Hami Kumul, Qumul | |
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 Hami Prefecture (red) in Xinjiang (orange) | |
  Hami Location of the city center in Xinjiang Show map of Xinjiang Hami Hami (China) Show map of China | |
| Coordinates (Hami municipal government):42°49′09″N93°30′54″E / 42.8193°N 93.5151°E /42.8193; 93.5151 | |
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Autonomous region | Xinjiang |
| Municipal seat | Yizhou District |
| Area | |
• Total | 137,222 km2 (52,982 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 759 m (2,490 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 673,383 |
| • Density | 4.90725/km2 (12.7097/sq mi) |
| GDP[1] | |
| • Total | CN¥ 60.5 billion US$ 8.8 billion |
| • Per capita | CN¥ 98,148 US$ 14,227 |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 839000 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-XJ-05 |
| Hami | |||||||||||||
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| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 哈密 | ||||||||||||
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| Mongolian name | |||||||||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Хамил хот | ||||||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠬᠠᠮᠢᠯ ᠬᠣᠲᠠ | ||||||||||||
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| Uyghur name | |||||||||||||
| Uyghur | قۇمۇل | ||||||||||||
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Hami (Chinese:哈密;pinyin:Hāmì), orKumul (Uyghur:قۇمۇل,romanized: Qumul), is aprefecture-level city in easternXinjiang, China. It is well known for sweetHami melons. In early 2016, the former Hamicounty-level city merged with Hami Prefecture to form the Hami prefecture-level city with the county-level city becomingYizhou District.[2][3][failed verification] Since theHan dynasty, Hami has been known for its production of agricultural products and raw resources.
Cumuḍa (sometimesCimuda orCunuda) is the oldest knownendonym of Hami, when it was founded by a people known in Han Chinese sources as theXiao Yuezhi ("Lesser Yuezhi"),[4] during the 1st millennium BCE.
The oldest attested Chinese name is "昆莫" (Kūnmò). By the time of theHan dynasty, it was referred to in Chinese as "伊吾" (Yīwú) or "伊吾卢" (Yīwúlú). Under theTang dynasty, it was also known asYīzhōu,伊州.[2][3] The name I-gou, I-gu,[5] Igu,[6] &c. sometimes encountered in European discussion of Hami was a mistaken form of Yiwu introduced byStanislas Julien in his translation ofHuili's biography ofXuanzang.[7]
By the 10th century CE, the city and its residents were known to the Han as "仲雲" (pinyin:Zhòngyún;Wade–Giles:Chung-yün). A monk named Gao Juhui, who had traveled to the Tarim Basin, wrote that theZhongyun were descendants of theXiao Yuezhi and that the king of Zhongyun lived nearLop Nur.[8]
Following the subsequent settlement ofUyghur-speaking people in the area, Cumuḍa became known asČungul,Xungul,Qumul,Qomul andKumul (Yengi Yezik̡:K̡umul,K̡omul).
The toponymYīwúlú also appears as "伊吾廬" in theHistory of the Yuan dynasty,[9] the biographies of which include references to the place using both names:Baurchuk Art Tekin (巴而朮阿而忒的斤) bases his troops atHāmìlì injuan 122, while one Tabun (塔本) is recorded as being a man ofYīwúlú injuan 124.[10]
During theYuan dynasty the Mongolian name for the place,Qamil, transcribed into Chinese as "哈密力" (Hāmìlì), was widely used.[11]
Marco Polo reported visiting "Camul" in the early 14th century and that was the name under which it first appeared on European maps, during the 16th century.
From theMing dynasty onwards, Qumul was known in Han sources as "哈密" (Hāmì).
WhenMatteo Ricci visited the city in 1605, in his account of the Portuguese JesuitBenedict Goës, he used the same spelling as well.[12]
Lionel Giles has recorded the following names (with hisWade–Giles forms of the Chinese names converted toPinyin):
The modern Chinese name Hami was originally applied to the wider province, which had its historic capital atQocho 325 km to the west of the city of Hami.
