The Origin of "Su" in Gansu: Where Does It Come From?
Because of a satellite launch center, "Jiuquan, Gansu" often appears in news headlines.
Although the fact that "Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is not in Jiuquan" has been revealed countless times and is no longer obscure knowledge, questions like "Where exactly is Jiuquan?" are still frequently heard.
Jiuquan, a city that consistently makes news headlines due to its association with "aerospace."
Photo /Fly_To_Space
While Dunhuang is widely known, few are aware that it belongs to Jiuquan. What also remains unfamiliar is Jiuquan's vast area—accounting for 42% of Gansu's total land area, equivalent to two Jiangsu provinces. The "Su" in Gansu actually originates from Jiuquan.
Although it administers counties and cities such as Dunhuang, Yumen, and Guazhou, Jiayuguan City is wedged in the middle like a "wedge." The urban area of Jiuquan, Suzhou, compared to the entire territory administered by Jiuquan, almost seems like an enclave.
Jiuquan is the largest city in Gansu by area.
As one of the four prefectures of Hexi, its political status is lower than Wuwei, its prosperity falls short of Zhangye, and its fame is overshadowed by Dunhuang. Is Jiuquan’s identity truly so indistinct?
Light and wind, sand and water converge and blend here—Jiuquan is, in fact, romantic and fantastical.
Deserts, Gobi, snow-capped mountains, glaciers—
Jiuquan lies in the most complex section of the Silk Road.
It earned its name from the legend of Huo Qubing pouring wine into a spring to share with his soldiers. It was China's earliest "customs gate" facing the world; it witnessed countless battles and heard the endless ringing of camel bells. It is China's first aerospace city, its initial petroleum hub; it is China's most promising clean energy production base, a key agricultural seed breeding center, and a land of melons and fruits renowned nationwide...
Some say Jiuquan is a city where "the parts surpass the whole," hiding many familiar names—besides Dunhuang, there are Yang Pass, Yumen Pass, Guazhou, Suoyang City... Behind these names lies the endless imagination of people from China and around the world about this city.
The Silk Road caravan is perhaps the most classic image of Jiuquan.
Half of Gansu's most stunning landscapes, half of the province's name—
Looking at the map of China, many might assume Dunhuang or Jiayuguan is the westernmost city of Gansu. In fact, Dunhuang is a county-level city administered by Jiuquan, while Jiayuguan—the smallest prefecture-level city in Gansu—is surrounded on three sides by Jiuquan. The entire western end of Gansu's "jade ruyi" shape belongs to Jiuquan.
The Qilian Mountains stretch across the southern part of Jiuquan.
During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road was thriving. Starting from Chang'an, crossing Longyou and the Yellow River, passing through Wuwei and Zhangye, the climate grew increasingly arid along the way. When the sunlight lost its gentleness and the harsh winds stung the face, Jiuquan appeared just in time, offering a place to rest. Further ahead, Guazhou and Dunhuang were not far. Beyond Yang Pass lay the vast Western Regions. This experience of the Tang people likely resonates deeply with today's travelers on the Gansu-Qinghai loop route.
Yang Pass was once an oasis amidst the vast yellow sands.
Today, Jiuquan's immense scale, majestic landscapes, and abundant resources far exceed anything imaginable in the Han and Tang dynasties. This land of 192,000 square kilometers presents a face so complex and extraordinary.
Jiuquan is located at the junction of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces, with a section of its national border adjacent to Mongolia. Situated in the inland northwest, Jiuquan harbors the most spectacular natural landscapes of the Hexi Corridor and even the entire northwestern region.
To the west, bordering Xinjiang, Jiuquan features Yardang landforms resembling a devil's city and seemingly endless Gobi deserts:
The undulating desert and Gobi, where no solitary smoke rises under the setting sun.
