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139-548: The 300-km-long Meridian Ridge (Ziwuling), covered with dense forest, was a strategically important position in Guanzhong because it was a natural barrier in the southwest for the communist base in northwest China. To the east, it overlooked the Yulin – Xianyang Highway, and to the west, it overlooked the Xi'an – Lanzhou Highway, along which Xi'an could be reached within two days. The region

278-455: A delay action while gradually retreating eastward, finally disengaged the enemy, but the nationalists were not able to resume their rapid push by taking advantage of the good weather as they had hoped, because they were further blocked by another communist guerrilla force, the Northern Wei (Weibei 渭北) Column at Fu Family's Village (Fu Jia Zhuang, 付家庄). Although the nationalists managed to driven

417-538: A formation, he was afraid of something bad happened and did not sleep for three days and three nights. When Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) and his unit found Liang Manping (梁满平) and his troops in the morning of August 19, 1947, Liang Manping (梁满平) was so happy that he shouted:”I was worried to death, and it was so good to find you! I would no longer harbor any individualism and I would never want to be an officer again!” Before anyone could answer, Liang Manping (梁满平) dropped down and fell into deep sleep that he had to be carried away on

556-500: A large earthquake was experienced killing more than 100,000 people in Ningxia and Eastern Gansu province, although only 42 were killed in Lanzhou itself, the low number being attributed to the strong yet flexible nature of the wooden buildings in the city. Lanzhou was also affected by 2008 Sichuan earthquake in 2008. As of the 2020 Chinese census , Lanzhou surpassed 4 million population for

695-569: A position in the Jia League from Tianjin Lifei . The team relocated to Ningbo , Zhejiang and changed their name to Ningbo Yaoma in 2003. The team later relegated to China League Two in 2004 and became Dongguan Dongcheng after moving to Dongguan , Guangdong . Former England international Paul Gascoigne played four games in both a playing and coaching role for Gansu in 2003, scoring two goals, before returning to England after falling out with

834-594: A result of sand storms. The reach of the Yellow River at Lanzhou carries a high load of silt, giving the river its characteristic muddy appearance; however water quality in this reach is better than the "fetid outflow that barely passes for water two hours downstream" (2008). In recent years, several specimens of the endangered Chinese giant salamander have been found in and near the Yellow River in Lanzhou. On April 11, 2014, Lanzhou officials advised residents not to drink tap water, because benzene levels were 20 times

973-400: A result, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) ordered a general retreat to be carried out the next day at dawn. This meant that the communist and the nationalist paths would meet, a situation the communists desperately attempt to avoid. The nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division retreated toward Xifeng , Heshui (合水), and Qingyang via the same route it entered the heart of the communist base. The 2nd Regiment of

1112-556: A separate province in 1666, Lanzhou became its capital. In 1739 the seat of Lintao was transferred to Lanzhou, which was later made a superior prefecture called Lanzhou. Lanzhou was badly damaged during the Dungan revolt in 1864–1875. In the 1920s and 1930s it became a center of Soviet influence in northwestern China . During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) Lanzhou, linked with Xi'an by highway in 1935, became

1251-466: A stretcher because nobody could wake him up. Other communist commanders were less fortunate. Wan Sanxu (王三绪), the commander of the 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment managed to survive and recover after jumping off the cliff, and then returned to command his unit, but the casualties his company suffered was so high that over 70% of the soldiers in his company consisted of former-nationalist prisoner-of-war. The morale of

1390-473: A wide area. Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport is the main airport serving Lanzhou, it is located 70 km (43 mi) north of Lanzhou. It opened for public service in 1970. The airport offers direct connections to over 70 international and domestic destinations. Lanzhou was the second city in northwest China to announce the construction of a subway line, in August 2012. The urban railway network, Lanzhou Metro ,

1529-466: Is a vital focal point connecting the western provinces with the east . Lanzhou Railway Station is located on Huochezhan Dong Lu , in Chengguan district. Lanzhou West Railway Station is the city's second major railway station, offering connection to high-speed rail services. Lanzhou Railway Station has the following railway connections: New high-speed passenger-only railways are completed both toward

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1668-622: Is also an important center for scientific research and education in Northwestern China after Xi'an . The city is one of the top 60 major cities in the world by scientific research output as tracked by the Nature Index . It hosts several research institutions , including, Lanzhou University , Northwest Normal University , Lanzhou University of Technology , Gansu Agricultural University , Gansu University of Chinese Medicine , and Lanzhou Jiaotong University . Notably, Lanzhou University

1807-542: Is generous but not abundant, as the city receives 2,350 hours of bright sunshine annually. The city is located in a narrow and curved river valley with surrounding mountains causing it to be hemmed in blocking a free flow of air. According to the National Environmental Analysis released by Tsinghua University and The Asian Development Bank in January 2013, Lanzhou was among the ten most air-polluted cities in

1946-708: Is one of China's prestige universities as a member of the Project 985 . Originally in the territory of the ancient Western Qiangs , Lanzhou became part of the territory of the State of Qin in the 6th century BC. In 81 BC, under the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), it was taken from the Huns' Huandi Chanyu and made the seat of Jincheng commandery ( jùn ), and later of the Jincheng (Golden City) county ( xiàn ), later renamed Yunwu . From at least

2085-505: Is planned to consist of six subway lines running 207 km (129 mi). The first line, which is completely underground, opened in June 2019. Lanzhou Metro Line 2 (First-stage project), opened in June 2023. Passengers can transfer between Line 1 and Line 2 at Dongfanghong Square Station and Wulipu Station. Lanzhou Railway Station is a major railway hub of western China. Every day over 100 passenger trains originate or pass via this station. It

2224-693: The Zero fighters , he shot down a Mitsubishi G3M bomber north of Lanzhou. On the ground, the KMT Muslim Generals Ma Hongkui and Ma Bufang protected Lanzhou with their cavalry troops, putting up such resistance that the Japanese never captured Lanzhou. At 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above sea level, Lanzhou lies in China's northwest geographical center. The metropolitan area covers more than 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) of urbanisation along

2363-539: The Chinese Civil War . In August 1947 nationalists deployed two divisions totaling six brigades to launch an encirclement and eradication campaign against the communists in their base at the Meridian Ridge. The communist local forces including the 1st and the 3rd Garrison brigades, and the headquarters of the communist 4th Column of communist regular field army with its lightly armed 6th Cavalry Division disengaged

