Lingwu (, Xiao'erjing: لِئٍ‌وُ شِ) is a

county-level city A county-level city () is a County-level divisions of China, county-level administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China. County-level cities have judiciary, judicial but no legislature, legislative rights over their own local or ...

of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Southwest China, it is under the administration of the

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

Yinchuan Yinchuan is the capital of the Ningxia, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut people, Tangut-led Western Xia, Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 C ...

. It is the most important industrial city of Ningxia. Lingwu spans an area of , and according to the 2010 Chinese census, Lingwu has a population of 261,677.

Toponymy

Lingwu was historically known as Lingzhou (, Xiao'erjing: لِئٍ‌جِوْ).

History

During the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

, the area was absorbed into the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

under Beidi Commandery. The area was first incorporated into the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

in 191 BCE by Emperor Hui. In 437 CE, under the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

, the area was incorporated as . In 526 CE, Bogulu Town was renamed as Lingzhou. In 756 CE, during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, Emperor Suzong fled to Lingzhou during the Anshi Rebellion, where he ascended the throne with the aid of loyal bureaucrats and military supporters, only notifying his father Xuanzong after the fact. Lingzhou became part of the Western Xia in 1038. It was besieged by

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

in November 1226. On May 20, 1996, Lingwu was upgraded from a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

to a

. On October 25, 2002, Lingwu was transferred from the

of Wuzhong to

Geography

The western border of Lingwu is formed by the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

Climate

Lingwu's climate is arid, with little precipitation and high levels of sunshine.

Administrative divisions

Lingwu administers one subdistrict, six towns, two townships and one other township-level division.

Subdistricts

The city's sole subdistrict is: * (, ).

Towns

The city's six towns are: * (, * (, ) * (, ) * (, ) * (, ), and * Linhe (, ).

Townships

The city's two townships are: * (, ), and * (, ).

Other township-level divisions

The city also administers the township-level division of: * (, ).

Demographics

Lingwu's population was reported as 261,677 in the 2010 Chinese census. In the 2000 Chinese census, the city's population was 249,890. The city has a Hui majority population.

Economy

The city has significant

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

, and

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil or simply oil, is a naturally occurring, yellowish-black liquid chemical mixture found in geological formations, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons. The term ''petroleum'' refers both to naturally occurring un ...

reserves. Lingwu has a proven coal reserve of 27.3 billion tons. Lingwu also has a significant agricultural sector, with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, corn, and jujubes all being grown in the city. The city is well known for its "Lingwu long jujube" (). This fruit has proven to be one of Ningxia's most popular agricultural products, producing an income of over 10 million yuan per year.

Notable sites

* Zhenhe Pagoda () * * Portions of the Ming Great Wall

References

External links

Lingwu Government Website (2021)
(Chinese)
Lingwu Government Website (2007)
(Chinese)
Satellite map of Lingwu
{{authority control Cities in Ningxia County-level divisions of Ningxia Yinchuan