Photo/XXN Photography, Image/Figure Insect · Creativity
To the north, adjacent to Mongolia, the Mazong Mountains stretch continuously, blocking the endless sea of sand extending from the Mongolian Plateau; to the south, bordering Qinghai, the Qilian Mountains—the lifeline of the Hexi Corridor—stand between Gansu and Qinghai like a wet island extending into the desert, flowing with precious meltwater from snow and ice:
Meltwater from the Qilian snow-capped mountains flows down through the valleys.
To the east, looking towards Inner Mongolia, there are still rolling and winding yellow sand deserts, where resilient poplar trees grow:
Jiuquan's poplar forests, a "golden Great Wall" that blocks the desert.
Most of Jiuquan's counties and cities lie between the snow-capped mountains and the desert, connected by inland rivers originating from the Qilian Mountains on the scattered oasis plains of the corridor.
Jiuquan is so vast that it's no wonder a saying circulates in the travel world: "Going to Gansu is equivalent to seeing 4/5 of China; going to Jiuquan is equivalent to seeing 1/2 of Gansu."
At the foot of the Qilian Mountains, Jiuquan also has a side lush with water and grass.
Two thousand years ago, the Han army repelled the Xiongnu and established "four prefectures and two passes" in the Hexi Corridor. Jiuquan was founded not initially for travelers to enjoy but as a strategic hub connecting the Western Regions to the west, Mongolia to the north, and the Tibetan Plateau to the south. It has always been a key frontier city since ancient times.
The "Su" in Gansu comes from Jiuquan.
For the Central Plains dynasties, losing Jiuquan meant losing the Hexi Corridor and endangering the Central Plains. Thus, both the Han and Ming Great Walls extended to Jiuquan as their western terminus. Inside and outside the ancient Great Wall, epic years of warfare and harmony unfolded.
The enduring Han Great Wall still faintly reveals the majesty of the frontier city in its heyday.
After the Han Dynasty, during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, Jiuquan was successively ruled by the Cao Wei, Western Jin, Former Liang, Former Qin, Later Liang, Western Liang, Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou regimes. During the Western Liang, Dunhuang and Jiuquan successively became capitals. In the Sui Dynasty, Jiuquan was reorganized into Suzhou, meaning "Pacifying and Guarding the Frontier." Since then, Suzhou has become another name for Jiuquan.
After the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, Jiuquan was occupied by Tibet until 848 when Zhang Yichao from Dunhuang led an uprising to reclaim the entire Hexi Corridor, returning Jiuquan to Tang control. Peace here did not last long; after the fall of the Tang, Jiuquan was successively ruled by the Uyghurs, the Tanguts of Western Xia, and the Mongols. When the Western Xia ruled the Hexi Corridor, they took the first characters of Ganzhou and Suzhou to establish the Gansu Military Command, marking the first appearance of the name "Gansu."
The Southern Heavenly Gate of Dunhuang. It is said that the monk Le Zun, who first excavated the Mogao Caves,
stood here and saw a thousand beams of Buddha's light.
The Ming Dynasty built the impregnable Jiayu Pass, making the then-Suzhou Guard the foremost important town in the northwestern frontier. Beyond the pass, the Seven Guards of Guanxi were established, ruled by local tribal leaders. After the mid-Ming Dynasty, frontier strategy further contracted, Jiayu Pass was completely closed, the lands beyond the pass were abandoned, and Jiuquan was separated from Dunhuang, Guazhou, and other areas.
The Qing Dynasty regained control of the Hexi Corridor and the Xinjiang region, and the trade routes in Jiuquan revived, though they never regained the prosperity of the Han and Tang dynasties. In the late Qing period, before Zuo Zongtang led his troops into Xinjiang to suppress the rebellion, he rallied his forces in Jiuquan and planted the "Zuo's Willows." The verse "Newly planted willows stretch three thousand miles, drawing the spring breeze past the Jade Gate" still evokes the greenery that dots the Gobi Desert today.
Since its establishment, Jiuquan has never been just a city.
Its ancient city connects myths and historical legends; its frontier passes are immortalized in poetry; its grottoes and murals have even influenced Chinese culture and aesthetics. Just the depictions of Feitian (flying apsaras) and the Nine-Colored Deer have captivated countless people.
