T'IEN-SHUI

Pinyin Tianshui city, southeast Kansu sheng (province), China. T'ien-shui is situated along the Wei River and was historically an important place along the great western route from Sian to Lan-chou and to Sinkiang province. This route is today followed by a highway and by the Lunghai Railway, which was extended to T'ien-shui in 1947 and to Lan-chou and the far west of China during the 1950s. The area, the cradle of Chinese civilization, has been settled since Neolithic times. In ancient times it was known as Kuei, and under the Han dynasty (206 BCAD 220) the town was known as Kuei Hsien, or Shang-kuei Hsien. In Sung times (9601279) this was renamed Ch'eng-chi Hsien. Shang-kuei was the administrative seat of Ch'in chou (prefecture) from the late 3rd century onward, and this became the official name of the place under the Ming (13681644) and Ch'ing (16441911/12) dynasties. Throughout history, T'ien-shui has been both an important transportation centre and a vital strategic position, commanding the western approach to Sian, for centuries the capital of China, via the Wei River valley. Fought over repeatedly in the 3rd and 4th centuries, it later fell into the hands of the Tibetans (from 763 to 845), the Tanguts and the Juchen (after 1127), and finally the Mongols (from 1215 to 1368). In the period following the mid-5th century, it was on the main route by which Buddhism was introduced into China. The great complex of cave temples at Mai-chi Shan, some 15 miles (25 km) to the southeast, became a major Buddhist centre during the Sui (581618) and T'ang dynasties. The city stands in a small fertile basin, watered by an long-established irrigation system. Millet, corn (maize), and winter wheat, kaoliang (sorghum), some cotton, and tobacco are grown in the area. To the west of the city along the railway lie large coal deposits near the surface, still unexploited in the mid-20th century. T'ien-shui is the centre of various consumer industries, producing cotton textiles, matches, wine, furniture, and fine lacquer ware. The city itself was once a centre of the Kansu Muslim community, which was decimated after the rebellions of 186475. A large Muslim minority remains in the area to the northeast. The city is a complex one, being formed of five separate walled citiesthe Great City (Ta Ch'eng), the Middle City (Chung Ch'eng), the Western and Eastern Customs Barriers (Hsi Kuan Ch'eng; Tung Kuan Ch'eng), and Fu-hsi's city. Pop. (1989 est.) 234,700.