Yinchuan

A prefecture-level city and the capital of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China. It governs three city districts and two counties, Yongning and Helan, and acts as the governing agent for Lingwu City (as of 2016). It has a population of 1.96 million (2014). It is located in the center of the Yinchuan Plain, bounded by the Yellow River to the east and the Helan Mountains to the west. The Baotou Line (from Lanzhou to Lanzhou) runs through the city, and a branch line runs into the city center. The Taiyuan Zhongyin Line (Taiyuan to Zhongwei to Yinchuan), which opened in 2011, also runs through the city. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of the autonomous region, and is a distribution center for the rich agricultural products of the Yinchuan Plain, such as rice, wheat, and hemp. Heavy industries such as machinery, electricity, and steel, as well as woolen textiles and food industries, mainly focusing on livestock processing, are also thriving. The Helan Mountains are rich in natural resources and local crafts include carpets, lamb sausages, goji berries wine, and Helan stone carvings.

It is the point where the Great Wall crosses the Yellow River, and historically it was a contact point between the Han people and the northern tribes. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Huaiyuan County was established here, which continued until the Sui and Tang dynasties, but during the Song dynasty it was owned by the Western Xia, and its capital, Xingqing, was established here. After the Yuan dynasty, Ningxia Road and Ningxia Prefecture were established here, and it became the center of Ningxia, and in 1929 Ningxia Province was established and it became its provincial capital. It became a city in 1945, and became the center of the autonomous region when it was established in 1958. The Western Xia King's Tombs are located at the foot of the mountains in the west, and there are many ruins related to Western Xia, such as the Chengtian Temple Pagoda (Western Pagoda) and the Haibao Pagoda (Northern Pagoda).

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, May 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、寧夏(ねいか)回族自治区の地級市で、自治区首府。3市轄区、永寧(えいねい)、賀蘭(がらん)の2県を管轄し、霊武(れいぶ)市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。人口196万（2014）。銀川平原の中心にあり、東は黄河(こうが)、西は賀蘭山脈で画される。市域を包蘭線（パオトウ―蘭州）が縦貫し、市街へは支線が引かれる。2011年開通の太中銀線（太原(たいげん)―中衛(ちゅうえい)―銀川）も通じる。自治区の政治、経済、文化の中心で、米、小麦、アサなど銀川平原の豊かな農産物の集散地であるほか、機械、電力、鉄鋼などの重工業や、畜産加工を主とする毛織、食品業なども発達する。賀蘭山脈には豊富な天然資源がある。特産の工芸品として、じゅうたん、ヒツジの腸詰め、枸杞(くこ)酒、賀蘭石彫などがある。

　万里の長城が黄河を渡る地点にあたり、歴史的には漢民族と北方諸民族の接触地帯であった。南北朝時代に懐遠(かいえん)県が置かれ、隋(ずい)、唐まで続いたが、宋(そう)代に西夏(せいか)に領有され、国都興慶(こうけい)が置かれた。元以降、寧夏路、寧夏府が設けられ、その中心となり、1929年寧夏省が設けられその省都となった。1945年市となり、1958年自治区の設立とともにその中心となった。西部の山麓に西夏王陵があり、承天寺塔（西塔）、海宝塔（北塔）など、西夏にゆかりのある遺跡が多い。

［秋山元秀・編集部　2017年5月19日］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例