View source for Xining

{{Short description|City in Qinghai, China}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Xining
| official_name      = City of Xining
| native_name        = 西宁市
| native_name_lang   = zh-Hans
| other_name         = Sining
| nickname           = 
| settlement_type    = [[Prefecture-level city]]
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 280
| perrow                   = 1/2/2
| image1                   = Skyscrapers in Chengzhong District, Xining (53727167629) - 2024.jpg
| caption1                 = Xining skyline
| image2                   = Qinghai.Xining.Batiment de jade.Résidence.Ma Bufang.jpg
| caption2                 = [[Ma Bufang Mansion]]
| image3                   = Xining - 53725921152.jpg
| caption3                 = [[Xining Railway Station]]
| image4                   = Kumbum Monastery.jpg
| caption4                 = [[Kumbum Monastery]]
| image5                   = China May 2007 231.jpg
| caption5                 = [[Dongguan Mosque]]
}}
| image_seal         = 
| seal_size          = 
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| city_logo          = 
| citylogo_size      = 
| image_map          = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=shape|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|zoom=7|frame-lat=36.8
|frame-long=101.52}}
| image_map1         = Qinghai subdivisions - Xining.svg
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = Location of Xining City jurisdiction (dark blue) in Qinghai
| image_dot_map      = 
| dot_mapsize        = 
| dot_map_caption    = 
| dot_x              = 
| dot_y              = 
| pushpin_map        = Qinghai#China
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city center in Qinghai
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[China]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Qinghai]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#County level|County-level&nbsp;divisions]]
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = [[Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#Township level|Township&nbsp;divisions]]
| subdivision_name3  = 
| seat_type          = Municipal seat
| seat               = [[Chengzhong, Xining|Chengzhong]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Prefecture-level city]]
| governing_body     = [[Xining Municipal People's Congress]]
| leader_title       = [[Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary|CCP Secretary]]
| leader_name        = Wang Weidong
| leader_title1      = [[Xining Municipal People's Congress|Congress]] Chairman
| leader_name1       = Song Chenxi
| leader_title2      = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name2       = Shi Jianping
| leader_title3      = [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference|CPPCC]] Chairman
| leader_name3       = Duan Fada
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 
| established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
| established_date2  = 
| established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) -->
| established_date3  = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| unit_pref          = <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired-->
| area_footnotes     = <!-- ([[List of China administrative regions by area|ranked 29th]]) -->
| area_total_km2     = 7596<!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion-->
| area_land_km2      = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox settlement for details on automatic unit conversion-->
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 2892.7
| area_metro_km2     = 2892.7
| population_as_of   = 2020 census
| population_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/qinghai/admin/|title = China: Qīnghăi (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map}}</ref>
| population_note    = 
| population_total   = 2467965
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro   = 1954795
| population_density_metro_km2 = auto
| population_urban   = 1954795
| population_urban_footnotes = 
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_blank1_title = <!-- Mun. Density rank -->
| population_blank1  = <!-- ([[List of China administrative regions by population density|4th]]) -->
| population_density_blank1_km2 = 
| population_blank2_title = 
| population_blank2  = 
| demographics_type2 = GDP<ref>{{cite book |author=青海省统计局、国家统计局青海调查总队 |title=《青海统计年鉴－2016》 |date=August 2016 |publisher=[[China Statistics Press]] |isbn=978-7-5037-7834-6 |url=http://www.qhtjj.gov.cn/nj/2016/indexch.htm |access-date=2017-06-05 |archive-date=2017-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228012718/http://www.qhtjj.gov.cn/nj/2016/indexch.htm}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = [[Prefecture-level city]]
| demographics2_info1 = [[CN¥]] 164.4 billion<br />[[US$]] 18.2 billion
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = CN¥ 49,185<br />US$ 7,897
| timezone           = [[China Standard Time|China Standard]]
| utc_offset         = +8
| coor_pinpoint      = Qinghai People's Government
| coordinates        = {{coord|36.6224|N|101.7804|E|type:adm2nd_region:CN-63_source:Gaode|format=dms|display=it}}
| elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags-->
| elevation_m        = 2275
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal code of China|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 810000
| area_code          = [[Telephone numbers in China|971]]
| iso_code           = [[ISO 3166-2:CN|CN-QH-01]]
| blank_name         = [[License Plate (China)|License plate prefixes]]
| blank_info         = {{lang|zh-cn|青A}}
| blank1_name        = 
| blank1_info        = 
| website            = [http://www.xining.gov.cn/ www.xining.gov.cn] {{in lang|zh}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| pic = XN name.svg
| piccap = "Xīníng" in [[Traditional characters|Traditional]] (top) and [[Simplified characters|Simplified]] (bottom) Chinese characters
| picsize = 123px
| t = {{linktext|西寧}}
| s = {{linktext|西宁}}
| p = Xīníng
| gr = 
| bpmf = 
| myr = 
| mi = 
| xej = ثِ نٍ
| w = 
| psp = Sining or Ziling
| j = 
| wuu = 
| poj = 
| l = "Western tranquility"
| tib = {{bo-textonly|ཟི་ལིང}}
| wylie = Zi-ling
| zwpy = Siling
| order = st
| mon = Сэлэнг
| mong = ᠰᠢᠨᠢᠩ
| monr = Seleng
}}

