Zhuanglang County

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Zhuanglang County (Chinese: 庄浪县; Pinyin: Zhuānglàng Xiàn) is a county in Gansu Province, China. It is a poor rural county, one of eight county-level divisions in Pingliang in the east of Gansu Province. Zhuanglang County is bordered in the west by Jingning, in the south by Qin'an and Zhangjiachuan Hui Autonomous County, in the west by Huating County (all in Gansu Province) and in the north by Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Nearby major cities include Pingliang, Tianshui, Guyuan and Lanzhou.

The county town of Zhuanglang is known as Shuiluo, and is a busy administrative, educational and trading centre in the centre of the county. Other market towns in the county include Nanhu, Zhudian and Handian in the north, south-west and south-east respectively.

The people of Zhuanglang are predominantly farmers, producing wheat and potatoes on the terraced hills. The farmers of Zhuanglang were proclaimed in the 1980s for having terraced all available hillside, and a monument in the county town records the famous 'Zhuanglang Spirit' by which this was achieved.

In recent years education has been a priority for the local government, and with the help of World Bank funding, schools in Zhuanglang have been well supported. Nearly all children now complete primary education, while there are 23 junior middle schools, and 3 senior middle schools which send students on to colleges and universities.

The cultural sites of Zhuanglang include:

  • Yunyasi. The beautiful Yunya temple forms the centrepiece of a protected forest park in the far east of the county, around 40km from the county town.
  • Zi Jin Temple. This temple was re-opened in 1986 after the Cultural Revolution and is in the centre of the county town. Close by is an earth fortress dating from the era of Mongol invasions through this region.
  • Chen Dong Temple. This more isolated Taoist temple is to be found in the north-east of the county.

The highest point of the county is Taomushan at 2857m above sea level.

Population (2005 est.)

  • Total = 420,000
  • Ethnic composition = 99% Han Chinese, 1 % Hui Muslim
  • Major Towns
    • Shuiluo = 30,000
    • Nanhu = 10,000
    • Zhudian = 6,000
    • Handian = 5,000

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