Linxia County 临夏县 لٍثِيَا ثِيًا | |
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 Linxia County's northern shore, seen from a Liujiaxia Reservoir ferryboat | |
  Linxia County Location of the seat in Gansu | |
| Coordinates (Linxia County government):35°28′43″N103°02′27″E / 35.4787°N 103.0407°E /35.4787; 103.0407 | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Gansu |
| Autonomous prefecture | Linxia |
| County seat | Hanji [zh] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,212.4 km2 (468.1 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 4,613 m (15,135 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 1,735 m (5,692 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 322,628 |
| • Density | 266.11/km2 (689.21/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 731800 |
| Website | www |
Linxia County (simplified Chinese:临夏县;traditional Chinese:臨夏縣;pinyin:Línxià Xiàn;Wade–Giles:Lin-hsia Hsien,Xiao'erjing:لٍثِيَا ثِيًا) is acounty in theLinxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, province ofGansu,China.
Linxia County is located in central and south-western parts of theLinxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, extending from the shores ofLiujiaxia Reservoir in the north (at 1735 m elevation above the sea level, the lowest part of the county), to Taizu Mountains in the south and Dalijia Mountain (达里加山,دَالِڭِيَا شًا) (at 4613 m elevation above the sea level, the highest point in the county) in the west.[2]
The county's river network is formed primarily by small rivers that flow to the northeast and north from the mountains that line the county's southwestern border toward theYellow River (i.e., these days, the Liujiaxia Reservoir) near the northern end of the county. The largest of these rivers is theDaxia River (大夏河,دَاثِيَا حَ), which flows from theGannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to cross Linxia County. The river's lower course forms the border between Linxia County and the neighboringDongxiang Autonomous County to the east. It forms a large bay at its outfall into the Liujiaxia Reservoir.
The county surrounds the prefecture seat,Linxia City, from the north, south, and west, but does not include it, since Linxia City forms a county-level administrative unit of its own.
The county seat is located at Hanji Town (韩集镇, خًاڭِ جٍ), 24 km (15 mi) southwest of Linxia City.[3] While most detailed (prefecture-level) maps label that location accordingly, less detailed (provincial) maps simply mark it as "Linxia County" (临夏县), which still makes it distinct from the county seat (labeled "Linxia City" (临夏市)). More confusingly, even less detailed maps may mark both Linxia City and Hanji Town simply as "Linxia" (临夏).[4]
Linxia County is divided to 9 towns and 16 townships.[5]
The county's population totaled 375,162 in 2007. The main ethnic groups represented were Han Chinese (221,419 or 59.2% of the total),Hui (121,680 or 32.4%) andDongxiang (29,782 or 8%). There were also 872Salar people, 840Tibetans, 311Tujia people, 256Bao'an people, 2Mongols and 1Uighur.[6]
The authorities reported that as of 2004, there were 592 places of worship in the county, with 506 clerics of all religions. 267,731 residents (71.62% of the county's population) were reported as religious believers. Of them, the 117,610 reportedMuslims had409 religious facilities (including, 405 mosques) and 445 clerics. The 52,570Buddhists, with 59 temples, had 49 religious personnel: 31monks, 15lamas and 3living Buddhas. The 97,551Taoists had 124 temples and 12 clerics. According to the county's official statistics, there were also 138 Christians there, with no churches.[6]
The county is served byChina National Highway 213 (G213), which crosses the county on its way fromLanzhou to southern Gansu, and by a number of provincial highways. Due to the terrain and the remote location, there are no railways, sea ports or civil airports in the county; however, there is an active wharf at Lianhua Tai, on theLiujiaxia Reservoir, which also serves as the port for Linxia City. It is used both by vehicle ferries that provide a more convenient route for travel between Linxia (City or County) and Liujiaxia Town (Yongjing County) than Highway G213 does, and by recreational boaters. One can also hire a boat there to travel toBingling Temple in Yongjing County.
Due to the county's geography, the main hub of its road network, as well as of public transportation, is actually not within the county itself, but inLinxia City. Minibuses provide passenger service from the city's Eastern Bus Station to Linxia County seat (Hanji Town), Hexi Township, Lianhua Town, and a few other destinations.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Linxia region was known as Hezhou, and usually was administered as part ofLintao Prefecture (Fu) orLanzhou Prefecture.[7]
Lanzhou Prefecture was abolished in 1913, and the Linxia area was included into Daohe County (导河县) with the capital in Jiachengguan Town (郊城关镇) (part of today's Linxia City), which in its turn was part of Lanshan Circuit (Dao). In 1928, Daohe County was renamed Linxia County, thus giving origin to its modern name.[7]
After a few more administrative reorganizations during theRepublic of China administration, the Linxia region was eventually taken by the Communists during theLanzhou Campaign (August 22, 1949), and on August 26 the Linxia County of the new Communist state was created, with the capital in Linxia City. On June 23, 1950, Linxia City was separated from Linxia County, and the county seat was moved to Hanji Town. In December 1958 Linxia County was abolished and merged into Linxia City, as was the neighboring Yongjing County, but the counties were restored in December 1961. In December 1973, the opposite thing happened: Linxia City was merged into Linxia County, but on August 31, 1983, this merger was undone again.[7]
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