'''Xining'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|S|i:|'|n|I|N}}, {{respell|shee|NING}};<ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Xining |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417171606/https://www.lexico.com/definition/xining |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |title=Xining |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-cmn|x|i|1|.|n|ing|2}}; [[Chinese postal romanization|alternatively known as]] '''Si'ning'''}} is the [[Capital (political)|capital]] and most populous city of [[Qinghai]] province in [[western China]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Illuminating China's Provinces, Municipalities and Autonomous Regions|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/43598.htm|publisher=PRC Central Government Official Website|access-date=2014-05-17}}</ref> and the largest city on the [[Tibetan Plateau]]. As of the 2020 census, it had 2,467,965 inhabitants (2,208,708 as of 2010), of whom 1,954,795 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 5 urban districts.<ref name="population">{{Cite web |title=China: Qīnghăi (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/qinghai/admin/}}</ref> The city lies in the [[Huangshui River|Huangshui River Valley]], also known as Tsongkha ([[Tibetan script|Tibetan]]: ཙོང་ཁ་), and owing to its high altitude, has a cool climate on the borderline between [[Semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climates|cool semi-arid]] and dry winter [[humid continental climate|humid continental]].

Xining was a commercial hub along the [[Northern Silk Road]]'s [[Hexi Corridor]] for over 2000 years, and was a stronghold of the [[Han dynasty|Han]], [[Sui dynasty|Sui]], [[Tang dynasty|Tang]], and [[Song dynasty|Song]] dynasties' resistance against nomadic attacks from the west. Although long a part of [[Gansu]] province, Xining was added to Qinghai in 1928. Xining holds sites of religious significance to Muslims and Buddhists, including the [[Dongguan Mosque]] and [[Kumbum Monastery]]. It is connected by the [[Qinghai–Tibet railway]] to [[Lhasa|Lhasa, Tibet]] and connected by [[Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway|a high-speed railway]] to [[Lanzhou|Lanzhou, Gansu]] and [[Ürümqi|Ürümqi, Xinjiang]].

The city is home to [[Qinghai University]], a [[comprehensive university]] and the only [[Double First-Class Construction|Double First-Class University]] in Xining.

== History ==
Xining has a history of over 2,100 years<ref>[http://www.xining.gov.cn/English/English_1.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929105845/http://www.xining.gov.cn/English/English_1.html|date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> and was a chief commercial hub on the [[Hexi Corridor]] caravan route to [[Tibet]], handling especially timber, wool and salt in ancient times. The trade along the Hexi Corridor was part of a larger trade corridor along the [[Northern Silk Road]], whose use was intensified in the 1st century BC after efforts by the [[Han dynasty]] to control this route.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=18006 |title=Silk Road, North China [Northern Silk Road, North Silk Road&#93; Ancient Trackway : The Megalithic Portal and Megalith Map |publisher=Megalithic.co.uk |access-date=2014-02-07}}</ref>

