Zhongwei

Under general Meng Tian, the Qin captured the area of Zhongwei and established the Beidi Commandery. In 205 BC a city built at the current location of Zhongwei urban area, which would grow as irrigation systems were built to allow farming.{{Cite web|title=历史沿革|url=http://www.nxzw.gov.cn/zjzw/zwgk/zwjj/201412/t20141222_599983.html|access-date=2021-03-03|website=www.nxzw.gov.cn}}

In 1226 Genghis Khan captured Zhongwei, and in 1403 the city was named Zhongwei, part of Shaanxi.

In 1920 Zhongwei was struck by the Haiyuan earthquake; and in 1926 the highway from Lanzhou to Zhongwei opened.

Zhongwei's main attraction is Gao Miao, a temple that has hosted Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist ceremonies. A bomb shelter was also built beneath the temple during the Cultural Revolution. It has since been converted into a rendition of a Buddhist hell.

{{Cite book |last1 = Harper

|first1 = Damian

|last2 = Fallon

|first2 = Steve

|last3 = Gaskell

|first3 = Katja

|last4 = Grundvig

|first4 = Julie

|last5 = Heller

|first5 = Carolyn

|last6 = Huhta

|first6 = Thomas

|last7 = Mayhew

|first7 = Bradley

|title = China

|publisher = Lonely Planet

|edition = 9th

|year = 2005

|isbn = 978-1-74059-687-9

|oclc = 61143558

|page = [https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetchin00dami_1/page/980 980]

|url-access = registration

|url = https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetchin00dami_1/page/980

}} The prefecture is also the location of the beginning of the northern bend in the Yellow River that produces the Ordos Loop. A drum tower is located in the city center.{{Cite book|last=Guides|first=Rough|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i9tLDgAAQBAJ&q=zhongwei+city&pg=PT308|title=The Rough Guide to China (Travel Guide eBook)|date=2017-06-01|publisher=Rough Guides UK|isbn=978-0-241-31490-6|language=en}}

Zhongwei is located on the northern banks of the Yellow River and bordered directly by the Tengger Desert in the north. The city has been battling desertification since the 1950s.{{Cite web|title=Curbing Desertification in China|url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2019/07/04/china-fighting-desertification-and-boosting-incomes-in-ningxia|access-date=2021-03-03|website=World Bank|language=en}} Using straw checkerboard patterns the advance of sand dunes is stopped.{{Cite book|last1=Heshmati|first1=G. Ali|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GV0_AAAAQBAJ&q=zhongwei+checkerboard&pg=PA65|title=Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East: Proven practices|last2=Squires|first2=Victor R.|date=2013-07-01|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-94-007-6652-5|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VcovAAAAYAAJ&q=zhongwei+checkerboard|title=National Geographic|date=1980|publisher=National Geographic Society|language=en}}

{{Weather box

|location = Zhongwei, elevation {{convert|1227|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|Jan high C = 1.1

|Feb high C = 6.4

|Mar high C = 13.4

|Apr high C = 20.5

|May high C = 24.8

|Jun high C = 28.4

|Jul high C = 29.9

|Aug high C = 28.2

|Sep high C = 23.8

|Oct high C = 18.0

|Nov high C = 9.8

|Dec high C = 2.7

|Jan mean C = -7.0

|Feb mean C = -2.1

|Mar mean C = 5.1

|Apr mean C = 12.5

|May mean C = 17.5

|Jun mean C = 21.6

|Jul mean C = 23.3

|Aug mean C = 21.5

|Sep mean C = 16.4

|Oct mean C = 9.7

|Nov mean C = 2.2

|Dec mean C = -4.8

|Jan low C = -13.1

|Feb low C = -8.5

|Mar low C = -1.5

|Apr low C = 5.0

|May low C = 10.2

|Jun low C = 14.8

|Jul low C = 17.1

|Aug low C = 15.7

|Sep low C = 10.6

|Oct low C = 3.4

|Nov low C = -3.0

|Dec low C = -10.2

|Jan record high C = 14.0 |Jan record low C = -29.1

|Feb record high C = 22.5 |Feb record low C = -27.1

|Mar record high C = 28.2 |Mar record low C = -18.5

|Apr record high C = 33.6 |Apr record low C = -8.7

|May record high C = 36.0 |May record low C = -3.8

|Jun record high C = 35.4 |Jun record low C = 5.4

|Jul record high C = 37.6 |Jul record low C = 8.1

|Aug record high C = 36.3 |Aug record low C = 7.1

|Sep record high C = 35.7 |Sep record low C = -2.7

|Oct record high C = 29.6 |Oct record low C = -11.4

|Nov record high C = 22.7 |Nov record low C = -15.3

|Dec record high C = 15.2 |Dec record low C = -28.8

|year high C = |year low C =

|year high F = |year low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 1.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 1.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 4.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 8.9

