# Qitai County

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 had a population of 230,000.
Qitai County's county seat is in Qitai Town. Gucheng Township is nearby.

## History

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.
   "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."

## Climate

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 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 50 | 57 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 65 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 72 | 59 | 46 | 63 |
| Source 1: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weather China ||||||||||||||
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 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 68 | 70 | 68 | 64 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 69 | 74 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 67 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## Subdivisions

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

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. In 2024, the Qitai Jiangbulake Airport opened.

## The radio telescope project

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. The facility, in Qitai County's Banjiegou Town (半截沟镇), will be the home of the proposed Qitai Radio Telescope. Once completed it will be the largest fully steerable single-dish radio telescope in the world.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Locals in Xinjiang frequently observe UTC+6 (Xinjiang Time), 2 hours behind Beijing.
* ↑ Xinjiang: Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties
* ↑ Lattimore (1929), pp. 52, 250.
* ↑ Lattimore (1929), p. 250.
* 1 2 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
* ↑ "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.
* ↑ "Experience Template" 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
* ↑ (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
* ↑ "QTT Project Proposal". Proceeds of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. 2012.
* ↑ "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. Retrieved 11 July 2013.