Under the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), a county called Linqiang was established to control the local [[Qiang (historical people)|Qiang tribesmen]]. It was again a frontier county under the [[Sui dynasty|Sui]] (581–618) and [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] (618–907) dynasties; during the 7th and early 8th centuries it was a center of constant warfare with [[Tuyuhun]] and [[Tibetan Empire|Tibet]]. In 763, it was overrun by the Tibetans and while under Tibetan control was known to the Chinese as ''Qingtang cheng'' ({{lang|zh|青唐城}}). Recovered by the [[Song dynasty]] in 1104, it received the name Xining (meaning "peace in the west") and has been the seat of a prefecture or superior prefecture under that name since that time. The founder of [[Gelug]] '''Tsongkhapa''' ([[Tibetan script|Tibetan]]: ཙོང་ཁ་པ་, meaning: "the man from Tsongkha". c. 1357–1419) was born in the 14th century, and on the site of his birthplace the [[Kumbum Monastery]] was founded in the late 16th century, establishing Xining as an important religious center for the [[Gelug]] School of Buddhists.

A major [[1927 Gulang earthquake|earthquake occurred May 22, 1927]], measuring at a [[Moment magnitude scale|magnitude]] of 7.6. It was one of the deadliest earthquakes in China with a total count of over 40,000 deaths. It also caused large land fractures.

Xining was the extraterritorial capital of the [[Koko Nor]] territory and remained in [[Gansu]] until 1928, when it became the provincial capital of the newly established independent province of Qinghai.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WltwAAAAMAAJ&q=sichuan+reassert |chapter=A Brief History of the Chinese Northwestern Frontier |title=China's inner Asian frontier: photographs of the Wulsin expedition to northwest China in 1923 |author1=Joseph Fletcher |editor=Mary Ellen Alonso |year=1979 |publisher=The Peabody Museum, distributed by Harvard University Press|edition=illustrated|page=49|isbn=0-674-11968-1|access-date=2010-06-28}} (Original from the University of Michigan)</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhe6vP66jN0C&q=They+did+not%2C+however%2C+control+political+life+in+the+province.+This+was+in+the+hands+of+the+Ma+clan+of+Hui+Muslims%2C+the+third+most+numerous+ethnic+group+after+the+Han+and+the+Tibetans.+Governor+Ma+Bufang+%2819o2-75%29+dominated+Qinghai&pg=PA351|title=Modern China: a guide to a century of change|author=Graham Hutchings|year=2003|publisher=Harvard University Press|edition=illustrated, reprint|page=351|isbn=0-674-01240-2|access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref>

Xining was subjected to aerial bombardment by [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] warplanes in 1941 during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. The bombing spurred all ethnicities in Qinghai, including the local Qinghai Mongols and Qinghai Tibetans, against the Japanese.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.krzzjn.com/html/28977.html | script-title=zh:回顾1941年日机轰炸西宁：改变青海历史轨迹 - 抗战故事 - 抗日战争纪念网 | access-date=9 April 2016 | archive-date=27 September 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927155003/http://www.krzzjn.com/html/28977.html | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dangshi.people.com.cn/n/2013/0816/c85037-22593706.html|title = 1941：日军飞机轰炸西宁--党史频道-人民网}}</ref> The Salar Muslim General [[Han Youwen]] directed the defense of the city of Xining during air raids by Japanese planes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xjmg.org/show.aspx?id%3D1081%26cid%3D10 |title=怀念我的父亲──韩有文 |access-date=April 3, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322070922/http://www.xjmg.org/show.aspx?id=1081&cid=10 |archive-date=March 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref>http://www.kunlunpai.cn/thread-1211-1-1.html{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Xining was given municipal status in 1945.