2502-691: The Guanzhong Basin , Wei River Basin , or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region , is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben basin within present-day central Shaanxi , bounded between the Qinling Mountains in the south (known as Guanzhong's "South Mountains"), and the Huanglong Mountain, Meridian Ridge and Long Mountain ranges in the north (collectively known as its "North Mountains"). The central flatland area of

2641-482: The Han and Tang (both considered China's historical golden ages ) also had the crownland established in the Guanzhong region. The Guanzhong Plain traditionally includes the central part of modern Shaanxi province and the extreme northwestern tip of Henan province (the western half of Sanmenxia ). The average altitude of the region ranges from 300 to 700 m (980 to 2,300 ft) above sea level . Xi'an ,

2780-684: The Quanrong nomads, with collaboration from Marquess of Shen , killed King You of Zhou and sacked the Zhou capital Haojing in 771 BC , the Western Zhou dynasty collapsed and the surviving Zhou court fled east to Luoyi . The Yíng clan , then a minor marcher vassal based in the Longxi Basin as a buffer state on the western frontier of the Chinese civilization, sent troops to escort King Ping of Zhou along

2919-693: The Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact , and along with other targets around Lanzhou, including civilian centers, were heavily bombed by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force and Navy Air Force . Many air battles were fought between the Chinese Air Force and the Imperial Japanese air forces over Lanzhou and surrounding regions from 1937 to 1945, particularly from 1938 to 1941 when the influx of Soviet war materials formed

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3058-475: The Warring States period . The average annual temperature is around 13 °C (55 °F), and the annual rainfall ranges from 400 to 900 mm (16 to 35 in), averaging around 600 mm. Because some years have low precipitation and evaporation rates are high, the region's natural vegetation is a mix between forests and steppes . Before human settlements converted the plains for agriculture , it

3197-518: The Wei River from the ruined old Zhou capital of Fenghao . Four passes were then built to defend this new heartland against hostile attacks from both the east and the west. During the Warring States period , Qin grew powerful under Shang Yang 's legalist reforms, and militarily became increasingly more successful, and its rivals to the east claimed that the Qin army was a "troop of tigers and wolves", and it

3336-556: The Western Shaanxi-Eastern Gansu Campaign , Peng Dehuai angrily criticized Huang Luobing (黄罗斌), claiming that the mistake he had made would be sufficient to have him executed. As a result, Huang Luobing (黄罗斌) was kicked out of military and transferred to a job as civilian administer. Had the communists learned the problem of the former-guerillas earlier during the Meridian Ridge Campaign and remedied

3475-489: The Western Shaanxi-Eastern Gansu Campaign , the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade was tasked to protect the right flank of the attacking communist force but it was unable to stop the nationalist counterattack led by the nationalist general Pei Changhui (裴昌会) and the former-guerrilla turned regular unit withdrew into Linyou (麟游) mountains, exposing the Peng Dehuai 's headquarters and the communist main force at Baoji . Had not been

3614-468: The 1st Battalion of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment to engage the pursuing nationalists and lead them northward, away from the 2nd and the 3rd Battalion of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment. Luck was on the communist side as the nationalists were lured away and the communists at the Eagle's Feather's Pass (Diao Ling Guan, 雕翎关) were able to get the rest they desperately needed. Luck proved to be once again on

3753-458: The 248th Division) of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division stationed at Zhengning (正宁). General Ma Jiyuan (马继援)'s plan would require the entire division to complete, but the bad weather had prevented the nationalists from taking full advantage of their cavalry. The heavy rain severely slowed down the marching of the nationalist formation, and it took an entire day to for the nationalist force to reach its designated position. On August 14, 1947,

3892-499: The 2nd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade to hold the Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town, the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade was deployed on the slope of mountain to the west of the town, the communist 6th Cavalry Division was deployed to the valley to the west of Peach Tree Village (Tao Shu Zhuang, 桃树庄), and the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade originally planned to be deployed behind

4031-532: The Guanzhong region, and used it as his base to eventually defeat Xiang Yu in the subsequent civil war . After establishing the Han dynasty , Liu Bang created a new capital named Chang'an , which is just across the Wei River from the ruined Qin capital Xianyang. Since the Western Zhou dynasty, the area was the capital region of China for a total of 12 dynasties including the Qin, Western Han , Sui , and Tang . By

4170-636: The Imperial Japanese forces were preparing for Operation Z against the United States and other allies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific by mid-1941, the IJANF were busy training new aircrews in live combat action across China for the upcoming war in the Pacific; on 22 May 1941, Lt. Gao Youxin of the 21st PS, 4th PG engaged an IJNAF raid on Lanzhou in an I-16 fighter aircraft, while avoiding confrontation against

4309-455: The New 4th Brigade of the communist 6th Column fought hard to stop the nationalists, Peng Dehuai would have been killed and the headquarters of the communist First Field Army would have been totally destroyed. Peng Dehuai and his headquarters of the communist First Field Army would meet a similar danger several days later when the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade once again made the same debacle: when

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4448-462: The Qin dynasty soon fell into chaos due to the corrupt rule of Qin Er Shi and Zhao Gao , and various rebellions broke out. In 206 BC , the rebel leader Liu Bang successfully invaded Guanzhong and forced the last Qin ruler, Ziying , to surrender the capital Xianyang, ending the Qin dynasty. Liu Bang entered the capital peacefully, and issued strict orders forbidding his troops from looting and harming

4587-526: The Reorganized 100th Brigade to attack the enemy positions but the nationalist assaults were repeatedly beaten back. After an hour futile efforts, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) then changed his tactic by ordering the 1st Regiment of the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade and the Independent 5th Cavalry Brigade to outflank the enemy, while the 2nd Regiment of the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade would bypass

4726-484: The Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division was the nationalist unit that struck the deepest blow into the enemy's heartland, and it was at most eastward position when received the general retreat order. By the afternoon of August 18, 1947, the nationalist regiment made its way back to the Peach Tree Village (Tao Shu Zhuang, 桃树庄) of near Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian, 九岘) Town, and met

4865-613: The Tang dynasty the economic center of China had shifted south to the Yangtze basin and Guanzhong became increasingly dependent on supplies transported via the Grand Canal . After the destruction of Chang'an in the last years of the Tang, Guanzhong became less significant politically as well as economically in later dynasties. Lanzhou Lanzhou is the capital and largest city of Gansu province in northwestern China . Located on

