第五部分游览甘肃省.doc

Chapter Five Tour in Gansu Province Part I A SURVEY OF GANSU Gansu lies in the heart of China. It has a total area of about 455,000 square kilometers and a population of 20.41 million. Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu, is the geographical center of China. The distance from Lanzhou (capital of Gansu) to the eastern boundary of China is almost the same as that to the western. The outline of Gansu is shaped like a dumbbell. It is very long from east to west (1655 km) but, at the narrowest place, the north--south distance is only 25 km， the Hexi Corridor (More than 1,000 kilometers Long)in Gansu has long been known as the major artery of east--to--west communications in China. In the past, its important geographical position made Gansu a key junction in the ancient Silk Road~today ,Gansu is the strategic passage in the modern Silk Road----theUrasian Bridgeand a link and supporting base in developing the whole of Northwestern China. Roll on mighty rivers, rich in hydropower resources “The Yellow River comes from the heavens” wrote Li Bai, a famous poet of the Tang Dynasty of ancient China. Gansu is on the upper reaches of the Yellow River which traverses 486 kilometers through the province, where the river experiences a precipitous drop in elevation. The Yellow River and other rivers provide Gansu with abundant waterpower resources. Large hydropower stations are dotted here and there like bright stars, the most famous of which are at Liujiaxia, Yanguoxia, and Bapanxia. They produce electrical power day and night for the development of Gansus economy. The estimated potential power generated by these resources is 14.26 milliom kw. Up to now ,2.10 million kw of power has been developed. There are many favorable conditions for waterpower development such as good geological structure, less inundation, convenient transportation, comparatively low investment costs, and shorter time for return on the investment. Liujiaxia Power Station is the second largest station in Chin