Korla
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Korla,The official spelling according to also known as Kurla, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency or Kuerle, is the second largest city by population in
Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
, China. It 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 ...
and the seat of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, the largest prefecture of China. Korla has existed since at least 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 ...
. Korla is known for its production of fragrant pears and is a production center for the Tarim oil fields.


History


Han dynasty

Korla was known as Yuli () (reconstructed pronunciation of first character: *i̯wəd) during 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 ...
. Yuli is said in the Hanshu or 'History of the Former Han' (covering the period 125 BCE to 23 CE), to have had 1,200 households, 9,600 individuals and 2,000 people able to bear arms. It also mentions that it adjoined Shanshan and Qiemo ( Charchan) to the south. In 61 CE, the
Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...
led some 30,000 troops from 15 kingdoms including Korla, Karashahr, and Kucha in a successful attack on Khotan. In 94 CE, the Chinese general Ban Chao sent soldiers to punish the kingdoms of Yanqi ( Karashahr), Weixu (Hoxud), Yuli (Korla), and Shanguo (in the western Kuruk mountains). :"He then sent the heads of the two kings of Yanqi (Karashahr) and Yuli (Korla) to the capital where they were hung in front of the residences of the Man and Yi princes in the capital (
Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...
). (Ban) Chao then appointed Yuan Meng, who was the Yanqi (Karashahr) Marquis of the Left, king (of Kashgar). The kings of Yuli (Korla), Weixu (Hoxud), and Shanguo (in the western Kuruk mountains) were all replaced." After the rebellion of the " Western Regions" (106−125 CE), only the kings of Korla and Hoxud refused to submit to the Chinese. Ban Yong, the son of Ban Chao, along with the Governor of Dunhuang, attacked and defeated them.


Three Kingdoms era

The 3rd century '' Weilüe'' records that Korla, Hoxud and Shanwang (Shanguo) were all dependencies of Karashahr.


Yettishar

The contemporaneous historian Musa Sayrami (1836–1917) stated that ruler Yaqub Beg of Yettishar was poisoned on May 30, 1877, in Korla by the former hakim (local city ruler) Niyaz Hakim Beg of
Yarkand Yarkant County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also Shache County,, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also SASM/GNC ro ...
, although Niyaz Hakim Beg and other sources stated that his death was by suicide or in battle against the Qing dynasty.


Qing dynasty

Francis Younghusband, passed through "Korlia" in 1887 on his overland journey from
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. He described it as being prosperous and the country round about well-cultivated, with more land under cultivation than any other town he had passed.
Maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
seemed to be the major crop but rice was also grown. There was a small Chinese town, about square with mud walls about high and with a ditch. There were round bastions at the angles, but none at the gateway. A mile (1.6 km) south was the Turk town, but its walls were in ruins. It had one main street about long. "The shops are somewhat better than at Karashar, but not so good as at Turfan."


People's Republic of China

Korla was incorporated as a city on September 30, 1979. On January 8, 1965, more than 170 Chinese Communist cadres were immolated by Mongols during an anti-Communist riot at a state farm in Korla (Kurla). In September 2019, drone video appeared which ASPI (a defense industries funded Australian think tank) alleged as showing the mass transfer of hundreds of ethnic minority prisoners, which drew the comment "deeply disturbing" from Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in describing the video.


Geography

Korla is approximately southwest from
Ürümqi Ürümqi, , is the capital of the Xinjiang, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. With a census population of 4 million in 2020, Ürümqi is the second-largest city in China's northwestern interior after Xi'an, also the ...
, although, due to the intervening Tian Shan, the road distance is considerably greater. The Iron Gate Pass (Tiemen Pass) leading to
Karasahr Karasahr or Karashar (), which was originally known in the Tocharian languages as ''Ārśi'' (or Arshi), Qarašähär, or Agni or the Chinese derivative Yanqi ( zh, s=焉耆, p=Yānqí, w=Yen-ch'i), is an ancient town on the Silk Road and the capi ...
is about north of the city and, as it was easily defended, playing an important part in protecting the ancient
Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
s from raiding nomads from the north. The Kaidu River, also known as the ''Konqi River'' or ''Kongque River'', flows through the center of Korla, a unique feature amongst cities in Xinjiang. While the literal meaning of the Chinese name "Kongque River" is "Peacock River", the name originates from a semantically distorted transliteration of the Uyghur name "Konqi Darya" which means "Tanner's River".Nara Shiruku Rōdo-haku Kinen Kokusai Kōryū Zaidan, Shiruku Rōdo-gaku Kenkyū Sentā: Opening up the Silk Road: the Han and the Eurasian world, Nara International Foundation Commemorating the Silk Road Exposition, 2007


Climate

Korla has a cold desert climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''BWk'') with extreme seasonal variation in temperature. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to , and the annual mean is , which is still warmer than most locales at the same latitude further east in the country. Precipitation totals only annually, and mostly falls in summer, as compared to an annual evaporation rate of about ; there are about 3,000 hours of bright sunshine annually. The frost-free period averages 210 days. The period between April and October closely resembles subtropical climates, but the continental nature is facilitated by the rapid drop of temperatures going into winter.


