Lanzhou History

The city used to be called the Golden City, is an important stop along the Silk Road and has a long history of 2000 years. Originally, Lanzhou was under the governing of the Western Qiang peoples. Later in the 6th century BC, it became part of the territory of Qin. In Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), it became the seat of Jincheng county (Xian) and later of Jincheng commandery (jun), the county being renamed Yunwu.

 

After the Han Dynasty collapsed, Lanzhou became the capital of successive tribal states. The area at present-day Ganshu province became a center for Buddhist study from the 5th to the 11th century. It was mixed with different cultural heritages. In the 4th century, it served as the capital of the independent state of Earlier Liang.

 

The Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) reestablished Jincheng commandery, giving it another name: the county Zicheng. In Sui Dynasty (581–618), the city became the seat of Lanzhou prefecture for the first time, keeping this name under the Tang Dynasty (618–907). In 763 the area was overrun by the Tibetans and was then recovered by the Tang in 843. Later it was controlled by the Western Xia Dynasty flourishing in Qinghai from the 11th to 13th century and was subsequently conquered by the Song Dynasty (960–1126) in 1041. The name Lanzhou was reestablished, and the county renamed Lanzhuan.

 

After 1127 it became the territory of the Jin Dynasty, and after 1235 it fell into the hands of the Mongols. Under the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) the prefecture was demoted to a county and placed under the administration of Lintao superior prefecture, but in 1477 Lanzhou was reestablished as a political unit.

 

During the Qing Dynasty, the city obtained its current name in 1656. In 1666, Gansu became an independent province and Lanzhou became its capital. In 1739 the seat of Lintao was transferred to Lanzhou, which was later made a superior prefecture called Lanzhou.

 

During the rising of the Gansu Muslims in 1864–1875, Lanzhou was badly damaged. In the 1920s and 1930s it became a center of Soviet influence in northwestern China. Since the founding of People’s Republic of China in 1949, Lanzhou still serves as the capital of Gansu province.

 

Special Touring Regions:

---