5004-400: The afternoon of August 17, 1947, Wang Shitai (王世泰) still could not shake off the nationalists when they reached the Eagle's Feather's Pass (Diao Ling Guan, 雕翎关) at the border of Shaanxi and Gansu . Seeing his troops had not had any rest in two days and two nights straight, Wang Shitai (王世泰) devised a new plan. The commander of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment, Ge Haizhou (葛海洲), would lead

5143-476: The approaches to the ancient capital area of Chang'an (modern Xi'an ) in Shaanxi province from both the west and the northwest, as well as the area of Qinghai Lake via the upper waters of the Yellow River and its tributaries. Lanzhou is situated in the temperate zone and has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSk ) with hot summers and cold and very dry winters. In the urban core, based on 1971–2000 normals,

5282-482: The attacking communists withdrew to Northern Shaanxi via Eastern Gansu , Peng Dehuai ordered the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade to guard the region from Duzi (屯字) town to Xiaojing (萧金) to secure the safe passage for the headquarters and the communist 1st, 4th and 6th columns. When the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade approached the Duzi (屯字) town, it discovered that town was already occupied by its nemesis:

5421-693: The banks of the Yellow River , it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. Historically, it has been a major link on the Northern Silk Road and it stands to become a major hub on the New Eurasian Land Bridge . The city is also a center for heavy industry and petrochemical industry . Lanzhou is the third largest city in Northwest China after Xi'an and Urumqi . Lanzhou

5560-751: The basin, known as the Guanzhong Plain (关中平原; pinyin: Guānzhōng Píngyuán), is made up of alluvial plains along the lower Wei River and its numerous tributaries and thus also called the Wei River Plain . The region is part of the Jin - Shaan Basin Belt, and is separated from its geological sibling — the Yuncheng Basin to its northeast — by the Yellow River section southwest of the Lüliang Mountains and north of

5699-401: The battlefield earlier. The commander of the communist 4th Column, Wang Shitai (王世泰) handed the wounded and the sick to the local communist units, and told the local communists that the 4th Column would continue to retreat southeastward to Red Water (Chi Shui 赤水), and Xunyi (旬邑) regions, where they would finally meet after continuing retreating in separate ways. The rapid communist retreat made

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5838-410: The cavalries from reaching its top speed and it would be the evening for the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade to reach the battlefield. The nationalists simply could not wait that long and Ma Jiyuan (马继援) decided to begin the assault on the enemy before the encirclement was completed: the nationalist Independent 5th Regiment led by commander Ma Bukang (马步康) was at the right, the 2nd Regiment of

5977-568: The city and government policies. The 14,000-capacity Northwest Minzu University Stadium is one of the main sports venues in the city. It is mostly used for football games. A new sports center complex, including a stadium with a capacity of 60,000 spectators and a swimming hall, is under development. Lanzhou previously had a professional soccer team named Gansu Tianma from 1999 to 2003.The team played in Chinese Football Association Yi League from 1999 to 2001 and bought

6116-756: The city ranked at place 100 for total GDP of Chinese cities. The International Solar Energy Center (UNIDO-ISEC) is located in Lanzhou's Chengguan district. There is a thermal generating plant supplied with coal from fields in Qinghai . In addition, there is a hydroelectric station at Zhulama Gorge in Gansu , and a large multipurpose dam has been built in the Liujia Gorge on the Yellow River above Lanzhou. Main industries include textile mills, rubber processing and fertilizer plants, an oil refinery , petrochemicals , machinery, and metallurgical industry. Gansu has one of

6255-544: The city." In 2015 it was awarded China's climate progress title. As a city once unable to be spotted from satellites, Lanzhou has taken various measures to combat air pollution in recent years, having reduced its Air Pollution Index at the fastest speed across China. According to the 2018 WHO database, of 2700 towns listed, Lanzhou has the 158th highest level of PM 2.5 pollution, with an average of 54 micrograms per cubic meter (twice that of Milan). The large particle PM10 remains high, at 132 micrograms per cubic meter, in part as

6394-422: The cliff after exhausted the last round of ammunition, but he was lucky that he survived, and after he was recovered from his severe injury weeks later, he returned to his original post. By 4:00 PM, the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade successfully retreated and disengaged the enemy, while the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade took over to continue the fight of delaying actions with

6533-511: The club, as his mental state meant that he had to return to America for treatment against drink and depression. On August 20, 2012, Lanzhou New Area was approved by the State Council of China's Central Government. In 2019, Lanzhou New Area was formally established as a county-level division of Lanzhou, its area being split off from Yongdeng and Gaolan. The updated area and population of Yongdeng and Gaolan are not yet reflected in

6672-414: The commander, and within six months, the guerrilla originally was just going to finally collapse had its fortune completely reversed: not only it survived, its rank boosted to over 200 and became the only communist guerrilla force survived in the region. Due to his excellent record, Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) was promoted to several posts at the same time: he was both the political commissar of the 1st Regiment of

6811-428: The commanders and soldiers of the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade made any attempt to contact their superior or other communist units during their entire six-day-long stay at the village. A communist since 1929, Huang Luobing (黄罗斌), the commander of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade was an expert in guerrilla warfare, and he rose in ranks from an ordinary guerrilla soldier thru his excellence. However,

6950-585: The communist 1st Garrison Brigade and the political commissar of the communist western Guanzhong command, the communist party secretary of the Xinning (新宁) county, and the communist propaganda minister. However, Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) was suffering from typhus , but he nonetheless fought at the frontline in this campaign, and on August 15, 1947, he was among the first to discover the massive nationalist troop deployment at Golden Village Temple (Jin Cun Miao, 金村庙) region. As

7089-456: The communist 2nd Column led by Wang Zhen in Heshui Campaign and the young nationalist general who was only 28 years old at the time was still immersed in the previous victory and was determined to achieve another victory of similar or great scale. The communist commander of the regular troops Wang Shitai (王世泰) was not as familiarized with the local situation as the local communists, but he

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7228-418: The communist 2nd Garrison Regiment that stayed behind to cover the retreat. Once the contact was reestablished, they would rejoin the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment to return to Guanzhong for the desperately needed rest. Wang Shitai (王世泰) and his staff officer Gao Weisong (高维嵩) would lead the headquarters staff of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment to return to eastern Gansu to look for the 5th Regiment of

7367-405: The communist 2nd and the 3rd Garrison Regiments to make up the combat loss. Two months later, the communist 1st and 3rd Brigades were reassigned to the 4th Column to strength the communist column. The nationalist victory was incomplete because Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was too prudent. Fearing enemy ambush in the heart of communist territory (a very legitimate concern), and not knowing the truth strength of

