Editing Hexi Corridor (section)

{{Short description|Historical region in Gansu Province, China}}{{Infobox valley|name=Hexi Corridor|other_name=Gansu Corridor|photo={{multiple image
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 | image1 = 20160507 China 6097 Jiayuguan sRGB (29881726912).jpg
 | caption1 = The [[Great Wall of China]] near [[Jiayu Pass|Jiayuguan]], towards the western end of the Hexi Corridor
 | image2 = Colourful mountains of the Zhangye National Geopark.jpg
 | caption2 = [[Zhangye National Geopark]] in the Hexi Corridor
}}|photo_size=|width_km=40-100|length_km=1000-1200|location=|towns=[[Dunhuang]], [[Yumen City]], [[Jiayuguan City]], [[Jiuquan]], [[Zhangye]], [[Jinchang]], [[Wuwei, Gansu|Wuwei]], and [[Lanzhou]]|boundaries=[[Gobi Desert]] (north) <br /> Wushao Mountains (east) <br /> [[Qilian Mountains]] (south) <br/ > Dunhuang (west)|coordinates={{Coord|38|42|N|100|47|E|region:CN-GS_type:landmark_dim:200000|display=inline,title}}|map=China|map_caption=Location of the Hexi Corridor in China}}

The '''Hexi Corridor''' ({{IPAc-en|h|ə|ˈ|ʃ|iː}} {{respell|hə-SHEE}}),{{efn|{{zh|c=河西走廊|w=Ho<sup>2</sup>-hsi<sup>1</sup> Tsou<sup>3</sup>-lang<sup>2</sup>|p=Héxī Zǒuláng}}; {{langx|dng|Хәщи зулон}}; [[Xiao'erjing]]: حْسِ ظِوْلاْ; {{IPA|cmn|xɤ̌ɕí tsòʊlɑ̌ŋ|cat=no}}}} also known as the '''Gansu Corridor''', is an important [[historical region]] located in the modern western [[Gansu province]] of [[China]]. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and relatively arable [[plain]] west of the [[Yellow River]]'s [[Ordos Loop]] (hence the name ''Hexi'', meaning 'west of the river'), flanked between the much more elevated and inhospitable terrains of the [[Mongolian Plateau|Mongolian]] and [[Tibetan Plateau|Tibetan]] Plateaus.

As part of the [[Northern Silk Road]], running northwest from the western section of the Ordos Loop between [[Yinchuan]] and [[Lanzhou]], the Hexi Corridor was the most important [[trade route]] in [[Northwest China]]. It linked [[China proper|China ''proper'']] to the historic [[Western Regions]] for traders and military incursions into [[Central Asia]].  It is a string of [[oases]] along the northern edges of the [[Qilian Mountains]] and [[Altyn-Tagh]], with the high and desolate [[Tibetan Plateau]] further to the south.  To the north are the Longshou, Heli and [[Mazong Mountain]]s separating it from the arid [[Badain Jaran Desert]], [[Gobi Desert]] and the [[steppe#Cold steppe|cold steppe]]s of the [[Mongolian Plateau]].  At the western end, the route splits into three, going either north of the [[Tianshan Mountains]] or south on either side of the [[Tarim Basin]].  At the eastern end, the mountains around Lanzhou grants access to the [[Longxi Commandery|Longxi Basin]], which leads east through [[Mount Liupan|Mount Long]] along the [[Wei River]] valley into the populous [[Guanzhong Plain]], and then into the [[Zhongyuan|Central Plain]].