Xining or Sining, city (1994 est. pop. 569,800), capital of Qinghai prov., W China, on the Xining River. For centuries it has been the major commercial hub on the caravan route to Tibet, trading in wool, hides, salt, and timber. More recently it has developed as a processing (flour-milling, wool-spinning, meatpacking) and distribution center for the NE Qinghai agricultural basin. Construction of a highway to the mineral-rich Qaidam basin and completion in 1959 of a link to the Chinese rail network via Lanzhou in Gansu prov. has spurred industrial development. Manufactures include iron and steel, chemicals, machinery, and textiles. Coal is mined in the area. Xining was the extraterritorial capital of the Koko Nor territory and remained in Gansu until 1928, when it became the capital of the newly formed Qinghai prov. The name sometimes appears as Hsi-ning.

or Hsi-ning

City (pop., 2003 est.: 654,574), capital of Qinghai province, western China. Located in a valley of the Huang River, on what was traditionally the main trade route from northern China into Tibet, the region was a frontier county under the Han dynasty and again under the Sui and Tang. In 763 it was taken by Tibetans and called Qingtangcheng. It was recovered by the Song dynasty in 1104 and renamed Xining (meaning “Peace in the West”). It became an important religious centre under the Tibetans, and Qinghai's largest lamasery was nearby. It was named provincial capital when Qinghai became an independent province in 1928. Its industries include leather processing plants and steelworks.

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