Western China

"West China" redirects here. For the province historically referred to as "West China" or "Western China", see Sichuan.
Western China

Western China (中国西部 or 华西) is the west of China. It consists of Southwestern China and Northwestern China. In the definition of the Chinese government, Western China covers six provinces (Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Qinghai), three autonomous regions (Tibet, Ningxia, and Xinjiang), and one direct-administered municipality (Chongqing).

Urbanization

As part of the Xi Jinping administration's goal to urbanize 250 million citizens by 2025 as the first phase of a long-term green modernization plan, China seeks to resettle formerly rural people in provincial capitals, prefectural cities, and county-level towns in western China (as well as central China).[1]: 8 

Administrative divisions

GB[2] ISO No.[3] Province Chinese Name Capital Population Density Area Abbr.
Yú 50 Chongqing Municipality 重庆市
Chóngqìng Shì 		Chongqing 28,846,170 350.50 82,300 CQ 渝
Chuān (Shǔ) 51 Sichuan Province 四川省
Sìchuān Shěng 		Chengdu 80,418,200 165.81 485,000 SC 川(蜀)
Guì (Qián) 52 Guizhou Province 贵州省
Gùizhōu Shěng 		Guiyang 34,746,468 197.42 176,000 GZ 贵(黔)
Yún (Diān) 53 Yunnan Province 云南省
Yúnnán Shěng 		Kunming 45,966,239 116.66 394,000 YN 云(滇)
Zàng 54 Tibet Autonomous Region 西藏自治区
Xīzàng Zìzhìqū 		Lhasa 3,002,166 2.44 1,228,400 XZ 藏
Shǎn (Qín) 61 Shaanxi Province 陕西省
Shǎnxī Shěng 		Xi'an 37,327,378 181.55 205,600 SN 陕(秦)
Gān (Lǒng) 62 Gansu Province 甘肃省
Gānsù Shěng 		Lanzhou 25,575,254 56.29 454,300 GS 甘(陇)
Qīng 63 Qinghai Province 青海省
Qīnghǎi Shěng 		Xining 5,626,722 7.80 721,200 QH 青
Níng 64 Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region 宁夏回族自治区
Níngxià Huízú Zìzhìqū 		Yinchuan 6,301,350 94.89 66,400 NX 宁
Xīn 65 Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region 新疆维吾尔自治区
Xīnjiāng Wéiwú'ěr Zìzhìqū 		Ürümqi 21,813,334 13.13 1,660,400 XJ 新


Cities with urban area over one million in population

Provincial capitals in bold.

# City Urban area[4] District area[4] City proper[4] Prov. Census date
1 Chongqing[a] 8,894,757 12,084,385 16,044,027 CQ 2010-11-01
2 Chengdu 6,316,922 7,415,590 14,047,625 SC 2010-11-01
3 Xi'an 5,206,253 6,501,190 8,467,838 SN 2010-11-01
4 Kunming[b] 3,140,777 3,272,586 6,432,209 YN 2010-11-01
5 Ürümqi 2,853,398 3,029,372 3,112,559 XJ 2010-11-01
6 Guiyang 2,520,061 3,034,750 4,322,611 GZ 2010-11-01
7 Lanzhou 2,438,595 2,628,426 3,616,163 GS 2010-11-01
8 Yinchuan 1,159,457 1,290,170 1,993,088 NX 2010-11-01
9 Xining 1,153,417 1,198,304 2,208,708 QH 2010-11-01
10 Mianyang 967,007 1,355,331 4,613,871 SC 2010-11-01
11 Nanchong 890,402 1,858,875 6,278,614 SC 2010-11-01
12 Baoji 871,940 1,437,802 3,716,737 SN 2010-11-01
13 Wanzhou 859,662 1,563,050 see Chongqing CQ 2010-11-01
14 Luzhou 742,274 1,371,233 4,218,427 SC 2010-11-01
15 Xianyang[c] 730,704 945,420 5,096,001 SN 2010-11-01
16 Hechuan 721,753 1,293,028 see Chongqing CQ 2010-11-01
17 Zunyi 715,148 1,094,871 6,127,082 GZ 2010-11-01
18 Luzhou 742,274 1,371,233 4,218,427 SC 2010-11-01
19 Jiangjin 686,189 1,233,149 see Chongqing CQ 2010-11-01
20 Leshan 678,752 1,211,237 3,235,759 SC 2010-11-01
21 Zigong 666,204 1,262,064 2,678,899 SC 2010-11-01
22 Panzhihua 631,258 787,177 1,214,121 SC 2010-11-01
23 Fuling 595,224 1,066,714 see Chongqing CQ 2010-11-01
24 Neijiang 586,445 1,251,095 3,702,847 SC 2010-11-01
25 Xuanwei 584,076 1,302,891 see Qujing YN 2010-11-01
26 Yongchuan 582,769 1,024,708 see Chongqing CQ 2010-11-01
27 Suining 549,826 1,295,885 3,252,619 SC 2010-11-01
28 Yibin 549,650 836,340 4,471,896 SC 2010-11-01
29 Tianshui 544,441 1,197,174 3,262,549 GS 2010-11-01
30 Deyang 530,122 735,070 3,615,758 SC 2010-11-01
* Lhasa 199,159 279,074 559,423 XZ 2010-11-01
  1. ^ Chongqing core area only, satellite urban areas separated from Chongqing core area is not included. Chongqing core districts are consist of nine districts: Yuzhong, Dadukou, Jiangbei, Shapingba, Jiulongpo, Nan'an, Beibei, Yubei, & Banan.
  2. ^ Dongchuan is a satellite urban area separated from Kunming and it is not included.
  3. ^ Yangling is a satellite urban area separated from Xianyang and it is not included.

Policies

China's current development policy for its western regions is laid out in the Guiding Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development of the West in the New Era and Forming a New Pattern.[5]: 186  This policy seeks to improve key industries and national development, particularly in aircraft manufacturing.[5]: 186 

Infrastructure developed through the Belt and Road Initiative has helped to reduce the imbalance between western China and the country's more developed eastern region.[6]: 42 

See also

Other regions

References

  1. ^ Rodenbiker, Jesse (2023). Ecological States: Politics of Science and Nature in Urbanizing China. Environments of East Asia. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-1-5017-6900-9.
  2. ^ GB/T 2260 codes for the provinces of China
  3. ^ ISO 3166-2:CN (ISO 3166-2 codes for the provinces of China)
  4. ^ a b c 国务院人口普查办公室、国家统计局人口和社会科技统计司编 (2012). 中国2010年人口普查分县资料. Beijing: 中国统计出版社 [China Statistics Press]. ISBN 978-7-5037-6659-6.
  5. ^ a b Marquis, Christopher; Qiao, Kunyuan (2022). Mao and Markets: The Communist Roots of Chinese Enterprise. New Haven: Yale University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctv3006z6k. ISBN 978-0-300-26883-6. JSTOR j.ctv3006z6k. OCLC 1348572572. S2CID 253067190.
  6. ^ Curtis, Simon; Klaus, Ian (2024). The Belt and Road City: Geopolitics, Urbanization, and China's Search for a New International Order. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300266900.