The city was formerly known as Fulu, which became known as Suzhou (Suchow, Su-chow,[5] &c.) after it became the seat of Su Prefecture under the Sui.[6] As the seat of Jiuquan Commandery, it eventually became known by that name in turn. The name Jiuquan —"wine spring(s)" — derives from a legendary story of the young Han general Huo Qubing, who was said to have poured a vat of precious wine into a local creek to share its taste with his troops after a victory over the Xiongnu nomads.[7]
History
Fulu was founded in 111 BC as an outpost in the Hexi Corridor near the Jade Gate[5] along the overland Silk Road. Jiuquan was a Han prefecture and, under the Eastern Han, an active military garrison.[7]Su Prefecture was established under the Sui and renamed Jiuquan Commandery under the Tang.[6] In 624, Jiuquan County was established. In 763, it was occupied by Tibetan Empire. After the fall of the Tibetan Empire, it was controlled by the Ganzhou Uyghur Kingdom. In 1028, it was seized by Xixia. During the Yuan Dynasty, Suzhou Lu was established under Gansu Province. It sometimes served as the capital of the province of Gansu.[5] Along with its role protecting trade along the Silk Road, Suzhou was the great center of the rhubarb trade.[5]
Jiuquan occupies the westernmost part of Gansu, bordering Zhangye City to the east, Qinghai to the south, Xinjiang to the west, Ejin Banner, Alxa league of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia to the north. Its administrative area ranges in latitude from 37° 58' to 42° 48' N and in longitude from 92° 09' to 100° 20' E, and reaches a maximal north–south extent of 550 km (340 mi) and maximal east-west width of 680 km (420 mi). Suzhou District is approximately 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) above sea level.
Jiuquan has a cold desert climate (KöppenBWk), with long, cold winters, and hot, somewhat dry summers. Monthly average temperatures range from −8.9 °C (16.0 °F) in January to 22.3 °C (72.1 °F) in July, with an annual mean of 7.79 °C (46.0 °F). The diurnal temperature variation is relatively large, averaging 13.8 °C (24.8 °F) annually. With sunny weather and low humidity dominating year-round, the area hosts one of the launch sites for the PRC's space programme. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 62% in July to 77% in October, the city receives 3,031 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Climate data for Jiuquan, elevation 1,477 m (4,846 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–2020)
Jiuquan is the closest major city to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Still, the space launch center is more than 100 km (62 mi) away from the city, and is actually located not in Gansu province, but in the neighboring Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was built in 1958; the first Chinese human spaceflight, Shenzhou 5 was launched there on 15 October 2003, making Yang Liwei China's first astronaut and a national hero.[19] The second was in 2005.
Culture
Jiuquan is known within China as the first site of rhubarb cultivation.[8]
^酒泉市历史沿革 [Jiuquan City Historical Development] (in Simplified Chinese). XZQH.org. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2018. 2010年第六次人口普查，酒泉市常住总人口1095947人，其中，肃州区428346人，金塔县147460人，瓜州县148798人，肃北蒙古族自治县14979人，阿克塞哈萨克族自治县10545人，玉门市159792人，敦煌市186027人。
^2016年统计用区划代码和城乡划分代码：酒泉市 [2016 Statistical Area Numbers and Rural-Urban Area Numbers: Jiuquan City] (in Simplified Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China. 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2018. 统计用区划代码 名称 620901000000 市辖区 620902000000 肃州区 620921000000 金塔县 620922000000 瓜州县 620923000000 肃北蒙古族自治县 620924000000 阿克塞哈萨克族自治县 620981000000 玉门市 620982000000 敦煌市"
^酒泉概况 [Jiuquan Overview] (in Simplified Chinese). Jiuquan People's Government. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2018. 全市辖"一区两市四县"（肃州区，玉门市、敦煌市，金塔县、瓜州县、肃北县和阿克塞县）
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. ISBN978-1-4392-2134-1.
Winchester, Simon (2008). The Man Who Loved China. HarperCollins, New York. ISBN978-0-06-088459-8.
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