|May precipitation mm = 17.9

|Jun precipitation mm = 27.0

|Jul precipitation mm = 40.5

|Aug precipitation mm = 43.5

|Sep precipitation mm = 29.2

|Oct precipitation mm = 13.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 2.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 0.6

|Jan humidity = 52

|Feb humidity = 46

|Mar humidity = 42

|Apr humidity = 39

|May humidity = 46

|Jun humidity = 54

|Jul humidity = 62

|Aug humidity = 67

|Sep humidity = 68

|Oct humidity = 60

|Nov humidity = 59

|Dec humidity = 55

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 1.9

|Feb precipitation days = 1.3

|Mar precipitation days = 2.1

|Apr precipitation days = 3.1

|May precipitation days = 4.9

|Jun precipitation days = 6.0

|Jul precipitation days = 7.0

|Aug precipitation days = 7.6

|Sep precipitation days = 7.2

|Oct precipitation days = 4.1

|Nov precipitation days = 1.9

|Dec precipitation days = 0.8

|year precipitation days =

|Jan sun = 210.7

|Feb sun = 214.2

|Mar sun = 248.0

|Apr sun = 265.8

|May sun = 295.5

|Jun sun = 294.5

|Jul sun = 286.4

|Aug sun = 267.5

|Sep sun = 223.9

|Oct sun = 237.8

|Nov sun = 219.9

|Dec sun = 214.4

|year sun =

| Jan percentsun = 68

| Feb percentsun = 69

| Mar percentsun = 67

| Apr percentsun = 67

| May percentsun = 67

| Jun percentsun = 67

| Jul percentsun = 64

| Aug percentsun = 64

| Sep percentsun = 61

| Oct percentsun = 69

| Nov percentsun = 73

| Dec percentsun = 72

| year percentsun =

|Jan snow days = 2.9

|Feb snow days = 2.2

|Mar snow days = 1.7

|Apr snow days = 0.6

|May snow days = 0.1

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0.4

|Nov snow days = 1.8

|Dec snow days = 1.5

|year snow days =

|source 1 = China Meteorological Administration{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans |access-date=26 August 2023}}

{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =26 August 2023}}

}}

File:Zhongwei Railway Station (20151229075936).jpg in December 2015]]

• Zhongwei Shapotou Airport
• Baotou–Lanzhou railway
• Baoji–Zhongwei railway, to points south (connections to Xi'an, Chengdu)
• Taiyuan-Zhongwei-Yinchuan railway, to the east (connection to Beijing)
• Gantang–Wuwei railway, to western Gansu and westward
• Zhongwei–Lanzhou high-speed railway
• G70 Fuzhou–Yinchuan Expressway
• G2012 Dingbian–Wuwei Expressway
• China National Highway 109

Image:DesertLake3.jpg|Desert Lake

Image:DesertLake.jpg|Desert Lake

Image:DesertLake2.jpg|Desert Lake

File:Shapotou desert area (20171005173240).jpg|Shapotou scenic area

File:Camel convoys in Shapotou (20171005173358).jpg|Camels in Shapotou

Image:Zhongwei_cultural_centre.jpg|Zhongwei cultural centre

• Zhongwei-Tongxin fault

{{Reflist}}

{{Commonscat|Zhongwei}}

{{Wiktionary|Zhongwei}}

• [http://www.nxzw.gov.cn/ Official website of Zhongwei Government]

{{Ningxia topics}}

{{Ningxia}}

{{Prefectural-level divisions of the People's Republic of China}}

{{Major cities along the Yellow River}}

{{Baotou–Lanzhou Railway}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Prefecture-level divisions of Ningxia

Category:Cities in Ningxia