ABSTRACT
Despite being the provincial capital of Gansu, as well as its largest city, the Northwest city of Lanzhou has few distinguishing features. Over the centuries its importance grew as a transit point on the Silk Road and as a key crossing point of the Yellow River. Control over the city changed hands a number of times, including periods under the authority of non-Chinese powers such as the Tibetans, Mongols and Western Xia – in addition to numerous Chinese dynasties. Lanzhou finally acquired its current name during the early Qing dynasty. This chapter demonstrates that minority identity continues to play a very important role in certain sub-sets of the local economy, even in Han-dominated cities such as Lanzhou. Minority nationality entrepreneurs and Han nationality entrepreneurs alike have recognised that their money is to be made in catering to minority nationality markets or taking advantage of the cultural capital that certain minority nationalities possess.