7506-425: The communist 3rd Garrison Regiment. Wang Shitai (王世泰) believed that the pursuing nationalists had already penetrated deep into the Meridian Ridge following him, and if he and his force could cut behind the enemy line, the unexpected move would ensure their safety. Unfortunately, he was totally wrong this time. By the evening of August 17, 1947, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was a little depressed because after last engagement with

7645-410: The communist 4th Column headquarters with its 6th Cavalry Division entered the Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town in the heart of the Meridian Ridge (Zi Wu Ling, 子午岭), they were detected by the nationalist scouts in the western part of the mountain. Nationalist response was immediate: once the intelligence from the scouts was received on August 13, 1947, the nationalists sprung into action to exterminate

7784-455: The communist agents. The communist party secretary of Heshui (合水) County, Li Ke (李科), the first high ranking communist who received the information, immediately went to the communist headquarters at Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town to inform his comrades that the enemy they faced was not just merely the nationalist Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment, but the entire nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division. This important piece of intelligence shocked

7923-402: The communist command, which immediately changed the plan from the original ambush to blocking actions to cover an emergency retreat, because the communists were well aware that the enemy enjoyed absolute technical superiority and the communists themselves did not have absolute numerical superiority either. Though the communists attempted to disengage, it was simply impossible. The terrain favored

8062-437: The communist commander was confident that with the current communist strength, they were able to annihilate the enemy and made plans accordingly to ambush the nationalists to the west of Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town: The communists began their deployment in the early morning of August 15, 1947. After Xihuachi Campaign , the nationalists adjusted their deployment and the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division of Ma clique

8201-464: The communist rear guard, the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Brigade, which immediately occupied the peaks of the mountains as the position of the blocking action, covering the main communist force to continue their retreat eastward. As the battle ensued, the nationalist commander-in-chief Ma Jiyuan (马继援) ordered scouts to be dispatched to find out the exact strength of the enemy. By noon, nationalist heavy weaponry had arrived. Ma Jiyuan (马继援) ordered

8340-404: The communist side when the heavy rain and dark nights had enabled the 1st Battalion of the communist 3rd Garrison Regiment to successfully evade the pursuing nationalist cavalries. On August 17, 1947, Wang Shitai (王世泰) held another conference after dark at the Eagle's Feather's Pass (Diao Ling Guan, 雕翎关), and decided to send two officers, Niu Shushen (牛书申) and Liu Yinggon (刘懋功) to make contact with

8479-399: The communists. By this time, the main communist force, the 4th Column, had already withdrawn from the battlefield and disengaged the enemy. The remaining local communist garrison was in danger being annihilated. On his returning trip, the communist political commissar Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) met the retreating remnant of the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison by chance and realized that

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8618-422: The cotton in lubricants of the rifle, and used the makeshift torch for warmth. Due to the insufficient camp ground, many of the soldiers slept in the rain. Other communist units fared no better: an acting company commander named Liang Manping (梁满平) of the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade led his remaining troops spent days in a yaodong , and being the first time on his own to independently leading

8757-440: The defenders gradually retreated eastward. The 1st Company of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade defending the most northwestern position did not receive the order to retreat in time, and was totally surrounded by the attacking nationalist cavalries. Most of the members including the deputy company commander Yang Zhankui (杨占奎) were killed, and the company commander Wang Sanxu (王三绪) jumped off

8896-451: The delay. After a conference, the nationalist decided to pursuit the enemy at night. At night of August 15, 1947, the communist force divided into two, with one portion consisted of the 3rd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade with high ranking local cadres (prefecture level), and this smaller force successfully evaded the pursuing nationalists by moving southward. Majority of the communist force continued its eastward retreat along

9035-451: The direction of gunshots to reinforce their comrades. However, before they could join the battle, the gunshots stopped when they had just reached Gao Family's Col (Gao Jia Ao, 高家坳). Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) and his guerrilla observed that there were several dozen communist cavalries retreating along the mountain ridge. Several days later, Wang Bingxian (王秉祥) and his guerrilla fighters learnt that those retreating communists cavalries were actually

9174-614: The east (the Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed railway ) and the west (the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway ). These services only stop at Lanzhou West Railway Station . The Yinchuan–Lanzhou high-speed railway and Chengdu–Lanzhou high-speed railway are under construction. Lanzhou forms an important link in one of the routes of the Eurasian Land Bridge and also provides rail access to Qinghai , Xinjiang and Tibet further to

9313-611: The eastern end of the Qinling separate the region from the (then) politically orthodox Central Plain , which is located east of the strategic Hangu Pass and therefore was historically referred as the Guandong ("east of the pass") region by the Qin people, who later conquered the eastern states and unified China as a centralized empire — the Qin dynasty — for the first time during the 3rd century BC . Afterwards, subsequent prominent dynasties such as

9452-406: The enemy from their positions and severely wounding the communist guerrilla commander Yao Pengfei (姚鹏飞), the blocking actions fought by these communist units had provided the much needed times for the communists to evacuate and redeploy. By the morning of August 15, 1947, the nationalist Reorganized 100th Brigade and the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade in the north was finally detected by

9591-456: The enemy lines to encircle the enemy became the reserve. The original nationalist plan also failed to materialize. The nationalist frontline commander-in-chief Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was furious that the nationalist Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade led by commander Ma Buluan (马步銮) tasked with outflanking the enemy from the left was nowhere near the battlefield. After radio communication, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) learned that heavy rain and mud slides had prevented

9730-404: The enemy lost contact with them, but their comrades in other communist units lost contact with them as well. Compounding the problem, the retreating 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Brigade did not even bother to make contact with other communist units after reaching safety, which resulted in disastrous consequence: the communist main force led by Wang Shitai (王世泰) in retreat was later caught up by

9869-405: The enemy on the day before, the enemy main force was nowhere to be found. Furthermore, the search and destroy operation became increasingly difficult because the thick forest and mountainous terrain had greatly reduced the effectiveness of cavalry. Ma Jiyuan (马继援) voiced his concern to his father Ma Bufang at Xining via radio, and the latter immediately order the general retreat by claiming that

10008-420: The enemy position to continue the pursuit of the main enemy force in retreat. At 1:00 PM, the nationalists launched another round of offensive with their new tactic. Huang Luobing (黄罗斌), the commander of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade leading the communist 5th Regiment, realized that the blocking action was no longer meaningful since nationalist cavalries had begun to bypass the communist positions to pursuit

