# Qingyang, Gansu

Qingyang (simplified Chinese: 庆阳; traditional Chinese: 慶陽; pinyin: Qìngyáng) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu province, China.

## Geography and climate

Qingyang is the easternmost prefecture-level division of Gansu and is thus sometimes referred to as "Longdong" (Chinese: 陇东; pinyin: Lǒng dōng). It forms an administrative peninsula, as it is surrounded, on all sides but the south, by Shaanxi and Ningxia. It is in the lower middle part of the Yellow River on the loess plateau and is within the eastern Gansu basin. Elevation ranges from 885 to 2082 meters above sea-level. There are 5 major rivers in Qingyang including the Malian (马莲河pinyin: Mǎliánhé) , Pu (蒲河pinyin: Púhé), Hong (洪河pinyin: Hóng hé), Xilang (四郎河pinyin: Sìláng hé), and Hulu or "Gourd" (葫芦河pinyin: Húlu hé). Their combined annual flow is more than 800 million cubic meters. Bordering prefecture-level cities are:
Shaanxi:
* Yulin – north
* Yan'an – northeast
* Xianyang – southeast
Gansu:
* Pingliang – south/southwest
Ningxia:
* Guyuan – west
* Wuzhong – northwest
Qingyang has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb) with monsoonal influences. The normal monthly mean temperature ranges from −4.2 °C (24.4 °F) in January to 21.4 °C (70.5 °F) in July, with the annual mean standing at 9.20 °C (48.6 °F). The normal annual precipitation is 528 mm (20.8 in), with a two/thirds of it occurring from June to September, and winter seeing minimal precipitation.
Average temperatures for most of Qingyang's administrative area range between 7 and 10 °C. Annual precipitation is 480 to 660 mm and there are between 140~180 frost free days.
The area is 27,119 km$^2$ (10,471 sq mi) with 200 km$^2$ (77 sq mi) of forest and 530 km$^2$ (200 sq mi) of grassland.
Climate data for Qingyang (Xifeng District), elevation 1,421 m (4,662 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) | 13.1 (55.6) | 19.5 (67.1) | 26.4 (79.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.9 (89.4) | 35.9 (96.6) | 36.4 (97.5) | 32.9 (91.2) | 33.6 (92.5) | 26.5 (79.7) | 20.1 (68.2) | 15.2 (59.4) | 36.4 (97.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) | 4.6 (40.3) | 10.6 (51.1) | 17.4 (63.3) | 21.7 (71.1) | 25.7 (78.3) | 26.9 (80.4) | 25.0 (77.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 14.3 (57.7) | 8.4 (47.1) | 2.5 (36.5) | 14.8 (58.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −3.8 (25.2) | −0.4 (31.3) | 5.2 (41.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 16.1 (61.0) | 20.3 (68.5) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.3 (68.5) | 15.5 (59.9) | 9.6 (49.3) | 3.5 (38.3) | −2.2 (28.0) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.4 (18.7) | −4.1 (24.6) | 1.0 (33.8) | 6.7 (44.1) | 11.2 (52.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 17.8 (64.0) | 16.6 (61.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 6.1 (43.0) | −0.2 (31.6) | −5.8 (21.6) | 5.8 (42.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −18.6 (−1.5) | −15.6 (3.9) | −12.6 (9.3) | −5.2 (22.6) | −0.6 (30.9) | 7.2 (45.0) | 10.5 (50.9) | 6.5 (43.7) | 2.6 (36.7) | −6.9 (19.6) | −15.5 (4.1) | −21.4 (−6.5) | −21.4 (−6.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.8 (0.23) | 8.9 (0.35) | 17.6 (0.69) | 32.8 (1.29) | 46.2 (1.82) | 69.2 (2.72) | 110.5 (4.35) | 104.9 (4.13) | 84.1 (3.31) | 44.0 (1.73) | 14.7 (0.58) | 3.5 (0.14) | 542.2 (21.34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 4.3 | 5.2 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 8.7 | 10.1 | 11.9 | 12.1 | 11.4 | 9.3 | 5.4 | 3.0 | 94.7 |
| Average snowy days | 6.7 | 7.7 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 30.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 52 | 54 | 52 | 50 | 53 | 58 | 69 | 74 | 75 | 70 | 60 | 52 | 60 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 187.8 | 174.7 | 202.5 | 228.4 | 247.0 | 239.1 | 228.8 | 205.9 | 161.3 | 172.4 | 182.0 | 194.4 | 2,424.3 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 60 | 56 | 54 | 58 | 57 | 55 | 52 | 50 | 44 | 50 | 60 | 65 | 55 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration ||||||||||||||

## History

Qingyang was part of the area where the earliest cultures along the Yellow River developed and was part of the heartland of the Qin state that would eventually unite China. It was also an important place in the Chinese Communist Revolution, as a part of the Shaan–Gan–Ning Border Region.

### Meteor shower

In March or April 1490 AD a presumed meteor shower occurred in the Qingyang district. If a meteor shower did occur, it may have been the result of the breakup of an asteroid. At least three surviving Chinese historical records describe a shower during which "stones fell like rain", killing more than 10,000 people. Due to the paucity of detailed information and the lack of surviving meteorites or other physical evidence, researchers have also been unable to definitively state the exact nature of the dramatic event.

## Administration

Qingyang has 1 urban district, 7 counties, and 146 towns with a total population of 2,158,400, of which 949,200 live in urban areas.
Map :
| Xifeng Qingcheng County Huan County Huachi County Heshui County Zhengning County Ning County Zhenyuan County |||||||
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2022 est.) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| 1 | Xifeng District | 西峰区 | Xīfēng Qū | 513,900 | 996 | 331 |
| 2 | Qingcheng County | 庆城县 | Qìngchéng Xiàn | 235,200 | 2,673 | 120 |
| 3 | Huan County | 环县 | Huán Xiàn | 301,700 | 9,236 | 37 |
| 4 | Huachi County | 华池县 | Huáchí Xiàn | 118,300 | 3,776 | 34 |
| 5 | Heshui County | 合水县 | Héshuǐ Xiàn | 134,700 | 2,976 | 57 |
| 6 | Zhengning County | 正宁县 | Zhèngníng Xiàn | 173,200 | 1,329 | 173 |
| 7 | Ning County | 宁县 | Níng Xiàn | 331,700 | 2,633 | 197 |
| 8 | Zhenyuan County | 镇原县 | Zhènyuán Xiàn | 510,000 | 3,500 | 146 |

## Economy

In 2022 Qingyang's GDP was 102.226 billion RMB, 4.4 % growth over the previous year. 12.2 % of GDP was generated by the primary sector, 54.0% by the secondary sector and 33.8% by the tertiary sector. The per capita income was 22,878 RMB, for urban residents 37,585 RMB and for rural residents 12,276 RMB.
Petroleum and natural gas are the backbone of Qingyang's economy. Agricultural products include grains, donkeys, Huan County sheep, cattle, dates, milk, apples, apricots and other fruits, vegetables, and berries. 69 different kinds of Chinese medicinal plants and herbs are collected or grown here, 25 of which are exported.

## Transportation

* Qingyang Airport
* China National Highway 211
* China National Highway 309
* G22 Qingdao–Lanzhou Expressway
* Xi'an-Pingliang railway (limited service, station at Ning County)

## Culture

Qingyang is famous for its rich folk culture. Traditional Chinese art forms such as shadow puppet theater, paper cuts (such as the Qingyang sachet), folk music, and songs are still part of Qingyang's culture.
The local newspaper is called Longdong Daily (Chinese: 陇东报; pinyin: Lǒng dōng bào).