Under the rule of Governor [[Ma Bufang]], Xining, like the rest of Qinghai, underwent [[industrialization]] and modernization. In 1947 the USA sold Ma Bufang a piped water (sewage) system which was installed in Xining.<ref>{{cite news |title=CITY IN WEST CHINA TO GET PIPED WATER; American 'Sells' Warlord at Sining on System to Aid Health --People Suspect Clear Fluid|newspaper=THE NEW YORK TIMES|date=3 February 1947|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/02/03/archives/city-in-west-china-to-get-piped-water-american-sells-warlord-at.html|access-date=2010-11-28}}</ref> Ma Bufang also promoted education. He made businessmen methodically clean up Xining by serving as insect exterminators.<ref>{{cite news |title=ENLIGHTENED RULE BOLSTERS TSINGHAI; General Ma, War Lord, Enjoys Passion for Education -- He Taxes as Need Arises|author=HENRY R. LIEBERMAN|newspaper=The New York Times|date=15 September 1948|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/09/15/archives/enlightened-rule-bolsters-tsinghai-general-ma-war-lord-enjoys.html|access-date=2010-11-28}}</ref>
[[File:Nanliang Hutai Relics Park, Xining (20230927094732).jpg|thumb|Nanliang Hutai Relics Park]]
Since the late 1950s, when the [[Liujiaxia Dam]] and [[hydroelectric]] project came into operation in neighboring [[Gansu province]],  Xining has been linked by a high-tension electrical grid to both Liujia and Lanzhou. It also uses local [[coal]] from mines at [[Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County|Datong County]] to the north, but however, a modern woollen mill was installed at Xining before 1957. The city also has a [[Leather industry in China|leather industry]] and is a market for salt from the [[Qaidam]] region. During the late 1950s medium-sized iron and steelworks were built there, supplying metal to Lanzhou.

Construction of a highway to the mineral-rich [[Qaidam]] basin, and completion in 1959 a link to the Chinese rail network via [[Lanzhou]] in Gansu province, has spurred industrial development. This effort was part of a plan of the central government to rapidly exploit oil and pasturage in the Xining area beginning in the 1950s.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Greg Rohlf |title=Dreams of Oil and Fertile Fields |journal=Modern China |volume=29 |issue=4 |pages=455–489 |publisher=Mcx.sagepub.com |date=2003-10-01 |doi=10.1177/0097700403257134 |s2cid=143975998 }}</ref>

== Geography ==
Xining is located in the eastern part of [[Qinghai]] Province and lies on the [[Huangshui River]]. The four urban districts have a total area of {{convert|343|km2|abbr=on}}.

Xining is located on the eastern edge of the [[Qinghai–Tibet Plateau]] and the upper reaches of the [[Huangshui River]]. It is the political, economic, and cultural center of [[Qinghai Province]] with an average altitude of about {{convert|2,200|m}}. Human activity in the region can be traced to 2,100 years ago. During the [[Han dynasty|Western and Eastern Han dynasties]], owing to its developing [[agriculture]],  Xining was paid notice due to its economic and military significance. As well as being an important hinge between the Central Plains and the western part of China in ancient times,  Xining was an important link in the [[Silk Road]]. It continues to be an important rail and road link to the hinterlands of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

=== Climate ===
Xining has also been dubbed the Summer Resort Capital of China owing to its cool summer, with a borderline [[Semi-arid climate#Cold semi-arid climate|cold semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BSk'')/dry winter [[humid continental climate]] (''Dwb''). Conditions are influenced by the aridity and high altitude. Nights are cold or cool throughout the year, and the [[diurnal temperature variation]] often reaches or exceeds {{convert|15|°C-change|0}}. The monthly 24-hour average temperatures ranges from {{convert|−7.9|°C|1}} in January to {{convert|17.5|°C|1}} in July; the annual mean is {{convert|6.0|°C|1}}, still making it one of the warmest locations in Qinghai due to the low elevation by provincial standards. Rainfall falls mainly from May to September, and the area is often dry and sunny: with monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 49&nbsp;percent in September to 67&nbsp;percent in November, the city receives 2,540 hours of bright sunshine per year. Extreme temperatures have ranged from {{convert|−26.6|°C|0}} to {{convert|36.5|°C|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/home.do |script-title=zh:中国气象科学数据共享服务网 |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |access-date=February 22, 2014 |archive-date=March 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302053152/http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/home.do |url-status=dead }}</ref> Snow cover is very sparse due to the dry winters.
 