During theLater Han dynasty, Hami repeatedly changed hands between the Chinese andUyghurs who both wanted to control this fertile and strategic oasis. Several times the Han set up military agricultural colonies to feed their troops and supply trade caravans. It was especially noted for its melons, raisins and wine.[13]
The decline of the Xiongnu and the Han dynasty led to relative stability and peace for Hami and the surrounding area. However, in 456, theNorthern Wei dynasty occupied the Hami region. Based here, they launched raids against theRouran Khaganate. After the decline of the Northern Wei dynasty around the 6th century, theFirst Turkic Khaganate assumed control of the region. Hami was then tossed around between the western and eastern branches of the khaganate.[15]
Xuanzang visited the oasis town, famous for itsmelons, the first of a string of oases supplied by theTian Shan Mountains. This water had been preserved in underground wells and channels since time immemorial. The town had long been inhabited by a Chinese military colony. During the earlyTang dynasty and reaching into theSui dynasty, the Chinese colony had acceptedTurkic rule. Xuanzang stayed at a monastery inhabited at the time by three Chinese monks.[16]
TheTang dynasty asserted control over the region and occupied Hami in the 7th century. The Tibetan Empire and the Tang vied for control of the region until the Chinese were repelled in 851. After the collapse of theUyghur Khaganate, a group of Uyghurs migrated to the Hami region and ushered in an era of linguistic and cultural change of the local population.[15] The Mongols conquered this region during theYuan dynasty. Later Gunashiri, a descendant of Chagatai Khan, founded his own small state calledQara Del in Kumul or Hami, which accepted Ming supremacy in the early 15th century, but was conquered by another branch of Mongols later on.
TheMing dynasty established this region as Kumul Hami in 1404 after the Mongol kingdomQara Del accepted its supremacy. But it was later controlled byOirat Mongols. Hami was conquered and converted to Islam in 1513.[17] Since the 18th century, Kumul became the center of theKumul Khanate, a semi-autonomous vassal state within theQing Empire and theRepublic of China as part of Xinjiang. The last ruler of the khanate wasMaqsud Shah.
A traveler in 1888 gave the following description of the city:
Hami is located at the border withGansu province. It is characterized by strong elevation gradients between the low elevations of the Hami basin and peaks up tocirca 4,900 metres or 16,000 feet above sea level in theQarlik andBarkol mountain ranges.
Hami (Kumul) is in a fault depression at 759 m (2,490 ft) above sea level, and has atemperate zone,continentaldesert climate (KöppenBWk) (seeHami Desert), with extreme differences between summer and winter, and dry, sunny weather year-round. On average, there is only 43.6 mm (1.72 in) of precipitation annually, occurring on 25 days of the year. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 68% in December to 79% in September and October, the city receives 3,285 hours of bright sunshine annually, making it one of the sunniest nationally. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −9.8 °C (14.4 °F) in January to 26.8 °C (80.2 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 10.25 °C (50.4 °F). Thediurnal temperature variation is typically large, at about an average 15 °C (27 °F) for the year.
| Climate data for Hami (Kumul), elevation 737 m (2,418 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 8.2 (46.8) | 16.8 (62.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 34.9 (94.8) | 38.8 (101.8) | 42.7 (108.9) | 43.2 (109.8) | 42.3 (108.1) | 37.5 (99.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 20.9 (69.6) | 10.0 (50.0) | 43.2 (109.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | 4.8 (40.6) | 14.0 (57.2) | 22.9 (73.2) | 28.6 (83.5) | 33.3 (91.9) | 35.1 (95.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 28.3 (82.9) | 19.5 (67.1) | 8.3 (46.9) | −1.2 (29.8) | 18.7 (65.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −10.4 (13.3) | −3.2 (26.2) | 5.9 (42.6) | 14.9 (58.8) | 20.7 (69.3) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.2 (81.0) | 25.1 (77.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 9.4 (48.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | −8.2 (17.2) | 10.5 (50.