Xining
Xining (/ʃiːˈnɪŋ/, shee-NING; [ɕí.nǐŋ]), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau.
Xining
西宁市 Sining | |
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| City of Xining | |
Location of Xining City jurisdiction (dark blue) in Qinghai | |
Xining Location of the city center in Qinghai Xining Xining (China) | |
| Coordinates (Qinghai People's Government): 36°37′21″N 101°46′49″E | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Qinghai |
| Municipal seat | Chengzhong District |
| Government | |
| • Type | Prefecture-level city |
| • Body | Xining Municipal People's Congress |
| • CCP Secretary | Wang Weidong |
| • Congress Chairman | Song Chenxi |
| • Mayor | Shi Jianping |
| • CPPCC Chairman | Duan Fada |
| Area | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 7,596 km2 (2,933 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,892.7 km2 (1,116.9 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,892.7 km2 (1,116.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,275 m (7,464 ft) |
| Population (2020 census) | |
| • Prefecture-level city | 2,467,965 |
| • Density | 320/km2 (840/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,954,795 |
| • Urban density | 680/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,954,795 |
| • Metro density | 680/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 810000 |
| Area code | 971 |
| ISO 3166 code | CN-QH-01 |
| License plate prefixes | 青A |
| Website | www.xining.gov.cn (in Chinese) |
| Xining | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Xīníng" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 西宁 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 西寧 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Postal | Sining or Ziling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Western tranquility" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tibetan name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tibetan | ཟི་ལིང | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mongolian name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mongolian Cyrillic | Сэлэнг | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mongolian script | ᠰᠢᠨᠢᠩ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and was a stronghold of the Han, Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties' resistance against nomadic attacks from the west. Although long a part of Gansu province, Xining was added to Qinghai in 1928. Xining holds sites of religious significance to Muslims and Buddhists, including the Dongguan Mosque and Ta'er Monastery. The city lies in the Huangshui River valley, and owing to its high altitude, has a cool climate on the borderline between cool semi-arid and dry winter humid continental. It is connected by the Qinghai–Tibet railway to Lhasa, Tibet and connected by a high-speed railway to Lanzhou, Gansu and Ürümqi, Xinjiang.
The city is home to Qinghai University, a comprehensive university and the only Double First Class University in Xining.