At the Tārā Temple in Suoyang City, Xuanzang once preached and accepted disciples.
If Gansu is a unique "corridor of grotto art" in the world, then the grotto complexes of Jiuquan are the most dazzling part of this corridor. The study of Dunhuang, which emerged from the Dunhuang Grottoes and the Library Cave, has become a globally renowned field of study over the past century.
Frontier Ancient Cities: True Grit and Romantic Legends
In the imagination of ancient Chinese people, the area along the Yellow River's middle and lower reaches was the Central Plains, the "center of the world," while the Kunlun Mountains to the west were the abode of immortals. Two thousand years ago, Jiuquan was seen as the far western land, filled with fantastical myths.
"Sand dunes sing under clear skies, the crescent spring sparkles at dawn."
The name "Yumen Pass" comes from the "Jade Road," which is even older than the Silk Road. Before the Han Dynasty, Hetian jade from Xinjiang was transported to the Central Plains through here, leaving Jiuquan with treasures like the "Luminous Cup" and the name "Jade Jiuquan."
In ancient mythology, Yumen was the "Gate of Jade Mountain," where the Queen Mother of the West resided. By the Tang Dynasty, Yumen Pass had been relocated from Dunhuang to Guazhou, and it was here that Xuanzang risked "sneaking" out of the pass. Today, those who visit Jiuquan and head straight for Yumen Pass are surely poets at heart:
"Why should the Qiang flute complain of the willow? The spring breeze never reaches the Jade Gate Pass."
"Long clouds over Qinghai darken the snow-capped mountains, a lone city gazes into the distance toward Yumen Pass." (Wang Changling)
Yang Pass, named for its location south of Yumen Pass, is often visited by those recalling the ancient poem: "I urge you to drink one more cup of wine; west of Yang Pass, you'll find no old friends." Today, the ancient Yang Pass has been leveled, leaving only a beacon tower on a small hill for later generations to chant farewells, never tiring of its poetic resonance.
Yumen Pass and Yang Pass were not only landmarks in Tang frontier poetry but also strategic points guarding the northern and southern routes of the Silk Road, acting as two gates to the Western Regions. Countless soldiers endured harsh conditions here, defending and fighting; countless merchants, envoys, and monks passed through for clearance. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Chao, who guarded the Western Regions for 31 years, wrote to the emperor: "I dare not hope to return to Jiuquan County, but only wish to enter Yumen Pass alive." His homesick sigh still echoes loudly today.
Countless ancient cities have been "dried up" due to the disappearance of rivers and water sources. Hecang City, near Yumen Pass, was a granary for Han Dynasty soldiers. It was named "Hecang" (River Granary) because boats once sailed here. The site of Xuanquan Post, on the border of Dunhuang and Guazhou, was named after a nearby spring called "Xuanquan" (Hanging Spring). Both have long since "dehydrated" and been buried by sand.
Located at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, under the Flaming Mountains.
Suoyang City, once by the Shule River, was where Xuanzang preached and accepted Shi Pantuo (one of the prototypes of Sun Wukong) as a disciple. During the Ming Dynasty, the river shifted north, cutting off the water flow to Suoyang City. The city was abandoned, leaving it as the largest and best-preserved ancient city site on the Hexi Corridor and one of China's rare large-scale Tang Dynasty ruins.
Jiuquan can be called the "Museum of Ancient City Sites in China."
When an oasis was abandoned, people would open up a new one along the river; when a city dried up, they would build a new one. Thus, one after another, dilapidated ancient cities remain, telling an eternal truth of the Hexi Corridor: without water, there is only death.
Fortunately, Dunhuang City has always been nourished by the Dang River, allowing the world-class treasure of Dunhuang culture to be passed down.
