Huocheng County

Huocheng County 霍城县 • قورعاس اۋدانى • قورغاس ناھىيىسى (Chinese) • (Uyghur) • (Kazakh)
County
Location of Huocheng County (pink) in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (yellow) and Xinjiang (grey)
Country	China
Province	Xinjiang
Prefecture-level divisions	Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Township-level divisions	5 towns 3 townships 2 ethnic townships
County seat	Shuiding (水定镇)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)

Huocheng (Korgas) County (simplified Chinese: 霍城县; traditional Chinese: 霍城縣; pinyin: Huòchéng Xiàn; Uyghur: قورغاس ناھىيىسى‎, ULY: Qorghas Nahiyisi, official (strict): K̂orĝas Naĥiyisi) is situated within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and under the administration of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. It is located between Yining and the border of Kazakhstan, occupying an area of 5,466 km² (2,110 sq mi) and has a population of 360,000 (2004 estimate). Including the Han and Uyghur nationalities, there are twenty nine ethnic groups living in the county.

North of Huocheng City is the Tianshan District; to the south lies the Ili River. Its Western side is China's border with Kazakhstan; Yining lies about 45 km (28 mi) to the east.

Historical monuments

Within Huocheng County lies the important ruined site of ancient Almaliq. The mausoleum of the first khan of Moghulistan Tughlugh Timur is within the county as well.

Towns and villages

Tughlugh Timur Mausoleum (zh), some 30 km northwest of the county seat

The county includes five towns, three villages, and two ethnic-minority villages (民族乡).

The towns:

• Süydüng (水定) (the county seat);
• Chingsixoza (清水河),
• Losigung (芦草沟),
• Küre (惠远),
• Sarbulaq (萨尔布拉克, Sarbulaq)

Townships:

• Lengger (兰干),
• Sandixoza (三道河),
• IchigashenXibe ethnic village (伊车嘎善锡伯族乡),
• Sengung Hui ethnic village (三宫回族乡),
• Dashigu(大西沟).

Economy

In agriculture, the local population cultivate wheat, corn and other crops including sugar beet, cotton, tobacco, apples, animal husbandry with cattle and sheep.

The main minerals extracted in the area include coal, phosphorus, iron, gold, silver, copper, limestone, Iceland spar and marble, etc.

Transport

Huocheng is served by China National Highway 312 and the Jinghe-Yining-Khorgas Railway.

There is a border crossing into Kazakhstan at Khorgas, where the road continues to Zharkent in Panfilov District.

The Jinghe–Yining–Khorgas Railway through Huocheng county was completed in 2010, reaching practically to the Kazakhstan border. There are plans to construct a connecting railway line on the Kazakh side, creating China's second railway link to Central Asia besides Alashankou.

External links

• Huocheng County information, at the site of Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (Chinese)
• County Map (Chinese)
• Thoughts about the history of Yining City and Huocheng County (the writer's point of view on how the places should be called) (Chinese)
• Henry Lansdell, "Russian Central Asia: Including Kuldja, Bokhara, Khiva and Merv", vol. I. Full text available at Google Books; there is also a 2001 facsimile reprint of the 1885 edition, ISBN 1-4021-7762-3. (Chapters XIV-XVI in Volume I describe Lansdell's visit to the area in the early 1880s, soon after the Russian withdrawal). (English)