Ürümqi 迪化

People's Square in Ürümqi, Xinjiang


Ürümqi (Chinese: 迪化) is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in northwestern China. Covering 828 sq km (320 sq mi), it has a population of 3.11 million people (2012 estimate), making it the most populous city in the Western Interior.

The history of Ürümqi goes back to the time of the Silk Road. The earliest settlement in Ürümqi is believed to be the town of Luntai, established in AD 648 during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The town served as a center for tax collection on the Silk Road.

After the Tang Dynasty, little is known of the Western Interior until the Qing Dynasty. Modern Ürümqi traces its history to when the town of Luntai, renamed Dihua by the Qianlong Emperor in 1763, was made the capital of Xinjiang Province. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1954, the city was renamed Ürümqi, from the Mongolian language meaning "beautiful pasture".

Today Ürümqi serves as the transportation and commercial hub for the Western Interior of China. The city comprises eight county-level subdivisions of seven districts and one county. Han Chinese forms 75.3% of the population while 12.79% of the people are ethnic Uyghurs.

View of downtown Ürümqi with Zhong Tian Plaza, the tallest building in Northwest China and Central Asia

Planning your trip to Ürümqi

There are flights to Ürümqi from major cities in China including Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dunhuang, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jilin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Xiamen, Xi'an, Xining, Yinchuang and Zhengzhou.

Places of Interest in Ürümqi

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