10147-439: The enemy strength. However, the communist scouts had made a grave error in that they mistakenly believed advance guard of the nationalist vanguard, the Independent 5th Cavalry regiment was the entire nationalist force deployed, not realizing that the entire nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division was soon to follow, and reported back that the enemy strength was only a regiment strong. Based on this erroneous report, Wang Shitai (王世泰)

10286-532: The enemy was achieved and it would only be a matter of time before the enemy would be completely annihilated. The nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division began its move on August 13, 1947. The original communist strategy was to disengage the enemy and not to fight, because after Yulin Campaign , the communist 4th Column was tasked to penetrate behind the enemy line to cut off the Lanzhou – Xining Highway, thus threatening

10425-542: The enemy, the nationalists withdrew too quickly and did not bother to destroy the supplies and weaponry the fleeing enemy abandoned, majority of which was recovered by the communists within several days immediately after the nationalist withdraw. The 6th Cavalry Division of the communist 4th Column abandoned three mountain guns in its retreat and the nationalists captured them and as symbolic gesture, they were sent to Xi'an as exhibits of their Meridian Ridge Victory exhibition. The communist defeat had exposed it main problem:

10564-401: The enemy. The nationalist strategy planned by Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was to first encircle the enemy within 24 hours, and then annihilate the enemy within the encirclement. Ma Jiyuan (马继援) would personally lead the campaign. In order to achieve the objective, the entire nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division was mobilized in the following manner: Once the pincer movement was completed, encirclement of

10703-513: The first millennium BC it was a major link on the ancient Northern Silk Road , and also an important historic Yellow River crossing site. To protect the city, the Great Wall of China was extended as far as Yumen . Parts of the Great Wall still exist within the built-up area. After the fall of the Han dynasty , Lanzhou became the capital of a succession of tribal states. In the 4th century it

10842-651: The first time, retaining this name under the Tang dynasty (618–907). In 763 the area was overrun by the Tibetan Empire and in 843 was conquered by the Tang . Later it fell into the hands of the Western Xia dynasty (which flourished in Qinghai from the 11th to 13th century) and was subsequently absorbed by the Song dynasty (960–1126) in 1081. The name Lanzhou was reestablished, and the county renamed Lanzhuan. After 1127 it fell into

10981-565: The first time, with a total population of 4,359,446 inhabitants and 3,042,863 in the built-up ( or metro ) area of 1,112.9 square kilometres (429.7 sq mi) made of the 4 central urban districts (Chengguan, Qilihe, Anning and Xigu District). Lanzhou New Area , near the airport and Honggu Districts are not yet conurbated. The growth increased significantly after a period of slower growth. The strong growth has been attributed to parents seeking better education opportunities for their children, retired migrant workers returning to Gansu, improved services in

11120-510: The first two bombers in the battle, followed by two more downed as Capt. Cen led another attack on the third formation. They would be joined by pilots of the Soviet Volunteer Group led by Nikolay Garilov and the 15th PS led by Li Debiao, who would all shoot down five more of the Japanese bombers; the northern Chinese air-raid early-warning net headquarters in Xi'an observed 21 of the original 30 IJAAF bombers returning from Lanzhou. As

11259-408: The fleeing communists. Taking advantage of dark night, the communist force broke up and began their march at night of in rain. The bulk of the communist force including the communist 6th Cavalry Division, part of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade and all of civilian cadres under the command of Gao Jinchun (高锦纯) made a successful retreat after abandoning most equipment and supplies, and finally reached

11398-439: The fleeing enemy. Had the nationalists known that the group included the highest communist commander of Guanzhong , they would certainly give a chase and Wang Shitai (王世泰) and his staff would not be able to escape for sure. At night of August 18, 1947, heavy rain poured down. Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) led his troops in retreat without any provisions. Out of desperation, many of his soldiers took cotton out of their uniform and soaked

11537-410: The guerrilla was still heavily influenced by its guerrilla tactics and did not adjust well to modern conventional warfare. The 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade performed poorly due to its guerrilla practice, and when it withdrew from the battle without permission, other communist units were endangered. Furthermore, after withdrawing to Locust Tree Village (Huai Shu Zhuang, 槐树庄), none of

11676-445: The hand of nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division. Local communists strongly wanted the field commanders to organize a counteroffensive against the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division to avenge the death of their comrades. Communists such as the deputy communist party secretary of the Guanzhong region, Zhao Boping (赵伯平) claimed that they could not left the civilian behind, and consequently, Wang Shitai (王世泰) sent out scout to check out

11815-546: The hands of the Jin dynasty , and after 1235 it came into the possession of the Mongol Empire . Under the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) the prefecture was demoted to a county and placed under the administration of Lintao superior prefecture, but in 1477 Lanzhou was reestablished as a political unit. The city acquired its current name in 1656, during the Qing dynasty . When Gansu was made

11954-458: The heavy rain in eastern Gansu had finally stopped. The nationalist advanced guard consisted of the nationalist Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Regiment of the nationalist Reorganized 100th Brigade made contact with the enemy at regions of Golden Village Temple (Jin Cun Miao, 金村庙) and Dou Family's Ridge (Dou Jia Liang 豆家梁) near Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town. The communist local garrison Gao Xuewen (高学文) Independent Regiment fought

12093-823: The journey. In gratitude, King Ping granted a mid-level nobility to the Yíng leader, Count Xiang , and promised him authority to permanently claim any lands his clan can recapture from the nomads. The resultant Qin state then spent the next few centuries fighting off various nomads to its north and west and eventually consolidated its base in the Guanzhong Plain and the Loess Plateau . The Qin capital then relocated progressively east from Qinyi (in modern Qingshui County , Gansu ) to Yong (in modern Fengxiang County , Shaanxi ), then to Yueyang (in modern Yanliang District of Xi'an , Shaanxi), and eventually to Xianyang northeast across

12232-412: The largest oil refineries in the country and Lanzhou itself is the center of the province's petrochemical industry. The refinery is linked to the fields at Yumen by pipeline. It also manufactures equipment for the oil industry . Lanzhou has a large textile industry , particularly noted for the production of woolen and leather goods. In addition, Lanzhou produces locomotives and rolling stock for

12371-419: The locals. However, he was forced to hand control over to another more powerful rebel leader Xiang Yu , who sacked, pillaged and torched Xianyang before enfeoffing the Guanzhong region to three surrendered Qin generals Zhang Han , Sima Xin and Dong Yi , collectively known as the " Three Qins ". However, merely four months later, Liu Bang returned with his newly appointed generalissimo Han Xin and reconquered