World's Dunhuang: An Indestructible Pearl Through Suffering
Two thousand years ago, the first prefecture established by the Han Dynasty in the Hexi region was Jiuquan. As immigrants from the Central Plains increased, the western part was carved out of Jiuquan, and Dunhuang Prefecture was established on the Dang River Oasis. "Fronted by Yang Pass and backed by Yumen Pass, controlling the Western Regions and dominating the Northern Desert"—as the "key to the extreme frontier," Dunhuang henceforth stole the spotlight.
Mogao Caves were originally called "Mogao Caves," meaning "the high caves in the desert."
From the Han to the Tang Dynasty, Dunhuang was the "throat within the throat" of Sino-Western exchange, the "foremost metropolis where Chinese and foreign cultures converged." During the Tang Dynasty, the Lantern Festival was said to be "first in Chang'an, second in Dunhuang, and third in Yangzhou." At that time, merchants gathered, traffic was bustling, and people of all races from the Central Plains and the Western Regions came and went in crowds. Shops were filled with a dazzling array of goods, and the sounds of hawking and clamor were deafening...
In Dunhuang, Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Islamic cultures converged and blended, creating the unparalleled miracle of Dunhuang art in human civilization. What captivates people is far more than just the Mogao Caves.
Yulin Caves, also known as Ten Thousand Buddha Valley, is named after the elm forests along the riverbanks.
It is a treasure trove of mural art second only to the Mogao Caves.
Journeying westward from the Changma Caves, one can see not only the Mogao Caves but also the Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, and Wagemiao Caves... If the Silk Road is a magnificent symphony, then the Dunhuang cave complex is the most moving movement in this symphony.
The Buddhist caves in Jiuquan are not limited to the Mogao Caves.
In the era of openness, the frontier city of Dunhuang naturally enjoyed extreme prosperity. However, with the closure of the Jiayu Pass during the Ming Dynasty, the pace of openness stagnated, and Dunhuang rapidly declined. Moreover, Dunhuang was vulnerable to sandstorms, and a flood of the Dang River in the early Qing Dynasty destroyed the Han-Tang Dunhuang ancient city. Later, during the Yongzheng reign, immigrants built a new city on the east bank of the Dang River, which remains to this day.
In contrast, Suzhou (Jiuquan) is slightly more inland, with an unchanged city site for two thousand years, stable rivers, and a vast oasis, enabling it to become the political center of the western Hexi Corridor. This is why Dunhuang, initially on equal footing with Jiuquan, long fell under Jiuquan's jurisdiction.
Jiuquan is one of Asia's largest Yardang landform areas.
Strong winds have sculpted this place into a bizarre and lifeless forbidden zone.
The modern discovery of the Library Cave once again drew countless gazes to Dunhuang, while Jiuquan did not seem left behind—ancient Dunhuang had its "flying apsaras," and modern Jiuquan has its "soaring into the sky and drilling into the earth": soaring into space and drilling for oil. Modern Jiuquan people even grow fruits and vegetables on the Gobi and "plant the sun" in the desert... Miracles are once again descending upon this ancient land.
The "Child of the Earth" sculpture lies peacefully on the Guazhou Gobi Desert.
Cradle of China's Space Program, Birthplace of the Petroleum Industry
Today's Jiuquan has boundless "scenery" and opportunities!
The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center—one of the world's three major satellite launch bases and currently China's only manned space launch site—is undoubtedly one of modern Jiuquan's most widely recognized landmarks. Because the main launch base is not within Jiuquan's borders, does Jiuquan only have an empty name?
In fact, the satellite launch center is well-deservedly named "Jiuquan."
The launch tower of the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
Photography / Fly_To_Space
In 1958, when the construction of the space city began, it was built on an oasis in the Badain Jaran Desert of Ejin Banner. This location was discreet and had a high rate of sunny days, making it suitable for satellite launches. At that time, Ejin Banner was actually under the jurisdiction of Jiuquan, Gansu, and was later incorporated into Inner Mongolia. Moreover, Jiuquan, as the nearest city, has long been responsible for supplying materials to the launch base, as well as establishing the base's residential area, dedicated railway, and highways.