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| location = Xining, elevation {{convert|2295|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
| metric first = Y
| single line = Y
| collapsed = Y
| Jan high C = 2.1
| Feb high C = 5.8
| Mar high C = 11.0
| Apr high C = 16.6
| May high C = 20.2
| Jun high C = 23.2
| Jul high C = 25.1
| Aug high C = 24.2
| Sep high C = 19.6
| Oct high C = 14.5
| Nov high C = 8.6
| Dec high C = 3.4
| Jan mean C = -7.9
| Feb mean C = -3.6
| Mar mean C = 2.2
| Apr mean C = 8.3
| May mean C = 12.3
| Jun mean C = 15.6
| Jul mean C = 17.5
| Aug mean C = 16.6
| Sep mean C = 12.2
| Oct mean C = 6.2
| Nov mean C = -0.7
| Dec mean C = -6.3
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = -14.6
| Feb low C = -10.4
| Mar low C = -4.4
| Apr low C = 1.4
| May low C = 5.7
| Jun low C = 9.2
| Jul low C = 11.6
| Aug low C = 11.1
| Sep low C = 7.4
| Oct low C = 0.9
| Nov low C = -6.5
| Dec low C = -12.6
| Jan record high C = 15.4
| Feb record high C = 20.8
| Mar record high C = 26.2
| Apr record high C = 31.8
| May record high C = 31.2
| Jun record high C = 31.9
| Jul record high C = 36.5
| Aug record high C = 34.0
| Sep record high C = 29.9
| Oct record high C = 26.6
| Nov record high C = 19.3
| Dec record high C = 14.1
| Jan record low C = −24.9
| Feb record low C = −20.7
| Mar record low C = −16.9
| Apr record low C = −12.5
| May record low C = −3.9
| Jun record low C = 0.2
| Jul record low C = 4.2
| Aug record low C = 3.2
| Sep record low C = −1.1
| Oct record low C = −12.5
| Nov record low C = -19.0
| Dec record low C = −26.6
| precipitation color = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 1.8
| Feb precipitation mm = 1.9
| Mar precipitation mm = 8.8
| Apr precipitation mm = 20.7
| May precipitation mm = 53.8
| Jun precipitation mm = 64.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 81.5
| Aug precipitation mm = 87.0
| Sep precipitation mm = 68.0
| Oct precipitation mm = 23.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 5.2
| Dec precipitation mm = 1.2
| Jan humidity = 48
| Feb humidity = 45
| Mar humidity = 46
| Apr humidity = 47
| May humidity = 55
| Jun humidity = 61
| Jul humidity = 66
| Aug humidity = 69
| Sep humidity = 72
| Oct humidity = 67
| Nov humidity = 58
| Dec humidity = 52
| unit precipitation days = 0.1&nbsp;mm
| Jan precipitation days = 3.2
| Feb precipitation days = 2.9
| Mar precipitation days = 4.9
| Apr precipitation days = 7.1
| May precipitation days = 11.7
| Jun precipitation days = 14.4
| Jul precipitation days = 15.4
| Aug precipitation days = 14.5
| Sep precipitation days = 14.4
| Oct precipitation days = 7.7
| Nov precipitation days = 3.2
| Dec precipitation days = 2.1
| year precipitation days = 
| Jan sun = 196.7
| Feb sun = 200.3
| Mar sun = 223.9
| Apr sun = 232.8
| May sun = 240.5
| Jun sun = 230.1
| Jul sun = 223.8
| Aug sun = 215.8
| Sep sun = 181.4
| Oct sun = 200.0
| Nov sun = 201.8
| Dec sun = 192.6
| year sun = 
| Jan percentsun = 63
| Feb percentsun = 65
| Mar percentsun = 60
| Apr percentsun = 59
| May percentsun = 55
| Jun percentsun = 53
| Jul percentsun = 51
| Aug percentsun = 52
| Sep percentsun = 49
| Oct percentsun = 58
| Nov percentsun = 67
| Dec percentsun = 64
| year percentsun = 
| Jan snow days = 5.1
| Feb snow days = 5.8
| Mar snow days = 7.0
| Apr snow days = 3.4
| May snow days = 0.4
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0.1
| Oct snow days = 1.5
| Nov snow days = 4.2
| Dec snow days = 4.0
| year snow days = 
| source 1 = China Meteorological Administration<ref name="cma graphical">{{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-cn |access-date=2020-04-15}}</ref><ref name="CMA old">
{{cite web|url=http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |script-title=zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）|publisher=[[China Meteorological Administration]] |access-date=2010-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055035/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-date=2013-09-21 
}}</ref><ref>{{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:CMA台站气候标准值(1991-2020)|publisher = [[China Meteorological Administration]]| language =zh|access-date = 2023-04-11|title = Experience Template}}</ref>[[NOAA]]<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/oceans/archive/arc0216/0253808/5.5/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/China/CSV/XINING_52866.csv|title = Xining Climate Normals 1991-2020|publisher = [[NOAA]]|language=en-US}}</ref>
| source = 
}}

