Urumqi - Urumqi

Japanese: ウルムチ - うるむち

A prefecture-level city on the banks of the Urumqi River in the central Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, and the capital of the region. It is abbreviated as Wu, and formerly known as Dihua. It is located in the northern part of the Dabancheng depression, between the main range of the Tianshan Mountains and the Bogda Mountains. It has jurisdiction over seven city districts and one county (as of 2017). The population is 2,430,315 (2010). Most of the residents are Uighurs, Han Chinese, and Kazakhs. The annual average temperature is about 7°C, and the annual precipitation is about 250 mm. It has an inland climate, and is dry throughout the year.

[Masakazu Komai, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

history

Urumqi means "beautiful pasture" in Mongolian. In the ancient Han dynasty, it was the center of the Cheshi Kingdom, and the Tingzhou and Beiting Protectorate of the Tang dynasty were also located nearby. The history of the current town is relatively new, dating back to 1755, when the Qing dynasty established a military camp here and built a fortress to conquer the Dzungar Kingdom. At that time, it was also called Hongmiaozi because the Guandi Temple with its red fence was built here. Initially, the Urumqi (Urumqi) Metropolitan Government, which oversaw the eastern part of the Tianshan Mountains (Eastern Road), was located here. In 1773, Urumqi was renamed Dihua Prefecture, and developed as the center of trade and transportation in the region. In 1884, when Quanbe and Huibe were reorganized into Xinjiang Province, it became its capital and was named Dihua Prefecture.

After the People's Republic of China was established, it became Urumqi city in 1954, and when Xinjiang Province became the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in 1957, the People's Committee for the Autonomous Region was established. In 1963, a railway was opened from Kumul, and the Lanxin Line was completed. From around the 1990s, stimulated by the independence of Central Asian countries following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the independence movement of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region became active (Xinjiang Uighur problem). In 2009, large-scale riots broke out in Urumqi, resulting in many casualties.

[Tetsuo Morikawa, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

Industry and Transportation

In addition to being a trading hub with Central Asian countries, the region is modernizing with a focus on industries such as petrochemicals, metallurgy, spinning, machinery, and pharmaceuticals. Handicrafts such as tubeteikas (traditional Central Asian hats) and carpets are also thriving. Specialties include salt, mutton, kumis, and wine. Xinjiang University and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences are also located there.

In addition to being the starting point of the Lanxin Line and the Beijiang Line (Urumqi - Alashankou), the city is also the starting point of the expressways to Kucha and Qitai, and with Dabancheng District and the salt lakes to the southeast, it is an important transportation hub to the Turfan Basin. In the northwest of the city is Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, which serves as the air gateway to the countries of Central Asia.

[Masakazu Komai, Editorial Department, January 19, 2018]

Culture and Tourism

Islamic culture dominates the region, and the Eid al-Fitr festival is held every year at the end of Ramadan (the fasting month), as well as the Xinjiang International Bazaar, a market unique to the Islamic cultural sphere.

In the eastern part of the city, Bogda Mountain, a component part of the World Heritage Site "Xinjiang Tianshan" (registered in 2013), towers over the city, and the spectacular view of Tianchi Lake on the mountainside is famous. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum in the city is known for exhibiting mummies discovered in Loulan, Hami (Kumlu), and Chalchan.

[Jun Zhou January 19, 2018]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、新疆(しんきょう)ウイグル自治区中部、ウルムチ川河畔にある地級市で、同自治区の首府。略称は烏(う)、旧称迪化(てきか)。天山(てんざん)山脈主脈とボグダ山系との間、達坂(ダーバン)城凹地の北部にある。7市轄区、1県を管轄する（2017年時点）。人口243万0315（2010）。住民にはウイグル、漢民族、カザフなどが多い。年平均気温は約7℃、年降水量は約250ミリメートル。内陸性気候で、年間を通して乾燥する。

［駒井正一・編集部　2018年1月19日］

歴史

ウルムチとはモンゴル語で「美しい牧場」を意味する。古く漢代には車師(しゃし)後国の中心であり、また唐代の庭州、北庭都護府もこの近くにあった。現在の町の歴史は比較的新しく、1755年、清(しん)朝がジュンガル王国征服のために、ここに軍営を設け城塞を築いたことから始まる。当時ここに紅色の垣をもつ関帝廟(かんていびょう)がつくられたことから紅廟子ともよばれた。最初ここに天山東部（東路）を監督する烏魯木斉(ウルムチ)都統が置かれた。1773年ウルムチは迪化州と改められ、この地方の交易、交通の中心として発展した。1884年、準部、回部が新疆省として再編成されるとその省都となり、迪化府となった。

　中華人民共和国成立後の1954年ウルムチ市となり、さらに1957年新疆省が新疆ウイグル自治区となると、自治区人民委員会が置かれた。1963年にはクムルからの鉄道も通じ、蘭新(らんしん)線が完成した。1990年代ごろからは、ソ連崩壊に伴う中央アジア諸国の独立にも刺激され、新疆ウイグル自治区の独立運動が活発化（新疆ウイグル問題）。2009年にはウルムチで大規模な騒乱が起こり、多数の死傷者が出た。

［森川哲雄・編集部　2018年1月19日］