12510-456: The main communist force in retreat. He also realized that the nationalists were encircling his troops, which were in danger of being wiped out. Commander Huang Luobing (黄罗斌) immediately ordered his troops to retreat northward to Locust Tree Village (Huai Shu Zhuang, 槐树庄), and the former-guerrilla soldiers acted so swiftly that by 4:00 PM, they had completely shaken off the nationalists in pursuit. However, they had withdrawn too fast, that not only

12649-401: The members of the headquarters staff of the communist 4th Column, including their superior Wang Shitai (王世泰). Ma Fushou (马福寿), the commander of the second Regiment of the Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division had ready received order to withdraw, and was on his way retreating toward the region of Golden Village Temple (Jin Cun Miao 金村庙), thus did not pursuit

12788-644: The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −4.1 °C (24.6 °F) in January to 23.4 °C (74.1 °F) in July. The mean annual temperature is 10.9 °C (51.6 °F), while annual rainfall is 309 millimetres (12.2 in), almost all of which falls from May to October. The winters are so dry that snowfall is sometimes restricted to fall and spring. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 47 percent in September to 57 percent in April, sunshine

12927-537: The most important fortress of the above passes was the Hangu Pass, which commanded the chokepoint on a narrow land corridor along the south bank of Yellow River and what was then the only traversable passage into the Guanzhong region from the North China Plain . The formidable resilience of the Hangu Pass was what enabled the Qin state to defeat numerous anti-Qin alliances formed by its eastern enemy states during

13066-658: The national limit of 10 micrograms per liter. The city water supply suspected industrial chemical production to be the culprit, similar to what happened in the 2005 Jilin chemical plant explosions . A brucellosis outbreak infecting humans took place in Lanzhou in 2020 after the Lanzhou Biopharmaceutical Plant involved in vaccine production accidentally pumped out the bacteria into the atmosphere in exhaust air, due to use of expired desinfectant, and affecting over 3,000 people. Lanzhou experiences earthquakes regularly, although usually at low intensities. In 1920

13205-499: The nationalist Reorganized 100th Brigade was at the left, and the 1st Regiment of the nationalist Reorganized 100th Brigade was the general reserve. The general attack would be launched at 10:00 AM on August 15, 1947. At 10:00 AM, the nationalist cavalry launched their attack on the enemy positions held by the communist 3rd Regiment of the 1st Garrison Brigade by first bombarding the enemy. The defenders managed to repeatedly beat back nationalists assaults but suffered heavy casualties in

13344-402: The nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division. Without asking the permission and reporting the discovery, the 5th Regiment of the communist 3rd Garrison Brigade withdrew southward to Taiping (太平) Town. As a result, the divisional headquarters of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division led by Ma Jiyuan (马继援) met head on with the headquarters of the communist First Field Army led by Peng Dehuai , who

13483-480: The nationalist cavalry and limited the speed of communist withdraw. The same terrain also prevented the communist runners from reaching the units in the field in time due to the lack of radio communication equipments on the communist side. When the communist units in the field had received the order to retreat, they were already in contact with the enemy, so blocking actions had to be fought. The communist commander Wang Shitai (王世泰) had to redeploy his units by assigning

13622-432: The nationalist flank in the rear so that the nationalist force there would be tied down and could not be deployed against communists in other areas. After the communist scouts first discovered the nationalist troops camping at the regions of Teeth Village (Ya Cun, 牙村) and Golden Village Temple (Jin Cun Miao, 金村庙), the commander of the communist 4th Column, Wang Shitai (王世泰) originally planned to follow his order by disengaging

13761-431: The nationalist force was in danger of being ambushed in the enemy's heartland where even Hu Zongnan dared not to venture this far. Ma Jiyuan (马继援) realized the potential danger his force would face, especially when the main force of the enemy was not heard from since Yulin Campaign , and had it being hiding nearby for an ambush, the nationalist force deep in the heartland of enemy would be in danger of being wiped out. As

13900-419: The nationalist moved forward and by 6:00 PM, they took every position abandoned by the enemy to the west of Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town. By this time, the nationalist Reorganized 8th Brigade under the command of Ma Buluan (马步銮) finally arrived after being delayed by heavy rain for nearly 12 hours. Consequently, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was very unhappy because his original plan of encircling the enemy failed due to

14039-519: The nationalist victory would have been much bigger and the communists would have suffered much greater loss. [REDACTED] Communist Party / [REDACTED] Soviet Republic ( [REDACTED] Red Army ) → Liberated Area ( [REDACTED] 8th Route Army , New Fourth Army , etc. → [REDACTED] People's Liberation Army ) → [REDACTED]   People's Republic of China Guanzhong Guanzhong ( Chinese : 关中 , formerly romanised as Kwanchung ) region, also known as

14178-439: The nationalists by retreating, but the strong opposition of local communists forced him to change his mind. Following the defeat of communists in Heshui Campaign , the victorious nationalists immediately launched eradication operations against the local communists and their bases in the Meridian Ridge. In the two months-long struggles, the local communists (including local garrison force and guerrilla forces) had suffered greatly in

14317-413: The nationalists very suspicious, fearing that it was just another trap to lure them into yet another ambush. By 3:00 p.m. on August 15, 1947, the firepower of resisting communists subsided but the cautious nationalists did not move forward. After another hour, the nationalist Reorganized 100th Brigade launched a cavalry charge at the enemy, and realized that the enemy had already retreated. Carefully,

14456-527: The new soldiers was low, their loyalty was uncertain, and their capability was inadequate, all of which was proved soon, at the cost of Wan Sanxu (王三绪)'s life. Four months later during Yichuan Campaign , in a battle at the Southern Pagoda Ridge (Nan Ta Liang, 南塔梁) at White Water (Bai Shui, 白水) region of Shaanxi , Wan Sanxu (王三绪) was shot and killed while leading a retreat by his own soldiers, who were former-nationalist prisoners-of-war. Wan Sanxu (王三绪)

14595-435: The northwestern railways, as well as machine tools and mining equipment. Aluminum products, industrial chemicals, and fertilizers are produced on a large scale, and there is a large rubber industry. Copper is mined in nearby Gaolan . Lanzhou has been one of the centers of China's national nuclear power industry since the 1960s. Lanzhou is the collecting center and market for agricultural produce and livestock from

