新疆城市百年巨变:数量与规模

The Major Changes in Xinjiang Cities during the Past Hundred Years: Quantity and Scale

20世纪是一个巨变的世纪,新疆城市在这百年间发生了巨大变化。20世纪以来,新疆城市出现快速的发展,首先是城市数量大幅度增加,北疆的城市无论在数量方面,还是在规模方面都超过了南疆;其次是城市规模扩大,城市规模扩大,一方面表现为人口规模的扩大,另一方面表现为城市建成区规模的扩大,乌鲁木齐成为特大城市,并以此为中心形成了天山北路城市带;一大批在20世纪之初仅为数千人的小城镇经过百年发展成为数十万人的大城市或中等城市。随着西部大开发和新丝之路战略的实施,新疆城市又迎来了新的发展机遇,新疆城市不仅要在数量方面有大发展,而且还需要优化城市结构,提升城市发展质量,带动区域走出一条可持续发展的新型城镇化道路。

This article studies the major changes in Xinjiang during the past hundred years from the perspective of the increased number of cities and the expansion of urban scale. 1. The Change in the Quantity of Xinjiang Cities in the 20thCentury 1） The Change in the Quantity of Xinjiang Cities in the first half of the 20thCentury In the first half of the 20thcentury,Xinjiang, like other provinces and regions in China,experienced dramatic historical changes,including political change,destruction from wars,social turbulences etc. During the ruling period of Yang Zengxin（ from 1913 to 1928） in Xinjiang,Xinjiang experienced its third upsurge in urban development since the Qianlong period. During that period,a total number of 21 counties were built up. In 1933,a political coup occurred in Xinjiang, and Sheng Shicai began his rule（ 1933- 1944） in Xinjiang. During that period,Xinjiang ＇ s politics,economy and culture developed and changed dramatically. At the same time,the numbers of cities with administrative power increased. According to statistics,in 1947,there were 82 local administrative units in Xinjiang. These included 1 municipality,75 counties,and 6 shezhi bureaus. Most of the administrative seats were set in relatively large scale cities（ towns）. 2） The Change in the Number of Xinjiang Cities during the second half of the 20thCentury In the second half of the 20thcentury,Xinjiang changed dramatically under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. The number of cities in Xinjiang increased greatly. The period from 1950 to 1957（ i. e. just after the founding of New China） was a preliminary development stage of Xinjiang cities; the period from 1958 to 1964 was a ＂rising- falling development＂stage of Xinjiang cities; and the period from 1978 to 2000 was a ＂fast development＂stage. At the end of the 20th century,Urumchi,in Xinjiang,with a population of more than 2 million,became the biggest city among the cities in autonomous regions of China. Up to the end of 2010,there were 2 prefecture-level cities,21 county- level cities,62 counties, and 6 autonomous counties in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 2. The changes in population scale and urban scale in the 20thcentury 1） The changein population scale and urban scale in the first half of the 20thcentury In the first half of the 20thcentury,due to the low- level socioeconomic development in Xinjiang,together with the limitations of the geographical conditions and social historical conditions,the populations of the cities were generally small. The population of the largest city was only around 10 thousand,and the average scale of all the cities in Xinjiang was not big during that time. 2） The changes in population scale and urban scale in the second half of the 20thcentury. During the second half of the 20thcentury,the cities in Xinjiang experienced dramatic changes. These dramatic changes were due to the growth of the population,and fast pace of urban economic development. Firstly,seen from the total scale of the urban population,it had increased from a 500 thousand in 1949 to 5 million in 2000- 10 times the former statistical data. Secondly, urbanized land also expanded dramatically. Many of the cit-ies＇ urban areas expanded 10 or dozens of times from their original scale. Thirdly,especially large cities appeared. Urumchi,as the political,economic and cultural center of Xinjiang,received priority in development,and accordingly developed in advance of other cities during the second half of the 20thcentury. Since the 20thcentury,Xinjiang cities have developed rapidly. The first aspect to develop was that the number of cities increased dramatically; and the number or the scale of cities in north Xinjiang exceeded those in the south. The second aspect to develop was that the scale of cities enlarged,which was reflected in the expansion of urban areas as well as the growth of the populations. In the late 20thcentury,Xinjiang had formed a preliminary urban hierarchy system by taking Urumchi as the center, with Yining, Korla and Kashgar as the sub- centers. In the early 21st century,Korla was the first to develop into a ＂large city＂,and Kashgar and Yining will soon become ＂large＂cities. Following the implementation of the ＂ Western Development Strategy ＂ and the new ＂Silk Road Strategy＂,Xinjiang cities ushered in a new development opportunity. As such,Xinjiang cities should not only experience extensive development in the number of cities,but also in improvements to their urban structure. This will promote the development of the quality of the cities and lead the region towards a new and sustainable development urbanization path.