===River management===
In 2007, the [[World Bank]] lent US$1 billion to aid [[river treatment]] in Xining, including [[Sanxian County]]'s anti-[[flooding]] project, with an added US$1 billion to support infrastructure. Qinghai has invested large amounts in the treatment of Huangshui Main River and Nanchuan River, totalling {{convert|24.5|km|abbr=on}}. However, a treatment on a {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}} river course and 10 flash flood relief channels remain pending due to lack of equipment. In Sanxian County, a {{convert|108.4|m|abbr=on}} long river course and 80 flash flood relief channels need treatment.

===Air quality===
According to a 2011 World Health Organization (based on Chinese statistics),  Xining has the second worst [[air pollution|air quality]] (annual mean PM10 ug/m3 of 141) among eleven western China cities, and is worse than Beijing (121).<ref>WHO report OAP_database_8_2011.xls</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Xining skyline.jpg|thumb|View of partial Xining skyline from the north]]
[[File:Plateau Pearl Sightseeing Tower - Xining.jpg|thumb|upright|Plateau Pearl Sightseeing Tower]]

The [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] per capita was 49,200 RMB (US$7,897) in 2015. Its main industries are wool spinning and textiles, fur, meat, milk, salt, and light processing industries.

===Economic and Technological Development Zones===
* Xining Economic & Technological Development Zone
Xining Economic & Technological Development Zone XETDZ) was approved as state-level development zone in July 2000. It has a planned area of {{convert|4.4|km2|abbr=on}}. XETDZ lies in the east of Xining, {{convert|5|km|abbr=on}} away from downtown. The XETDZ is the first of its kind at the national level on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is established to fulfill the nation's strategy of developing the west.

XETDZ enjoys a convenient transportation system, connected by the Xining–Lanzhou expressway and run through by two main roads, the broadest roads of the city. It is {{convert|4|km|abbr=on}} away from the railway station,{{which|date=February 2013}} {{convert|15|km|abbr=on}} from Xining Airport.

It focuses on the development of following industries: chemicals based on salt lake resources, nonferrous metals, and petroleum and natural gas processing; special medicine, foods and bio-chemicals using local plateau animals and plants; new products involving ecological and environmental protection, high technology, new materials as well as information technology; and services such as logistics, banking, real estate, tourism, hotel, catering, agency and international trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/xining-economic-technology-development-zone/ |title=Xining Economic & Technology Development Zone &#124; China Industrial Space |publisher=Rightsite.asia |date=2013-11-18 |access-date=2014-02-07}}</ref>

== Demographics ==
According to the [[2020 Chinese census]], the prefecture-level city of Xining has a population of 2,467,965 inhabitants (compared to 2,208,708 as of the [[2010 Chinese census]]),<ref name="Census20103">{{cite web |date=14 May 2011 |script-title=zh:西宁市2010年第六次人口普查主要数据公报［1］ |url=http://xntjj.xining.gov.cn/html/871/211273.html |access-date=17 July 2015 |publisher=Xining Municipal Bureau of Statistics |language=zh-hans |archive-date=20 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720200241/http://xntjj.xining.gov.cn/html/871/211273.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Data from the Sixth National Population Census of the People's Republic of China |url=http://www.luqyu.cn/tongjishow.asp?tid=999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325041714/http://www.luqyu.cn/tongjishow.asp?tid=999 |archive-date=March 25, 2012 |access-date=2014-02-07 |publisher=Compilation by LianXin website |language=zh}}</ref> of whom 1,954,795 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of 5 urban districts.<ref name="population" />

At present, four districts, three counties and a national economic and technological development zone are under the administration of the local government. With a population of more than two million,  Xining is the first city on the upper reaches of the [[Yellow River]] to achieve a population in the millions.