14734-506: The only experience in conventional warfare Huang had was as the commander-in-chief of the eastern sub-district of Northern Shaanxi Military District and as the chief-of-staff of the Security Headquarters of the communist base in northwestern China, but he had never directed any conventional battles. However, communists had obviously not learnt anything from their defeat and thus paid a heavy price in later conflicts: In 1948, during

14873-461: The primary support in China's War of Resistance against the Imperial Japanese invasion. Instances of major air-battles include an IJAAF raid consisting of 30 BR.20 and Ki-21 bombers against civilian targets in Lanzhou on 20 February 1939; 17th PS, 5th PG commander Capt. Cen Zeliu and his deputy commander Capt. Ma Guolian (Ma Kwok-Lim), a Canadian-Chinese volunteer for the Chinese Air Force, shot down

15012-441: The problem back then, they would not have to face the danger later on in Western Shaanxi-Eastern Gansu Campaign . The nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division of Ma clique once again dealt a heavy blow to its long term adversary, the units of the communist First Field Army, just as it had done earlier in Heshui Campaign . Had Ma Bufang not interfered with the command at the last stage and the nationalists continued their offensive,

15151-406: The process: the crack troop of the regiment, Mu Chengguang (穆成光) Platoon, a heroic platoon named after its platoon commander Mu Chengguang (穆成光), was completed annihilated with every member in the platoon killed. The fight last until the afternoon when the communist 3rd Regiment of the 1st Garrison Brigade finally received the order to retreat which was first issued before the battle had started, and

15290-469: The provincial capital of Shaanxi and the largest city in Northwest China , is located at the center of the region, mostly south of the Wei River. Other major prefectural cities in the Guanzhong region include (from west to east) Baoji , Xianyang , Tongchuan and Weinan . The four major historic fortifications that enclose Guanzhong region are: Two more passes were later added, namely: Historically

15429-408: The pursuing enemy in small groups. Majority of the communist force would go southeastward toward Construction Village (Jian Zhuang, 建庄), and the remaining communist force would be personally led by Wang Shitai (王世泰) to go northward to Zheng Ning (正宁) county, where the local nationalist garrison, the Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment had already left long ago to become the vanguard of nationalists chasing

15568-410: The pursuing nationalist cavalries. Leading two battalions, large number of civilian cadres, and burdened with tremendous supplies, Wang Shitai (王世泰) continued the retreat until the evening, when the fleeing communists were finally able to have their first break, and held a conference regarding their next move. In order to avoid being annihilated by the enemy together, the communists decided to disengage

15707-458: The pursuing nationalists by retreating separately northward, and then returned to Guanzhong region once more by reaching the region surrounding the Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town in heart of the Meridian Ridge (Zi Wu Ling, 子午岭). Nationalist (eight regiments totaling 6,000): Communist (three regiments and a cavalry division totaling 9,500): The nationalist frontline commander was General Ma Jiyuan (马继援), Ma Bufang 's only son. Awarded with

15846-404: The pursuing nationalists. At the same time, the 2nd Regiment of the communist 1st Garrison Brigade and the 6th Cavalry Division at the flanks also engaged the nationalists in their fights to delay the enemy, and the communist force soon disengaged the pursuing nationalists and began their planned retreat. The organized retreat planned by the communists did not turn out as expected because the road

15985-524: The rank of colonel at the age of 16 to become a deputy regimental commander, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was one of Ma Bufang 's favorite field commanders. By the ago of 20, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) was awarded the rank of major general and attended training courses for generals at the Nationalist Party of China Army Officer Academy . Just barely two months ago, Ma Jiyuan (马继援) had led his nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division into victory against another main communist force,

16124-407: The river's bend at the tri-provincial junction among Shaanxi , Shanxi and Henan . The name Guanzhong means "within the passes", referring to the four major mountain pass fortresses historically defending the region. The region was the traditional heartland of Qin state during Zhou dynasty and thus often nicknamed the " 800 li of Qin land ". The Yellow River , Lüliang Mountains and

16263-437: The safety at Kang Family's Plateau in the night of August 15, 1947 by going northwestward. In the morning of August 16, 1947, the vanguard of the nationalist force, the nationalist Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment caught up with the slowing moving communist 4th Column, whose retreat was bogged down with enormous supplies it carried. The battle broke out around 10:00 AM, between the nationalist Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment and

16402-428: The safety of Yijun (宜君) county of Shaanxi after crossing the Meridian Ridge. The smaller communist force led by Wang Shitai (王世泰) was far less fortunate. After the breakup of his force, Wang Shitai (王世泰) led his formation southwestward, in an attempt to disengage the pursuing nationalists by going behind the enemy line. However, the rapid response of the nationalist cavalry ruined his plan by following closely, and by

16541-430: The situation was desperate for the communists. By this time, the communist order of general retreat finally reached every communist unit in the field and everyone was to disengage the enemy by 3:00 PM, and then retreat eastward at night in different groups. By the evening, all remaining communist units had successful disengaged the enemy and successfully escaped eastward, joining the main communist force that retreated from

16680-457: The small retreating headquarters force of the communist 4th Column led by its commander Wang Shitai (王世泰). A short battle ensued and both side chose not to continue to engage the enemy. After retreating to the safety at the Papaya Plateau (Mu Gua Yuan, 木瓜塬), Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) heard gunshots in the direction of Peach Tree Village (Tao Shu Zhuang, 桃树庄), and he immediately led his guerrilla to

16819-494: The southern banks of the Yellow River , which flows through from west to east. The Qilian Ranges , Mt. Pingliang , and Mt. Kongtong are located on the south and north sides of the city. Lanzhou is situated on the upper reaches of the Yellow River where it emerges from the mountains and has been a center since early times, being at the southern end of the route leading via the Hexi Corridor across Central Asia . It commands

16958-545: The table. Since 1949 Lanzhou has been transformed from the capital of a poverty-stricken province into the center of a major industrial area. It was one of the first cities in China to industrialize, as a focus of the First and Second Five-Year Plans. The GDP per capita of Lanzhou was 25,566 ( RMB ) (US$ 3,681) in 2008, ranking it at number 134 among 659 Chinese cities. In 2015, the GDP per capita had grown to 57,191 RMB (US$ 9,182.28) and

17097-467: The terminus of the 3,200 km (2,000 mi) Chinese–Soviet highway, used as a route for Soviet supplies destined for the Xi'an area. This highway remained the primary traffic route of northwestern China until the completion of the railway from Lanzhou to Ürümqi , Xinjiang . Lanzhou's old Donggang Airport, located near the city centre, was the primary entry point for combat aircraft provided to China under

