Wuhai

The modern location of Wuhai was originally composed of two towns: Wuda which lied on the western side of the Yellow River and Haibowan which was located in the eastern side of the river. Wuda became a coal mining town around 1864 when it was settled by Chinese laborers. Slightly later, Haibowan was settled by Chinese farmers around 1900. Wuda and Haibowan were merged as Wuhai in 1976. In the second year of the Yuanshuo era (127 BCE) of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han forces defeated the Loufan and Baiyang kings of the Xiongnu, reclaiming the Henan region (covering the area south of the Wujia River in present-day Bayannur League and the Ordos Plateau). …

Wuhai is situated in western Inner Mongolia, in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, which flows through the city. The western bank of the river is Wuda District, while the eastern bank includes Haibowan District and Hainan District. The city borders Ordos City in Inner Mongolia to the east and north, Shizuishan City in Ningxia to the south, and the Alxa League of Inner Mongolia to the west. Located in a transitional zone between desertified grasslands and grassland-desert ecosystems, Wuhai has an average elevation of 1,150 meters. Wuhai lies in the upper Yellow River basin, flanked by the Ordos Plateau to the east, the Alashan Plateau to the west, and the Hetao Plain to the north. It serves as a convergence point between North China and Northwest China. …

Wuhai's dining scene consists of numerous small bars and restaurants, catering for a range of Chinese, Mongolian and western cuisines. Popular dishes include: Hot pot serving a type of Chinese meat and vegetable fondue in a traditional "uni-pot" way or a modern "personal pot" styles. Pots are filled with either creamy or spicy soups and set on fire which is built into the table. Thinly-sliced meat, vegetables and flat noodles are served uncooked. It is up to the customer to add the ingredients to the hot-pot sitting on the table where it's cooked in seconds. Mongolian BBQ serving a variety of meats (mostly beef, lamb, and chicken) roasted on open fire and seasoned with local spices. Traditional Chinese Han restaurants are widely available. Serving a great variety of noodles and rather oily meat dishes. …

The city's economy is heavily based on coal mining, electric power generation, metal-working and chemical industries, but also on fruit (grapes, winemaking) and dairy farming. Wuhai is a stop on the Baotou-Lanzhou rail line, and an airport was opened in 2003. Wuhai's industrial economy began with coal mining, and in its early years, coal was the dominant industry. With the implementation of China Western Development, the city gradually established a diversified industrial system centered on coal chemicals, chlor-alkali chemicals, construction materials, and steel metallurgy. By 2015, these four pillar industries and their supporting sectors accounted for 95% of the city's total industrial output. The local coal conversion rate increased significantly—from less than 20% in 1976 to over 90% in 2015. …

Wuhai is served by Wuhai Airport with flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities. The under-construction Baotou–Yinchuan high-speed railway will provide connections to Baotou and Yinchuan at a design speed of 250 km/h. Wuhai lies on a major Yellow River train route, connecting a large number of cities in Inner Mongolia, central and southern China. Travel time from Beijing by train is approximately 20 hours and from Baotou about a 4-hour train journey. The Wuhai Yellow River Road Bridge is one of the Yellow River crossings in the city. Wuhai is located at the junction of North China and Northwest China, serving as an important transportation hub between the two regions. Highways G6 Beijing–Lhasa Expressway Enters the city from the north of Haibowan District, passes through Hainan District, crosses the Yellow River, and reaches Wusitai Town in Alxa Left Banner. …

Wuhai has an area of 1,754 km2 (677 sq mi) and, as of 2000, 427,553 inhabitants (243.76 inhabitants/km2). At the end of 2022, the city's permanent resident population was 560,200, an increase of 21,000 people (or 0.38%) compared to the end of 2021. Among the permanent resident population at the end of 2022, the urban permanent resident population was 537,500, an increase of 24,000 from the end of 2021; the rural permanent resident population was 22,700, a decrease of 300 from the end of 2021. According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 556,621. Compared with the 532,902 people recorded in the Sixth National Population Census, the total increase over the decade was 23,719 people, representing a growth of 4.45% and an average annual growth rate of 0.44%. Among them, the male population was 291,044, accounting for 52. …