=== Ethnic diversity ===
There are about 37 nationalities living here, though only the [[Han Chinese|Han]], [[Hui people|Hui]], [[Monguor people|Monguor]]/Tu and [[Tibetan people|Tibetan]]s are numerically significant. Local traditions and customs are influenced by the Tibetans, Monguor, Muslims and Han. In the 2010 Census numbers, Han Chinese represent 74.04&nbsp;percent of the total population of Xining, while Hui (16.26&nbsp;percent), Tibetan (5.51&nbsp;percent) and Tu (2.6&nbsp;percent) are the main [[Ethnic minorities in China|minority groups in the city]].

=== Religion ===
[[File:塔尔寺02.jpg|thumb|right|Kumbum Monastery]]
[[File:Dongguan mosque Xining.jpg|thumb|The [[Dongguan Mosque]]]]
Located in the southwest part of Xining City, the [[Kumbum Monastery]] or [[Ta'er Monastery]] is one of six famous monasteries in the [[Gelug]] (also called [[Yellow Hat Sect]]) of Tibetan Buddhism and has hundreds of monks.
 
Having a history of over 600 years, the [[Dongguan Mosque]], located in the Xining City Zone, is one of the most famous [[mosque]]s in the northwest region of China. It has splendid and diversiform towers, walls and halls in the mosque.
 
Another unique religious structure is the [[Beishan Si]] (North Mountain Temple), a [[Taoist]] facility.

There are more than 300 Christian meeting points in Xining.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/cityscape/qinghai.html |title=Discovering China: CityScape |publisher=Library.thinkquest.org |access-date=2014-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508233212/http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/cityscape/qinghai.html |archive-date=2013-05-08 }}</ref>

The Catholic minority is pastorally served by the (pre-diocesan) [[Apostolic Prefecture of Xining]].

== Administrative divisions ==
The municipality oversees seven [[District (PRC)|districts]] and [[Counties of the People's Republic of China|counties]]. The data here are presented in km<sup>2</sup> and in population according to 2010 Census:

{| class="wikitable"  style="font-size:100%; margin:auto;"
! colspan="6" | Map
|-
| colspan="6" | <div style="position: relative" class="center">
{{Image label begin|image=Administrative Division Xining.png|width=450|link=}} 
{{Image label|x=1120|y=1670|scale=450/1500|text=[[Chengzhong District, Xining|<span style="font-size:smaller">'''Chengzhong'''</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=1290|y=1570|scale=450/1500|text=[[Chengdong District|<span style="font-size:smaller">'''Chengdong'''</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=1125|y=1480|scale=450/1500|text=[[Chengxi District|<span style="font-size:smaller">'''Chengxi'''</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=1080|y=1400|scale=450/1500|text=[[Chengbei District|<span style="font-size:smaller">'''Chengbei'''</span>]]}}
{{Image label|x=850|y=660|scale=450/1500|text=[[Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County|'''Datong<br />County''']]}}
{{Image label|x=790|y=1520|scale=450/1500|text=[[Huangzhong District|'''Huangzhong''']]}}
{{Image label|x=320|y=1490|scale=450/1500|text=[[Huangyuan County|'''Huangyuan<br />County''']]}}
{{Image label end}}
</div>
|-
! Name
! Simplified Chinese
! Hanyu Pinyin
! Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
! Population<br />(2010)
! Density<br />(/km<sup>2</sup>)
|-
| colspan="8"  style="text-align:center; background:#d3d3d3;"|'''Urban'''
|- 
|[[Chengzhong District, Xining|Chengzhong District]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|城中区}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Chéngzhōng Qū}}
|11
|296,987
|26,999
|-
|[[Chengdong District]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|城东区}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Chéngdōng Qū}}
|115
|359,688
|3,128
|-
|[[Chengxi District]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|城西区}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Chéngxī Qū}}
|79
|242,627
|3,071
|-
|[[Chengbei District]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|城北区}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Chéngběi Qū}}
|138
|299,002
|2,167
|-
| colspan="7"  style="text-align:center; background:#d3d3d3;"|'''Suburban'''
|-
|[[Huangzhong District]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|湟中区}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Huángzhōng Qū}}
|2,430
|437,835
|180
|-
| colspan="7"  style="text-align:center; background:#d3d3d3;"|'''Rural'''
|-
|[[Huangyuan County]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|湟源县}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Huángyuán Xiàn}}
|1,609
|136,632
|85
|-
|[[Datong Hui and Tu Autonomous County|Datong Hui and Tu<br />Autonomous County]]
|{{lang|zh-hans|大通回族土族自治县}}
|{{Transliteration|zh|Dàtōng Huízú Tǔzú Zìzhìxiàn}}
|3,090
|435,937
|139
|}

