Li County, Gansu

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title: "Li County, Gansu" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["county-level-divisions-of-gansu", "longnan"] topic_path: "general/county-level-divisions-of-gansu" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_County,_Gansu" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
nameLi County
native_name礼县
postal_code742200
postal_code_typePostal code
settlement_typeCounty
image_mapLocation_of_Longnan_Prefecture_within_Gansu_(China).png
map_captionLongnan Prefecture within Gansu
mapsize250px
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameChina
subdivision_type1Provinces
subdivision_name1Gansu
subdivision_type2Prefecture-level city
subdivision_name2Longnan
seat_typeCounty seat
seatChengguan
area_total_km24299.92
population_footnotes
population_as_of2017
population_density_km2auto
population_total536817
coordinates
timezoneChina Standard
website
area_code0939
blank_nameLicence plate prefixes
blank_info甘K
::

|name = Li County |other_name = |native_name = 礼县 |postal_code = 742200 |postal_code_type = Postal code |settlement_type = County |image_skyline = |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_map = Location_of_Longnan_Prefecture_within_Gansu_(China).png |map_caption = Longnan Prefecture within Gansu |mapsize = 250px |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = China |subdivision_type1 = Provinces |subdivision_name1 = Gansu |subdivision_type2 = Prefecture-level city |subdivision_name2 = Longnan |seat_type = County seat |seat = Chengguan |area_total_km2 = 4299.92 |population_footnotes = |population_as_of = 2017 |population_density_km2 = auto |population_total = 536817 |coordinates = |elevation_ft = |elevation_m = |timezone = China Standard |utc_offset = |website = |area_code = 0939 |blank_name = Licence plate prefixes |blank_info = 甘K

Li County or Lixian is an administrative division of the prefecture-level city of Longnan in southeastern Gansu, a northwestern province of China. The 2010 Chinese census found a population of 458,237, a decline of around 25,000 from the year 2000 but still placing it second in size within its prefecture.

The county seat is also known as Lixian, formerly romanized as Li Hsien. It is located at the confluence of the Western Han and Yanzi rivers, tributaries of the Jialing and Yangtze watersheds. Commanding a valley connecting the Yellow and Yangtze river systems, it was an important outpost of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and was the initial seat of the Ying family who later established the kingdom and empire of Qin.

Geography

Lixian is bordered within Longnan by the counties of Xihe to the east, Wudu to the south, and Tanchang to the west. The municipalities of Dingxi and Tianshui lie to the northwest and northeast, respectively.

Sir Eric Teichman, the British diplomat and orientalist, described the territory in 1916 before its modern development: ...the path [from Tianshui] crosses the Tsin-ling Shan, and passes from the basin of the Huang Ho into that of the Yang-tse by an easy pass. The south-eastern corner of Kan-su, south of the Tsin-ling Shan range, differs greatly from the rest of the province. The bare loess hills of Central Kan-su with their waterless valleys give way to jungle-covered mountains with abundance of water, and coolie transport takes the place of camels, carts, and mules. The people are in close touch with Sechuan.

The Liba gold deposit (李坝金矿区) lies within the county limits.