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −16.1 (3.0) | −9.7 (14.5) | −1.4 (29.5) | 7.0 (44.6) | 12.2 (54.0) | 17.3 (63.1) | 19.3 (66.7) | 17.2 (63.0) | 10.5 (50.9) | 2.6 (36.7) | −4.9 (23.2) | −13.3 (8.1) | 3.4 (38.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27.7 (−17.9) | −21.7 (−7.1) | −15.2 (4.6) | −6.0 (21.2) | −0.5 (31.1) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.4 (48.9) | 5.4 (41.7) | −0.2 (31.6) | −9.4 (15.1) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −28.9 (−20.0) | −28.9 (−20.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 1.4 (0.06) | 1.1 (0.04) | 1.5 (0.06) | 3.5 (0.14) | 3.6 (0.14) | 8.5 (0.33) | 8.6 (0.34) | 5.3 (0.21) | 2.7 (0.11) | 3.1 (0.12) | 3.0 (0.12) | 2.3 (0.09) | 44.6 (1.76) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 25.7 |
| Average snowy days | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 11.7 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 63 | 47 | 31 | 27 | 32 | 37 | 42 | 43 | 46 | 49 | 54 | 62 | 44 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 207.5 | 223.9 | 285.2 | 304.1 | 349.9 | 339.4 | 340.1 | 326.5 | 301.4 | 266.4 | 211.0 | 192.3 | 3,347.7 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 70 | 74 | 76 | 75 | 77 | 74 | 74 | 77 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 69 | 75 |
| Source:China Meteorological Administration[19][20][21] | |||||||||||||
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| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Uyghur (UEY) | Uyghur Latin (ULY) | Population(2020 census) | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | |
| 1 | Yizhou District | 伊州区 | Yīzhōu Qū | ئىۋىرغول رايونى | Iwirghol Rayoni | 569,388 | 80,791 | 7.05 | |
| 2 | Yiwu County | 伊吾县 | Yīwú Xiàn | ئارا تۈرۈك ناھىيىسى | Ara Türük Nahiyisi | 38,464 | 19,530 | 1.97 | |
| 3 | Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County | 巴里坤哈萨克自治县 | Bālǐkūn Hāsàkè Zìzhìxiàn | باركۆل قازاق ئاپتونوم ناھىيىسى | Barköl Qazaq Aptonom Nahiyisi | 65,531 | 36,901 | 1.78 | |
As of 2017[update], Hami had a population of about 580,000 of which 68.4% wereHan Chinese and 31.6% ethnic minorities, mostlyUyghurs,Kazakhs, andHui.
As of 2015, 427,657 (76.6%) of the 616,711 residents of the county wereHan Chinese, 109,072 (17.6%) wereUyghur, 55,550 (9.0%) wereKazakh and 17,588 (2.8%) wereHui.[22]
| Nationality | Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Han | 65.5% | |||
| Uyghurs | 20.0% | |||
| Kazakhs | 10.0% | |||
| Hui | 3.2% | |||
| Mongols | 0.5% | |||
| Others | 0.8% | |||
| Source of the population statistics:[23] | ||||
The Hami area is known for its large amount of high quality raw resources with 76 kinds of metals already detected. The major mineral resources of this area includecoal,iron, copper, nickel,gold.
A newly discoverednickel deposit in Hami is estimated to contain reserves of over 15.8 million tons of the metal, it therefore ranks as China's second largest nickel mine. Around 900,000 tons of nickel has already been detected. Some localcopper and nickel mining enterprises are reported to have begun operation, with Xinjiang Nonferrous Metals Group mining company running its nickel smelter crude production furnace at Hami Industrial Park.[citation needed]
China is building a field of ICBM silos near Hami, about 380 km (240 miles) northwest of another field nearYumen.[24]
Hami is connected to Xinjiang and the rest of China by both high-speed and conventional rail links. TheLanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway, a passenger dedicated high speed rail line running 1,776 kilometers (1,104 mi) fromLanzhou inGansu Province toÜrümqi passes through the city. Hami is a stopping point for theLanzhou–Xinjiang Railway andEjin–Hami Railway, two lines that are part of trans-national transport corridors. The Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway carries passengers and freight, connecting the rest of China to Central Asia and beyond as part of theNew Eurasian Land Bridge through a border cross inKazakhstan, and the Ejin–Hami Railway moves passengers and freight as part of a planned corridor beginning in the Bohai Gulf in North China toTorugart Pass on the border withKyrgyzstan. A short rail line of 374.83 km (233 mi) transportspotassium salts mined near Lop Nur to Hami.
By road Hami is located alongChina National Highway 312, an east–west route of 4,967 km (3,086 mi) fromShanghai toKhorgas,Xinjiang in theIli River valley, on the border withKazakhstan.
Hami Yizhou Airport is a one-gate airport located 12.5 km (7.8 mi) northeast of the city center.
