Tianshui is a prefecture-level city in Gansu province, China, and is the province's second-largest city (behind the provincial capital Lanzhou). Located in the southeast of the province, the city strides along the upper reaches of the Wei River and at the boundary of the Loess Plateau and the Qinling Mountains. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,984,659 inhabitants, of which 1,212,791 lived in the built-up (or metro) area made of the 2 urban districts of Qinzhou and Maiji.^[1] The city and its surroundings have played an important role in the early history of China, as still visible in the form of historic sites such as the Maijishan Grottoes.

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Tianshui 天水市
Prefecture-level city
Tianshui Fuyi pedestrian street (top), Tianshui skyline
Location of Tianshui City jurisdiction in Gansu
Tianshui Show map of Gansu Tianshui Show map of China
Coordinates (Tianshui municipal government): 34°34′53″N 105°43′29″E
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Gansu
Municipal seat	Qinzhou District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	14,280 km2 (5,510 sq mi)
• Urban	5,866 km2 (2,265 sq mi)
• Metro	5,866 km2 (2,265 sq mi)
Elevation	1,171 m (3,842 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[1]
• Prefecture-level city	2,984,659
• Density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
• Urban	1,212,791
• Urban density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
• Metro	1,212,791
• Metro density	210/km2 (540/sq mi)
GDP[2]
• Prefecture-level city	CN¥ 55.4 billion US$ 8.9 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 16,743 US$ 2,688
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	741000
Area code	0938
ISO 3166 code	CN-GS-05
Licence plate prefixes	甘E
Website	tianshui.gov.cn

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Qin, whose House of Ying were the ruling family of the founding dynasty of Imperial China, developed from Quanqiu (present-day Lixian) to the south. After the invasions of the Rong which unseated the Western Zhou, Qin recovered the territory of Tianshui from the nomads. It became an important region of their duchy and, later, kingdom.^[3] Characteristically Qin tombs have been excavated at Fangmatan nearby, including one 2200-year-old map of Qin's Gui County.^[4]

Under the Qin Empire, the area was part of Longxi Commandery but the Emperor Wu of the Han separated the region as the Tianshui Commandery in 114 BC as part of his expansion towards the Tarim Basin.^[5] The general Li Guang came from the city. The Han conquests and explorations eventually resulted in the development of the Northern Silk Road: Tianshui formed its junction with the Wei River, after which it followed the road past Mount Long to Chang'an (present-day Xi'an).^[6] Nearby are the Maijishan Grottoes, filled with thousands of Buddhist sculptures representing figures such as Buddha and the original male form of Guanyin, produced between the Wei and Song dynasties by monks travelling along the road and by local Buddhists.^[7]

During the Northern Wei, the city was known as Hanyang and was the center of the Hanyang Commandery. During the Western Wei, this name was changed to Hanyang County. During the Tang and Five Dynasties, the city of Tianshui was known as Shanggui (上邽). It alternated with Chengji (present-day Qin'an) as the capital of the province of Qinzhou (秦州).^[8] Li County was separated from Tianshui's jurisdiction during the ninth year of Chenghua (AD 1473) during the Ming dynasty.

According to a legend, the name Tianshui (天水) originates from a lake formed from heaven, which would remain the same size year round.^[5]

Tianshui is located in the valley of the Jie River, a major tributary of the Wei River, and on the boundary between the Loess Plateau and Qinling Mountains.^[9][5] The city has a monsoon-influenced, cool semi-arid (Köppen BSk)/humid continental (Dwa) climate, with four distinct seasons of comparatively equal length. Winters are cold but dry, with January 24-hour average temperature of −1.5 °C (29.3 °F), while summers are warm and somewhat humid, with July 24-hour average temperature of 23.2 °C (73.8 °F). Much of the annual rainfall occurs from June to September, and the annual mean temperature is 11.44 °C (52.6 °F). With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 34% in September to 50% in December, the city receives 1,911 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Due to the mild climate, Tianshui is a large producer of fruits, in particular apples.^[13]

It is also a major industrial centre in Gansu province, especially regarding electronics.^[13] Some major industries include:

• AVIC Tianshui Aviation Industry^[14]
• Tianshui Pneumatic Machinery Corporation^[15]
• Tianshui Tractor Factory
• Spark Machine Tools^[16]

Tianshui's signature dish is Guagua (呱呱), a sticky boiled buckwheat flour meal, seasoned with chili oil, sesame paste, mustard, oil, salt, vinegar and garlic paste.^[17] The dish is normally eaten as a breakfast.^[18] According to legends it was the imperial food during Han dynasty general Wei Xiao's rule.^[19]

In early 2024 Tianshui malatang hot pot went viral online in China, attracting many tourists from all over the country to go and taste the dish. The numbing sensation of spiciness forms the "soul flavor" of Tianshui spicy hot pot. This "soul" comes from local specialty ingredients in Tianshui – Maiji peppercorns and Gangu chili peppers.^[20] The viral phenomenon has been compared to the 2023 spring festival Zibo BBQ craze.^[21]

• Maijishan Grottoes
• Fuxi Temple
• Yuquan Temple
• Dadiwan Site

• Tianshui Normal University
• Gansu Electric Science Research Institute^[22]

• List of twin towns and sister cities in China
• Tianshui Association