing. Although most of Gansu is arid, in other regions of the province a large portion of farmland is irrigated, whereas in Dingxi this was not the case. Especially after the 1960s, the agricultural output of Dingxi plummeted due to land degradation.
Agriculture and natural resource based industries are the key to Dingxi's economy. There are more than 300 different kinds of Chinese medicinal plants and herbs found in the area. Dingxi's Anding County is China's number one grower of yams. Zanthoxylum (also called Sichuan Pepper or prickly ash fruit), walnuts, wild apricots, and other fruit are some of Dingxi's famous dried exports. Potato is an important crop, and Dingxi has been described as the 'Potato Capital of China'.

## Culture

The local Dingxi dialect of Central Plains Mandarin has only three tones instead of the normal four.

### Food

* Shouzhuarou, cooked mutton on the bone
* Dingxi Niangpi, a type of noodle similar to Liangpi
* Longxi Qianrou, a dish made from donkey tail
* Minxian Fenyu, a type of noodle that looks like a small fish or tadpole

## Transportation

* G22 Qingdao–Lanzhou Expressway
* G30 Lianyungang–Khorgas Expressway
* China National Highway 312
* Longhai railway
* Xuzhou-Lanzhou High-Speed Railway