Climate

|metric first=y |single line=y |collapsed = Y |location = Lixian, elevation 1384 m, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010) |Jan high C = 4.0 |Feb high C = 7.3 |Mar high C = 12.9 |Apr high C = 19.0 |May high C = 22.8 |Jun high C = 26.1 |Jul high C = 28.1 |Aug high C = 27.1 |Sep high C = 21.6 |Oct high C = 16.1 |Nov high C = 10.8 |Dec high C = 5.5 |Jan mean C = -2.0 |Feb mean C = 1.5 |Mar mean C = 6.6 |Apr mean C = 12.1 |May mean C = 16.0 |Jun mean C = 19.6 |Jul mean C = 22.0 |Aug mean C = 21.1 |Sep mean C = 16.5 |Oct mean C = 10.9 |Nov mean C = 4.8 |Dec mean C = -0.9 |Jan low C = -6.3 |Feb low C = -2.7 |Mar low C = 1.6 |Apr low C = 6.3 |May low C = 10.2 |Jun low C = 14.1 |Jul low C = 17.0 |Aug low C = 16.6 |Sep low C = 12.8 |Oct low C = 7.2 |Nov low C = 0.7 |Dec low C = -5.2 |Jan record high C = 15.3 |Jan record low C = -17.7 |Feb record high C = 20.2 |Feb record low C = -15.3 |Mar record high C = 28.1 |Mar record low C = -9.9 |Apr record high C = 31.0 |Apr record low C = -4.1 |May record high C = 32.0 |May record low C = -0.8 |Jun record high C = 34.2 |Jun record low C = 5.2 |Jul record high C = 35.5 |Jul record low C = 8.2 |Aug record high C = 34.1 |Aug record low C = 7.6 |Sep record high C = 33.5 |Sep record low C = 2.6 |Oct record high C = 26.3 |Oct record low C = -5.3 |Nov record high C = 20.2 |Nov record low C = -11.9 |Dec record high C = 14.8 |Dec record low C = -16.7 |year high C = |year low C = |year high F = |year low F = |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 4.6 |Feb precipitation mm = 6.5 |Mar precipitation mm = 18.9 |Apr precipitation mm = 36.0 |May precipitation mm = 61.2 |Jun precipitation mm = 65.1 |Jul precipitation mm = 80.4 |Aug precipitation mm = 78.6 |Sep precipitation mm = 69.5 |Oct precipitation mm = 48.3 |Nov precipitation mm = 8.9 |Dec precipitation mm = 2.4 |Jan humidity = 65 |Feb humidity = 64 |Mar humidity = 63 |Apr humidity = 62 |May humidity = 65 |Jun humidity = 69 |Jul humidity = 71 |Aug humidity = 73 |Sep humidity = 78 |Oct humidity = 79 |Nov humidity = 75 |Dec humidity = 68 |unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm |Jan precipitation days = 5.4 |Feb precipitation days = 5.5 |Mar precipitation days = 8.2 |Apr precipitation days = 9.2 |May precipitation days = 11.6 |Jun precipitation days = 11.9 |Jul precipitation days = 11.7 |Aug precipitation days = 11.6 |Sep precipitation days = 13.2 |Oct precipitation days = 12.1 |Nov precipitation days = 5.6 |Dec precipitation days = 2.9 |year precipitation days = |Jan sun = 143.7 |Feb sun = 124.6 |Mar sun = 151.0 |Apr sun = 179.4 |May sun = 189.2 |Jun sun = 170.1 |Jul sun = 175.9 |Aug sun = 167.0 |Sep sun = 106.2 |Oct sun = 106.3 |Nov sun = 127.1 |Dec sun = 149.4 |year sun = | Jan percentsun = 45 | Feb percentsun = 40 | Mar percentsun = 40 | Apr percentsun = 46 | May percentsun = 44 | Jun percentsun = 40 | Jul percentsun = 40 | Aug percentsun = 41 | Sep percentsun = 29 | Oct percentsun = 31 | Nov percentsun = 41 | Dec percentsun = 49 | year percentsun = |Jan snow days = 10.5 |Feb snow days = 8.6 |Mar snow days = 4.3 |Apr snow days = 0.7 |May snow days = 0 |Jun snow days = 0 |Jul snow days = 0 |Aug snow days = 0 |Sep snow days = 0 |Oct snow days = 0.3 |Nov snow days = 2.7 |Dec snow days = 5.7 |year snow days = |source 1 = China Meteorological Administration

Agriculture

Huaniu apples are a speciality agricultural product of the region.

