Shihezi, city in northwestern China, in north central Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Shihezi is located about 130 km (about 80 mi) northwest of Ürümqi, on the southern border of the arid Junggar Pendi (Dzungarian Basin). An industrial city, Shihezi serves as a base for oil exploration and is a center for the production of cotton and wool products, paper, coal, machine parts, and building materials. The chief agricultural activities in the area are sheep farming and the cultivation of melons. Other agricultural products such as wheat, corn, cotton, and beef are also processed in the city. A number of major highways converge at Shihezi, and the northern Xinjiang railroad passes through the city. Before the establishment of China's Communist government in 1949, Shihezi was a small oasis stop on a local trading route. Residents subsisted primarily by herding animals in the area. Shihezi was targeted for special attention as a new industrial settlement after the Communists came to power. There was significant industrial development between 1950 and 1965, and in 1976 the city was reconstructed and enlarged; its population grew with the arrival of workers from eastern China. Since the early 1990s Shihezi has received renewed investment as one of the main gateways for trade between China, Russia, and the countries of Central Asia. Population (1991) 299,676.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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