Kumul, Xinjiang

Kumul
قۇمۇل
Hami
—  County-level city  —
哈密市
Kumul
Location within China
Coordinates:
Country China
Province Xinjiang
Prefecture Hami
Area
 • Total 85,035 km2 (32,832.2 sq mi)
Population
 • Total 364,796
 • Density 4.3/km2 (11.1/sq mi)
Postal code 839000

Kumul (Qumul) or Hami (Uyghur: قۇمۇل‎, ULY: Qumul, UPNY: K̡umul?, Chinese: 哈密; pinyin: Hāmì) is an oasis in Hami Prefecture, Xinjiang (China); it is also the name of a modern city and the surrounding district. It is well known in China as the home of the famously sweet Hami melons.

Contents

Geography and climate

Like Turpan, Qumul is in a fault depression about 200 metres below sea level, and has a cold Desert climate (Koppen BWk) (see Hami Desert), with extreme differences between summer and winter, yet sunny and dry weather year-round. Temperatures range from a low of −15.9 °C (3 °F) in January to a high of 34.2 °C (94 °F) in July. Precipitation is very sparse, only totalling 39 millimetres (1.54 in) annually, and accompanied by this low amount is a high annual sunshine total of 3285 hours.

Climate data for Kumul City (1971-2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −3.2
(26.2)		 3.7
(38.7)		 12.4
(54.3)		 21.5
(70.7)		 28.0
(82.4)		 32.3
(90.1)		 34.2
(93.6)		 33.2
(91.8)		 27.7
(81.9)		 18.7
(65.7)		 7.5
(45.5)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) −15.9
(3.4)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 5.6
(42.1)		 11.9
(53.4)		 16.5
(61.7)		 18.6
(65.5)		 16.8
(62.2)		 10.5
(50.9)		 2.6
(36.7)		 −5.3
(22.5)		 −12.7
(9.1)		 3.0
(37.4)
Precipitation mm (inches) 1.3
(0.051)		 1.5
(0.059)		 1.2
(0.047)		 2.0
(0.079)		 3.9
(0.154)		 6.6
(0.26)		 7.3
(0.287)		 5.3
(0.209)		 3.3
(0.13)		 3.3
(0.13)		 2.0
(0.079)		 1.3
(0.051)		 39
(1.54)
% humidity 60 46 33 28 32 39 41 42 44 48 53 62 44
Avg. precipitation days 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.5 2.0 3.6 4.4 3.4 2.0 1.4 1.0 1.8 24.9
Sunshine hours 210.4 219.9 267.9 288.3 338.8 329.6 333.4 323.3 296.9 270.6 216.5 189.5 3,285.1
Source: 中国气象局

Names

The city is known in Uyghur as Qumul or Qomul (Yengi Yezik̡: K̡umul, K̡omul). The name "Camul" appears on European maps already in the 16th century, and Matteo Ricci in his account of the Portuguese Jesuit Benedict Goës visit to the city in 1605 uses the same spelling as well.[1]

One of the oldest attested Chinese names is Kūnmò 昆莫; in Han-dynasty documents it was referred to as Yīwú 伊吾 or Yīwúlú 伊吾卢, in the Tang dynasty as Yīzhōu 伊州; in the Yuan dynasty the Mongolian name for the place, Qamil, was transcribed into Chinese as Hāmìlì 哈密力 and from the Ming dynasty Qumul was known as Hāmì 哈密.

Lionel Giles has recorded the following names (with his Wade-Giles forms of the Chinese names converted to pinyin):

"Kunwu [Zhou]
Yiwu or Yiwulu [Han]
Yiwu Zhun [Sui]
Yi Zhou [Tang]
Kumul, Kamul, Camul [Turki]
Khamil [Mongol]
Hāmi [modern name]"

History

During the Later Han dynasty Hami repeatedly changed hands between the Chinese and Xiongnu who both wanted to control this fertile and strategic oasis. Several times the Han set up military agricultural colonies to feed their troops and supply trade caravans. It was especially noted for its melons, raisins and wine.[2]

"The region of Yiwu [Hami] is favourable for the five types of grain [rice, two kinds of millet, wheat and beans], mulberry trees, hemp, and grapes. Further north is Liuzhong [Lukchun]. All these places are fertile. This is why the Han have constantly struggled with the Xiongnu over Jushi [Turfan/Jimasa] and Yiwu [Hami], for the control of the Western Regions."[3]

The Mongols conquered this region during the Yuan Dynasty. Later Gunashiri, a descendant of Chagatai Khan, founded his own small state called Qara Del in Kumul or Hami, which accepted Ming supremacy in the early 15th century, but was conquered by another branch of Mongols later on. Since the 18th century, Kumul was the capital of the Kumul Khanate, a semi-autonomous vassal within the Qing Empire and the Republic of China as part of Xinjiang. The last ruler of the khanate was Maqsud Shah.

Population

In 2002, Qumul had a population of about 519,700, 68.4% Han and 31.6% ethnic minorities, mostly Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Hui.

Transport

Description

"“The kingdom of Ha-mi contains a great number of villages and hamlets; but it has, properly, only one city, which is its capital, and has the same name. It is surrounded by lofty wall, which are half a league in circumference, and has two gates, one of which fronts the east, and the other the west. These gates are exceedingly beautiful, and make a fine appearance at a distance. The streets are straight, and well laid out; but the houses (which contain only a ground-floor, and which are almost all constructed of earth) make very little shew: however, as this city enjoys a serene sky, and is situated in a beautiful plain, watered by a river, and surrounded by mountains which shelter it from the north winds, it is a most agreeable and delightful residence. On whatever side on approaches it, gardens may be seen, which contain everything that a fertile and cultivated soil can produce in the mildest climates. All the surrounding fields are enchanting; but they do not extend far; for on several sides they terminate in dry plains, where a number of beautiful horses are fed, and a species of excellent sheep, which have large flat tails which sometimes weigh three pounds. The country of Ha-mi appears to be very abundant in fossils and valuable minerals: the Chinese have, for a long time, procured diamonds and a great deal of gold from it; at present, it supplies them with a kind of agate, on which they set a great value."[4]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Trigault, Nicolas S. J. "China in the Sixteenth Century: The Journals of Mathew Ricci: 1583-1610". English translation by Louis J. Gallagher, S.J. (New York: Random House, Inc. 1953). This is an English translation of the Latin work, De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas based on Matteo Ricci's journals completed by Nicolas Trigault. Page 513. There is also full Latin text available on Google Books.
  2. ^ Hill (2009), pp. 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 49, 51, 53, and note 1.6 on pp. 67-69, note 1.26, pp. 111-114.
  3. ^ Hill (2009), p. 15.
  4. ^ Grosier (1888), pp. 336-337.

References

External links