History

Scientists from Lanzhou University have established that widespread agriculture began in Li County around 6,400 years ago as part of the Banpo phase of the Yangshao culture of the Wei River valley. The warm, humid climate of the mid-Holocene made the area productive for millet prior to the drier conditions which began about 2000 BC.

By the time of ancient China, Lixian was part of the territory of Xichui (lit. "the Western March"). During the Shang dynasty, Zhongjue and his son Feilian (蜚廉) controlled Xichui from the midst of the area's Rong tribes. Feilian's son Elai served King Zhou as his bodyguard and was killed when King Wu overthrew him and founded the Zhou dynasty.

Under the Zhou, however, Elai's familythe House of Yingcontinued to control the area. His great-great-grandson was Daluo (大骆), who had two sons by different mothers in the early 9th century BC. His reputation grew to the point that King Xiao charged him with breeding and providing the imperial cavalry. He proved so successful that, when the Marquis of Shen blocked his inheritance of Daluo's estate, King Xiao created him lord of nearby Qin (present-day Zhangjiachuan, Gansu).}} the Rong took the occasion to attack and massacre Cheng's clan at Xichui. King Xuan named Feizi's great-grandson Qin Zhong commander over the Zhou expeditions against the Rong around 827 BC but the Rong killed him at Qin in 822. His son Zhuang and his four younger brothers successfully invaded the Rong lands with 7,000 Zhou soldiers and recovered both Qin and Xichui.

At some point during Spring and Autumn period, barley and wheat were introduced into the area in addition to its traditional millet. Created a duke over Xichui, Zhuang moved his family's capital to the site, establishing the city of Quanqiu. When Zhuang died in 778 BC, his eldest son Shifu (世父) refused to inherit official duties but chose instead to live a life on his chariot, fighting the Rong in revenge for his grandfather's death. His younger brother Xiang opted to marry his sister Mu Ying to King Feng of the Rong (豐王) and, the next year in 776 BC, he moved his capital from Quanqiu to Qian (汧, present-day Longxian in Shaanxi). Shifu led the defense of Quanqiu against the Rong who subsequently invaded. Overcome, he was captured and lived among the Rong for a year before being released. When the Quanrong overcame Hao in 771 and ended the Western period of the Zhou, Xiang was granted a promotion by King Ping and no longer suffered subordinate status.

Under the Qin and Han dynasties, it was part of Longxi Commandery, headquartered at Didao (present-day Taoyang in Lintao County). During the Northern Wei dynasty, it was part of Hanyang Commandery, headquartered at Hanyang (present-day Tianshui). Under the Western Wei, this was changed to Hanyang County. During the Tang, Lixian was known as Changdao (長道, 长道) and was part of Qinzhou (秦州), a province centered variously at Shanggui (present-day Tianshui) and Chengji (present-day Qin'an). The area was the home of the noted 10th-century memoirist Wang Renhui (王仁裕). Li County was separated from Tianshui's jurisdiction during the ninth year of Chenghua (AD 1473) during the Ming dynasty.

Li County's loess is prone to erosion and landslides. Amid the increasing collectivization of agriculture from 1964 to 1978, just seven flows damaged 22000 ha of farmland, destroyed 17,544 homes, and killed 1,142 people.

During the Cultural Revolution, the area received a bit of local notoriety for its flagging grain production. The "experiences of Li County" were used by regional officials to caution against implementation of Tachai-style collectivism in the mid-1970s. The collective farms in the area saw decreasing year-on-year yields of grain until, by 1976, all 29 of the county's communes were consuming more grain than they produced. This provoked official action, which denounced the complaints as "sabotage" and "poison", in the period between the fall of the Gang of Four and the rise of Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms.

The area is also subject to earthquakes, with 25 recorded as having a magnitude of 5.0 or higher. The largest recorded was an 8.0-magnitude quake that struck on July 21, 1654; most recently, a 6.6-magnitude quake struck on July 22, 2013.

Economy

Lixian is one of the counties included in the Targeted Poverty Alleviation campaign. In 2014, 26.1% of the population fell under the poverty line.

