Shizuishan, formerly Shizuizi, is a

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

in the

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Ningxia (,; , ; alternately romanized as Ninghsia), officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR), is an autonomous region in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1 ...

of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is the northernmost prefecture in Ningxia and the second most populous, after the regional capital

Yinchuan Yinchuan (, ; ) is the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China, and was the capital of the Tangut-led Western Xia dynasty. It has an area of and a total population of 2,859,074 according to the 2020 Chinese census, and its buil ...

, bordered by

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...

to all directions except the south. Shizuishan sits on the western bank of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

on the western side of the Ordos Loop. It was formerly a center for caravans traveling the northern routes to and from

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

across the

Ordos Desert The Ordos Desert () is a desert/steppe region in Northwest China, administrated under the prefecture of Ordos City in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (centered ca. ). It extends over an area of approximately , and comprises two sub-des ...

Name

Shizuishan was formerly romanized as Shetsuishan. and Shihchu Shan.. It was also formerly known as "Shizuizi", which was romanized Shihtsuitzu and Chetsouidze.

History

Shizuishan used to be a center of local trade and eventually became a mining town. In 1934, Shizuishan was occupied by the army of

warlord A warlord is a person who exercises military, economic, and political control over a region in a country without a strong national government; largely because of coercive control over the armed forces. Warlords have existed throughout much of h ...

Sun Dianying during his attempt to conquer Ningxia from the

Ma clique The Ma clique or Ma family warlords is a collective name for a group of Hui (Muslim Chinese) warlords in Northwestern China who ruled the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu and Ningxia for 10 years from 1919 until 1928. Following the collapse ...

. Sun set up a rival provincial government in the town, but he was eventually defeated by Ningxia's official governor

Ma Hongkui Ma Hongkui (, Xiao'erjing: ; March 14, 1892 – January 14, 1970) was a prominent warlord in China during the Republic of China era, ruling the province of Ningxia. His rank was lieutenant general. His courtesy name was Shao-yun (少雲 ...

. Shizuishan was consequently returned to Ma's control.

Administrative divisions

Geography and Climate

Shizuishan is located on the western bank of the

between latitudes 38° 21′ and 39° 25′ N and longitudes 105° 58′ and 106° 39′ E, spanning from east to west and from south to north.

Environmental issues

In 2005, the Chinese government blacklisted the city for its pollution problem and told local leaders to shut down the worst polluting industrial plants. Recently, the city has attempted to reinvent itself by initiating eco-friendly programs to reduce pollution, improving medical services, increasing tourism, and improve certain industries but pollution is still taking its toll on the people.

Economy

The economy of Shizuishan is mainly based on coal mining, coking, and metallurgy. Agriculture, tourism, and

viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of '' Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...

also contribute to Shizuishan's economy.

Education

Ningxia University Ningxia University () is a public university located in Yinchuan, China. It is co-administrated by Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It is a member of the former Project 211 and a Chinese s ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

- Shizuishan City Government Website
{{Authority control Prefecture-level divisions of Ningxia National Forest Cities in China Cities in Ningxia