On June 5, 2022, the "Long March 2F rocket" was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center,
sending the Shenzhou XIV spacecraft into space.
Photography / Fly_To_Space
Soaring into the sky, Jiuquan is the cradle of China's aerospace industry; drilling into the ground, it has "drilled" out the birthplace of China's petroleum industry.
The Laojunmiao Oilfield in Yumen is one of the earliest developed oilfields in China. In March 1939, the first oil well produced oil, greatly boosting the morale of the military and civilians during the War of Resistance. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Yumen Oilfield became China's first petroleum industrial base. It subsequently provided talent and equipment for years, supporting the development and construction of over 50 oilfields, including the Daqing and Changqing oilfields. Wang Jinxi, the "Iron Man," was from Yumen. He drilled the first oil well at the Daqing Oilfield, leaving behind the "Iron Man Spirit" of hard work and perseverance.
The Yumen Petroleum River is said to be so rich in oil that digging a pit next to it would yield petroleum.
With industrial development, immigrants from all over China came to Jiuquan. Today, it is not unusual to hear Shaanxi dialect among people eating Huguo for breakfast or to hear Tianjin accents on the streets.
The spirit of pioneering and hard work continues in Jiuquan to this day. Whether it's growing fruits and vegetables or "planting the sun," the people of Jiuquan can do it all!
The Dunhuang Molten Salt Tower Solar Thermal Power Station
has "planted" a "new sun" in the desert.
This is one of China's richest regions in solar energy resources. The Dunhuang Molten Salt Tower Solar Thermal Power Station is the largest tower-type solar thermal power station in Asia. Twelve thousand mirrors are spread across the Gobi Desert, reflecting light onto the central molten salt tower, creating a spectacular scene of "planting a new sun" in the desert.
The corridor's narrow-tube effect also makes Jiuquan the "world's wind reservoir." Wind speeds are highest in the afternoon and gradually subside after sunset, giving rise to the local proverb, "Strong winds fear the sunset." In June 2021, China's first ten-million-kilowatt-level wind power base was completed in Jiuquan, making it worthy of the title "Land-Based Three Gorges."
Workers in Jiuquan manufacturing wind power equipment.
Not only in industry, but Jiuquan's agriculture also impresses the nation. Thousands of years ago, seeds from the Western Regions first took root in this oasis before continuing eastward to the Central Plains. Today, Jiuquan is an important national base for commodity grain and cotton, as well as for melons, fruits, and vegetables. It is also one of the country's most advantageous seed breeding and foreign trade seed production bases.
Who would have thought that Jiuquan, with its scarce rainfall, is China's largest onion planting, processing, distribution, and export base, accounting for one-tenth of the country's total output? It is also home to nationally renowned Dunhuang grapes, Guazhou honey melons, and Suzhou chili peppers... This ordinary northwestern city has nurtured countless extraordinary products.
The large diurnal temperature range and ample sunlight provide ideal conditions for chili pepper seed production.
In recent years, inland rivers like the Shule River have reversed their declining trends, and previously dry lakebeds have regained vitality. Along the ancient Great Wall, an ecological "water Great Wall" has quietly emerged in Jiuquan, blocking the desert, as if foreshadowing something.
Whether open or closed, in war or peace, the changing melodies have never completely brought down this ancient city of Jiuquan. As long as the meltwater from the Qilian Mountains continues to flow, this city will grow resiliently, like the poplar trees and desert shrubs in the desert.
For two thousand years, Jiuquan has stood by the desert Gobi, atop the oasis, quietly awaiting travelers from the east and west.
Header image credit | Visual China Group
Unsigned image credit | Visual China Group
*Jiuquan City Records*, edited by Sun Zhan'ao, Local Records Press, 2007
*A Brief History of Gansu*, compiled by Gansu Provincial Local Records Office, Lanzhou University Press, 2020
*Chinese National Geography · Gansu Special Issue*, No. 2, 2016