Administrative divisions

Korla administers 7 subdistricts, 3 towns and 9 townships. Others: * Charchi Horticultural Farm (库尔楚园艺场, ) * Baotouhu Farm (包头湖农场, ) * Puhui Farm (普惠农场, ) * Bayingolin Awat Farm (巴州阿瓦提农场, ) * Bayingolin Saydöng Horticultural Farm (巴州沙依东园艺场, ) * Bayingolin Dairy Farm (巴州奶牛场, ) * Puhui Ranch (普惠牧场, ) * Jingji Ranch (经济牧场, ) * Korla City Seed Farm (良种场)


Demographics

In the 2010 Chinese census, the city had a total population of 549,324 people, a significant increase from the 381,943 recorded in the 2000 census. The city is home to 23 ethnic groups. The city had 430,000 inhabitants in 2007, increasing with 20,000 people every year, majority of whom were
Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...
, with a large minority of
Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...
(about 100,000) and smaller numbers of
Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
and Huis.


Economy

Korla has long been the biggest centre in the region after Karashahr/Yanqi itself, having abundant water and extensive farmlands, as well as controlling the main routes to the south and west of Karashahr/Yanqi. Due to the discovery of oil in the
Taklamakan Desert The Taklamakan Desert ( ) is a desert in northwest China's Xinjiang region. Located inside the Tarim Basin in Southern Xinjiang, it is bounded by the Kunlun Mountains to the south, the Pamir Mountains to the west, the Tian Shan range to the ...
, Korla is now both more populous and developed than Karashar/Yanqi.
PetroChina PetroChina Company Limited () is a Chinese oil and gas company and is the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), headquartered in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The company is currently Asia's largest oil and ga ...
's Tarim oil fields operations are headquartered in Korla. The city reported a fiscal revenue of 4.572 billion Yuan in 2019. In the same year, the city's GDP grew 5.6%,
fixed asset Fixed assets (also known as long-lived assets or property, plant and equipment; PP&E) is a term used in accounting for assets and property that may not easily be converted into cash. They are contrasted with current assets, such as cash, bank ac ...
investment grew 10%, the public budget grew 5%, retail sales grew 8%, and the city's CPI grew 2.3%. Korla is known for its production of fragrant
pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...
s ().


Transportation

Korla is a regional transportation hub, served by the
national highways National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a State-owned enterprise, government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving Roads in England, motorways and major A roads in Eng ...
G218, G314, the Southern Xinjiang Railway, Golmud–Korla railway, Hotan–Ruoqiang railway and the Ku'erle Licheng Airport.


Cultural sights

The city's main attractions include the Iron Gate Pass, Lotus Pond ( zh, labels=no, s=莲花池, t=, p=), Sun Island ( zh, labels=no, s=太阳岛, t=, p=), Princess Peak ( zh, labels=no, s=公主峰, t=, p=), Yuzigan Old City ( zh, labels=no, s=玉子干旧城, t=, p=), Tuowuqi Ancient City ( zh, labels=no, s=托务其古城, t=, p=), Airlike Ancient City ( zh, labels=no, s=爱力克古城, t=, p=), Ku'erchu Mound ( zh, labels=no, s=库尔楚土墩, t=, p=), Jiamai Mosque ( zh, labels=no, s=加麦清真寺, t=, p=), and Yeyungou Ruins ( zh, labels=no, s=野云沟遗址, t=, p=).


Demographics

According to the Seventh National Census in 2020, the city’s Permanent Population (
hukou ''Hukou'' ( zh, c=户口, l=household individual) is a system of household registration used in the People's Republic of China. The system itself is more properly called ''huji'' ( zh, c=户籍, l=household origin), and has origins in Histo ...
) was 1,613,979.Compared with 21,813,334 people in the Sixth National Census in 2010, the number increased by 4,039,011, representing a growth of 18.52%, with an average annual growth rate of 1.71%. They are respectively 13.14 percentage points and 1.18 percentage points higher than the national average level.


See also

* Yuli County * Korla Missile Test Complex


Notes and references


Notes


Citations


Sources

* Hill, John E. (2009). ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. BookSurge, Charleston, South Carolina. . * Mallory, J. P. and Mair, Victor H. 2000. ''The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West''. Thames & Hudson, London. * Stein, Aurel M. 1921. ''Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia and westernmost China'', 5 vols. London & Oxford. Clarendon Press. Reprint: Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass. 198

* Stein Aurel M. 1928. ''Innermost Asia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Asia, Kan-su and Eastern Iran'', 5 vols. Clarendon Press. Reprint: New Delhi. Cosmo Publications. 1981. * von Le Coq, Albert. 1928. Buried Treasures of Turkestan. Reprint with Introduction by Peter Hopkirk, Oxford University Press. 1985.


External links


More information



The Opposite End of China (Korla, Xinjiang Blog)
{{Authority control Korla, Populated places in Xinjiang Populated places along the Silk Road Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture County-level divisions of Xinjiang National Civilized City National Sanitary City