17236-422: The terrain ahead was extremely difficult for cavalries and there were dense forest that was perfectly for the enemy to lay an ambush. After being continuously harassed by the enemy ambushes, the cautious nationalists decided to stop completely to camp, and then continue the pursuit in the morning. In deed, the darkness had helped the communists, and Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) with his communist forces successfully reached

17375-494: The urban area, West Bus Station in Xiaoxihu neighbourhood, East Bus Station near Lanzhou Station and South Bus Station near G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway terminus. Furthermore, there are a total of 132 local city bus lines. These have their main node station at Xiguan. Lanzhou has a noted bus rapid transit system which opened in 2013 and won the city an honorable mention at the 2014 Sustainable Transport Awards . The city

17514-471: The valley of Meridian Ridge. The local communists had drafted many donkeys to help to carry the supplies, and this had jammed the road, thus seriously slowed the speed, with the fleeing communists only moved 20 km for the entire night. The slow speed of fleeing communists was equally matched by the equally slow if not slower speed of pursuing nationalist cavalries. By midnight, the nationalist scouts reported to their commander-in-chief Ma Jiyuan (马继援) that

17653-550: The west. A large rail freight terminal has recently been constructed to accommodate increasing volumes of rail freight and Lanzhou is home to China's fourth largest marshalling yard . Regular freight services connect Lanzhou to destinations including Chongqing , Hamburg , Almaty and Kathmandu . In 2016, Lanzhou was ranked 4th of Chinese cities with the worst rush hour traffic jams; however, by 2017, after completion of an urban ring road, it dropped to 33rd place. For long-distance buses, there are three major bus stations in

17792-561: The world. Air quality reportedly was so poor that at times one could not see Lanshan , the mountain rising up along the south side of the city. Lanzhou is also the home of many factories, including some involved in petroleum processing, and suffers from large dust storms kicked up from the Gobi Desert , especially in the winter and spring. In 2011, using Chinese statistics, the World Health Organization reported that Lanzhou had

17931-540: The worst air quality among eleven western Chinese cities. Its annual mean PM10 μg/m of 150 is 7 times the safe level established by the World Health Organization . It was worse than Beijing with its reading of 121. Since then, authorities have taken measures to improve air quality, which have largely been successful. "Thirteen polluting enterprises with excessive capacity have been closed, more than 200 highly polluting enterprises were suspended in winter, and 78 industrial enterprises have moved to an industrial park outside

18070-517: Was 44 years old. On August 22, 1947, Wang Shitai (王世泰), the commander of the communist 4th Column found the 5th Regiment of the 3rd Garrison Brigade led by Huang Luobing (黄罗斌) at Locust Tree Village (Huai Shu Zhuang, 槐树庄), the communists regrouped at Xihuaichi (西华池) region of the Heshui (合水) county and rested for ten days. The communist 1st Garrison Brigade rested at Yijun (宜君) county of Shaanxi . Local communist units from Guanzhong were incorporated into

18209-464: Was a dagger in the belly of the nationalist domain to the north of the Wei River and it had been a communist base since the late 1920s. During the Second Sino-Japanese War , the communist 385th Division led by commander Wang Hongshen was stationed in this region, and was surrounded by nationalist forces several times its strength. Clashes between the two sides were inevitable and after World War II such clashes finally developed into full-scale battle in

18348-553: Was assisted by a brilliant local communist commander, Wang Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥), who first joined the communists in 1934. In 1935, the four communist guerrilla forces operating in Xinning (新宁) region were annihilated by the nationalists, with the First Squadron of the Third Group suffering the most: in less than a year, six guerrilla commanders were killed in battles consecutively. In 1936, the 20-year-old Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) became

18487-451: Was briefly the capital of the independent state of Liang . The Northern Wei dynasty (386–534) reestablished Jincheng commandery, renaming the county Jincheng . Mixed with different cultural heritages, the area at present-day Gansu province, from the 5th to the 11th century, became a center for Buddhist study. Under the Sui dynasty (581–618) the city became the seat of Lanzhou prefecture for

18626-420: Was congested with large numbers of donkeys carrying supplies, thus preventing communist units from reaching their predestinated positions. In the afternoon of August 15, 1947, while on his way from the Nine Steep Hills (Jiu Xian 九岘) Town to the local communist headquarters located at the region of Black Wind Bump (He Feng Ge Da, 黑风疙瘩), political commissar Wang Bingxiang (王秉祥) discovered that the nationalist cavalry

18765-526: Was home to a diverse range of wildlife . The Guanzhong region became the heartland of the Zhou after Jī clan leader Gugong Danfu relocated his people south from Bin (modern day Binzhou, Shaanxi ) to evade the violent raidings by Xunyu , Xianyun and Di nomads. It is from Guanzhong region that the Zhou state prospered and eventually conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. After

18904-450: Was often said that "Guanzhong produces generals; Guandong produces ministers". After constructing irrigation systems such as Zhengguo Canal , the already fertile Guanzhong region became extremely productive, allowing Qin state to become the preeminent power, repeatedly defeating and seizing more territory from its rivals to the east, and eventually unified China and established the Qin dynasty in 221 BC . After First Emperor 's death,

19043-418: Was outflanking the communists by moving toward the region of Northern Firewood Bridge (北柴桥) from the region of Yang Family's Plateau (Yang Jia Yuan, 杨家塬). In the meantime, another nationalist cavalry force outflanked the communists from the other direction by moving toward Peach Tree Village (Tao Shu Zhuang, 桃树庄), from the region of Papaya Plateau (Mu Gua Yuan, 木瓜塬), in an attempt to cut off the escaping route of

19182-420: Was tasked to encircle the communist base in the Meridian Ridge with other nationalist units commanded by Hu Zongnan . The Reorganized 100th Brigade of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division was stationed at Ning (宁) County, the Reorganized 8th Cavalry Brigade of the nationalist Reorganized 82nd Division stationed at Qingyang , and the brigade-strength Independent 5th Cavalry Regiment (later to be expanded into

19321-414: Was unaware of the situation. Both sides were extremely cautious in the battle because neither knew the strength of the other, and had the nationalist unit not commanded by Ma Jiyuan (马继援), but any other lower ranking officers who would attack aggressively, Peng Dehuai would have been killed once again and the headquarters of the communist First Field Army would have been totally destroyed for sure. After

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