Lixian is known as the home of rhubarb in China. According to Qianlong era writings, rhubarb has been cultivated in the area for thousands of years. Other local produce includes apples, walnuts and peppers.

Administrative divisions

Present-day, Li County includes 22 towns and 7 townships: ;Towns

References

References

  1. [[National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China]]. Cited in ''Geohive''. "[http://www.geohive.com/cntry/cn-62.aspx China – Gansu Sheng] {{webarchive. link. (2013-01-27 ". 2013. Accessed 5 December 2013.)
  2. Teichman, Eric. "Routes in Kan-su". ''The Geographical Journal'', No. 48, p. 474. Op. cit. Dudbridge (2012).
  3. {{lang. zh. 《现代地质》 [Xiàndài Dìzhí, ''Modern Geology''], Vol. 23, No. 3–4. {{lang. zh. 武汉地质学院北京研究生院 [''Wǔhàn Dìzhí Xuéyuàn Běijīng Yánjiūshēngyuàn''], 2009. {{in lang. zh
  4. link. [[China Meteorological Administration]]
  5. (12 October 2017). "China: Huaniu apples seize market with their high quality".
  6. An C.B. & al. "Lanzhou University: Evolution of prehistoric agriculture in central Gansu Province, China: A case study in Qin'an and Li County", ''Chinese Science Bulletin'', Vol. 55, No. 18, pp. 1925 ff. (2010), excerpted in ''Issues in General Science and Scientific Theory and Method'', 2011 ed., [https://books.google.com/books?id=sthDmZsl-3YC&pg=PT641 p. 641].
  7. Cambridge]]), 2006. Accessed 3 December 2013.
  8. [[Sima Qian]]. ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' translated by William Nienhauser Jr. as ''The Grand Scribe's Records: The Basic Annals of Pre-Han China'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=qDo3xBcsX-UC&pg=PA88 p. 88]. Indiana University Press, 1994. Accessed 4 December 2013.
  9. [[Sima Qian]]. ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', {{nowrap. {{lang. zh. 《秦本纪》 ["Annals of Qin"]. [http://www.guoxue.com/shibu/24shi/shiji/sj_005.htm Guoxue]. Accessed 29 April 2012. {{in lang. zh
  10. Cheng, his son by the daughter of the [[Marquis of Shen
  11. During the 842 BC [[Compatriots Rebellion]], the Zhou king [[King Li of Zhou. Li]] was overthrown at [[Haojing. Hao]] and forced into a prolonged exile;{{refn. Traditional accounts made this rebellion a spontaneous reäction of the oppressed people of Hao, but it seems more likely to have been the result of a royal defeat in a power struggle with aristocrats in the [[Wei River
  12. Dudbridge, Glen. ''A Portrait of Five Dynasties China: From the Memoirs of Wang Renyu (880–956)'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=rEgjlZjMd7sC&pg=PA8 pp. 8 ff.] Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Accessed 14 Dec 2013.
  13. Derbyshire, Edward. ''Loess Letter: The Skin of the Earth and the Way of the World'', No. 21 (Supplement), p. 17. Center for Loess Research and Documentation (Leicester), 1989.
  14. The Monitoring Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ''[https://books.google.com/books?ei=AT2sUoOIJsaZiAf474HwCw Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East]'', Vol. 3. "A Grain-deficient County in Kansu". BBC, 1977.
  15. ''China.org''. "[http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-07/23/content_29498341.htm 94 Dead in Gansu Quake]". 23 July 2013. Accessed 3 December 2013.
  16. "甘肃礼县：创新精准扶贫模式 纵深推进精准脱贫".
  17. "【数说甘味】药中将军——礼县大黄-新华网".
  18. "". link
  19. "礼县：发展绿色经济 做优生态文明大文章_来稿选登_中国甘肃网".
  20. link. [[National Bureau of Statistics of China]]

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