==Education==

===Colleges and universities===
* [[Qinghai University]]
* [[Qinghai Normal University]]
* [[Qinghai University for Nationalities]]

===Private schools===
[[Xining International Academy]] is an English-language international school.

==Transportation==
[[File:Street of Xining.jpg|thumb|Jianguo Avenue in Xining, prior to 2013 reconstruction of the railway station]]
Xining is situated in a fertile mountain basin in the valley of the Huangshui (river), a tributary of the Yellow River, that acts as a river port. The city lies about {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}} west of [[Lanzhou]], the capital of [[Gansu]] province, on what was traditionally the main trade route from [[Northern and southern China|northern China]] into [[Tibet]] and the [[Qaidam Basin]]. These routes are now followed by modern [[highway]]s.

===Railway===
[[File:Xining railway station indoors.jpg|thumb|Inside the [[Xining railway station]]]]
Since 1959 [[Xining railway station|Xining station]] has been connected by the [[Lanzhou–Qinghai Railway]] to [[Rail transport in China|China's railway network]]. Later, this railway was extended into the Qaidam area via [[Haiyan County, Qinghai|Haiyan]] near [[Qinghai Lake]] to [[Golmud]], and, since 2006, to [[Lhasa]], [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]]. (See the [[Qinghai–Tibet Railway]]).

The second major railway serving Xining is the [[Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway]], opened in December 2014. When first opened, it just provided high-speed train service to Lanzhou and [[Urumqi]] (and points in between). With the opening of the [[Baoji–Lanzhou high-speed railway]] on July 9, 2017, it has been connected to the rest of the nation's high-speed rail network.

Unlike many other Chinese cities, where the conventional and high-speed trains stop at different train stations, [[Xining railway station]] is served by both types of trains. Thus it can be used as a transfer point for e.g. a passenger traveling from [[Xinjiang]] to [[Tibet]].

===Air===
[[Xining Caojiapu International Airport]] serves the area with regularly scheduled passenger flights to major Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chengdu, Kunming, Xi'an, and Wuhan.

===Highway===
* [[China National Highway 214]]
*[[China National Highway 227]]
*[[China National Highway 315]]
*[[G6 Beijing–Lhasa Expressway]]

== Food ==
{{further|Qinghai cuisine}}
Xining's cuisine is distinct from other Chinese cities and mainly uses food products native to the area.

Local specialties include: Feng'er Liji (a round lamb tenderloin), Danbai Chongcao Ji (a medicine cuisine made of chicken, Chinese [[caterpillar fungus]] and eggs), and Jinyu Facai (pork wrapped in flagelliform [[nostoc]] and shaped as a goldfish).

There are also many small restaurants offering noodles. Gan Ban is a very common noodle dish. Perhaps Mian Pian, which means "noodle leaves" is the most common noodle plate among the Qinghai people. On the streets, many Muslims sell spicy [[Shish kebab|lamb brochettes]]. Due to the cold climate, residents of Xining are also fond of strong spirits;  Xining has the reputation of being one of the regions of heaviest alcohol consumption in China.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Xining}}
{{Wiktionary|Xining|Sining|Hsi-ning}}
{{Wikivoyage|Xining}}
* [http://www.xining.gov.cn/ Xining Government Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122213715/http://www.xining.gov.cn/ |date=22 January 2019 }}

{{Qinghai topics}}
{{Qinghai}}
{{Prefectural-level divisions of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Metropolitan cities of the People's Republic of China}}
{{Provincial capitals of China}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Xining| ]]
[[Category:Amdo]]
[[Category:Cities in Qinghai]]
[[Category:Provincial capitals in China]]
[[Category:Prefecture-level divisions of Qinghai]]
[[Category:National Civilized City]]
[[Category:National Sanitary City]]