Wu Wei

A prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province, China. It has jurisdiction over one city district, two counties, and one autonomous county (as of 2016). Its permanent population is 1,815,054 (2010). It is located at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, in the Hexi Corridor, in an oasis created by the Shiyang River. It is the gateway from the Yellow River basin to the Western Regions, and was once home to foreign ethnic groups, but during the Han dynasty, Wuwei County was established here, and it became a base for governing the Western Regions. It later became Liangzhou during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and continued to be called by this name thereafter. During the Qing dynasty, it was renamed Wuwei County, and in 1985 it became Wuwei City.

Although it was often occupied by foreign tribes, it was the richest oasis in the Hexi region, and flourished as a major city on the Silk Road due to its thriving agriculture and horse farming. It is served by the Lanxin Line and the Ganwu Line (Gantang-Wuwei). It is the cultural center of the Hexi region, and is home to historical sites such as the Dayun Temple and the Xixia Stele.

[Motohide Akiyama, Editorial Department, June 20, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、甘粛(かんしゅく)省中部の地級市。1市轄区、2県、1自治県を管轄する（2016年時点）。常住人口181万5054（2010）。祁連(きれん)山脈の北麓、河西(かせい)回廊にあり、石羊河(せきようが)のつくるオアシスに位置する。黄河(こうが)の流域から西域(せいいき)への門口にあたり、古くは異民族の居住地であったが、漢代に武威郡が置かれ、西域統治の一拠点となった。のち南北朝時代に涼州(りょうしゅう)となり、その後もこの名でよばれた。清(しん)代に武威県と改められ、1985年武威市となった。

　しばしば異民族の占拠するところとなったが、河西地域のなかでももっとも豊かなオアシスで、農業や牧馬が盛んなためシルク・ロードの有力な都市として繁栄した。蘭新(らんしん)線、幹武線（幹塘(かんとう)―武威）が通じる。河西地域の文化の中心地で、大雲寺、西夏碑などの旧跡がある。

［秋山元秀・編集部　2017年6月20日］

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