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42-796: Liangzhou District is located in the eastern part of the Hexi Corridor , north of the Qilian Mountains . It can be divided geographically into three main areas: the Qilian Mountains in the southwest, the Hexi Corridor in the center, and the Alashan Plateau semi-desert in the northeast. Liangzhou District is an agricultural oasis located in the Shiyang River ( 石羊河 ) catchment area. Liangzhou District

84-616: A Jeulmun site in southern Korea, with a direct AMS date of around 3,360 BC. In Japan, the earliest evidence for foxtail millet comes from the Jōmon site at Usujiri in Hokkaido , dating to around 4,000 BP . Foxtail millet arrived in Europe later; carbonized seeds first appear in the second millennium BC in central Europe. The earliest definite evidence for its cultivation in the Near East

126-455: A height of 120–200 cm (3 ft 11 in – 6 ft 7 in). The seedhead is a dense, hairy panicle 5–30 cm (2 in – 1 ft 0 in) long. The small seeds, around 2 millimetres ( 3 ⁄ 32  in) in diameter, are encased in a thin, papery hull which is easily removed in threshing . Seed color varies greatly between varieties. Synonyms: Common names for foxtail millet in other languages spoken in

168-509: A more limited extent for birdseed . In the northern Philippines , foxtail millet was once an important staple crop, until its later replacement by wet-rice and sweet potato cultivation. It is a warm season crop, typically planted in late spring. Harvest for hay or silage can be made in 65–70 days with a typical yield of 15,000–20,000 kilograms per hectare (6.7–8.9 short ton/acre) of green matter or 3,000–4,000 kilograms per hectare (1.3–1.8 short ton/acre) of hay. Harvest for grain

210-406: Is also susceptible to attack by birds and rodents . Insect pests include Atherigona atripalpis , the foxtail millet shoot fly. Insect pests include: The wild ancestor of foxtail millet has been securely identified as Setaria viridis , which is interfertile with foxtail millet; wild or weedy forms of foxtail millet also exist. Zohary and Hopf note that the primary difference between

252-586: Is at the Iron Age levels at Tille Hoyuk in Turkey , with an uncorrected radiocarbon date of about 600 BC. As with some other cereals the waxy gene contributes to glutinousness . The wild relative Setaria viridis provides genetic resources useful for foxtail breeding . One study found that – for the rabi crop in Tamil Nadu – breeding for foxtail yield should begin from germplasm with

294-511: Is divided to 9 subdistricts, 37 towns and 2 others. This Gansu location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor ( / h ə ˈ ʃ iː / hə-SHEE ), 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

336-431: Is in 75–90 days with a typical yield of 800–900 kilograms per hectare (0.36–0.40 short ton/acre) of grain. Its early maturity and efficient use of available water make it suitable for raising in dry areas. Diseases of foxtail millet include leaf and head blast disease caused by Magnaporthe grisea , smut disease caused by Ustilago crameri , and green ear caused by Sclerospora graminicola . The unharvested crop

378-471: Is located in western Gansu province, bordered to the south by the Qilian Mountains and to the north by the Gobi Desert . It extends for approximately 1,000–1,200 kilometres (620–750 mi) from Wushao Mountain in the south to Dunhuang in the north, and covers approximately 5,100 square kilometres (2,000 sq mi). There are several major cities along the Hexi Corridor. From west to east,

420-658: The Chengdu Plain ( Baodun ) at around 2700 BC and Guangxi (near the Vietnamese border) at around 3000 BC. Foxtail millet also reached Taiwan (Nankuanli, Dapenkeng culture ) at around 2800 BC and the Tibetan Plateau ( Karuo ) at around 3000 BC. Foxtail millet likely reached Southeast Asia via multiple routes. The earliest evidence for foxtail millet in Southeast Asia comes from various sites in

462-785: 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 Basin , which leads east through Mount Long along the Wei River valley into the populous Guanzhong Plain , and then into the Central Plain . The Hexi Corridor

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504-628: The Qijia , Xichengyi , Siba , Shajing , and Shanma cultures. The Hexi Corridor underwent further aridification around 3500 BP during the Iron Age , and cultures at the time (such as the Shajing culture) saw a decrease in their number of settlements and became dominated by nomadic production rather than agriculture. At the end of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE), the Yuezhi overcame previous settlers,

546-573: The Qilian Mountains , such as the Shiyang , Jinchuan , Ejin (Heihe), and Shule Rivers. A strikingly inhospitable environment surrounds this chain of oases: the snow-capped Qilian Mountains (the so-called "southern mountains" or "Nanshan") to the south; the Beishan ("northern mountains") mountainous area, the Alashan Plateau , and the vast expanse of the Gobi desert to the north. Geologically,

588-571: The Tangut people . Western Xia controlled from 1038 CE up to 1227 CE the areas in what are now the northwestern Chinese provinces of Gansu , Shaanxi , and Ningxia . Genghis Khan began the conquest of the Jin dynasty around 1207 and Ögedei Khan continued it after his death in 1227. The Jurchen -led Jin dynasty fell in 1234 CE with help from the Han -ruled Southern Song dynasty . Ögedei also conquered

630-713: The Tibetan Empire for control of areas in Inner and Central Asia. There was a long string of conflicts with Tibet over territories in the Tarim Basin between 670 and 692. In 763 the Tibetans even captured the Tang capital of Chang'an for fifteen days during the An Lushan Rebellion . It was during this rebellion that the Tang withdrew its western garrisons stationed in what is now Gansu and Qinghai , which

672-587: The Western Xia dynasty in 1227, pacifying the Hexi Corridor region, which was later absorbed into the Yuan dynasty . The Hexi Corridor is a long, narrow passage stretching for some 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from the steep Wushaolin hillside near the modern city of Lanzhou to the Jade Gate at the border of Gansu and Xinjiang . There are many fertile oases along the path, watered by rivers flowing from

714-579: The Wusun and Qiang , occupying the western Hexi Corridor. Later, the newly risen Xiongnu armies under Modu Chanyu vanquished and expelled the Yuezhi , and established a dominant confederacy empire during the Chu-Han contention and the early Han dynasty . During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han , Modu's son Laoshang Chanyu defeated Yuezhi again in 162 BCE , forcing the westward exodus of majority of

756-605: The Xiongnu from the Hexi Corridor and even drove them from Lop Nur when King Hunye surrendered to Huo Qubing in 121 BCE . The Han Empire acquired a new territory with trade access to the Western Regions, and also cutting the Xiongnu off from their Qiang allies. Again in 111 BCE , Han forces repelled a joint Xiongnu-Qiang invasion, and to consolidate the control of the region, four new commanderies were established in

798-599: The Yangshao Culture in the western Loess Plateau , who enabled the transfer of millet to Central Asia , and consequently to the rest of Eurasia and Africa . Wheat and barley from the Fertile Crescent arrived in the Hexi Corridor via Central Asia around 4000 BP, and later spread into China proper . By 3700 BP, most likely due to the weakening and retreat of the East Asian monsoon in

840-743: 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 and 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 to

882-408: The Hexi Corridor around 4200   BP with the arrival of bronze-smelting technology. Domesticated livestock were also introduced to the area around this time, so Bronze Age cultures of the Hexi Corridor typically farmed millet and wheat, while keeping livestock such as sheep, pigs, cattle and horses as well as producing bronze objects. Bronze age societies in the Hexi Corridor at this time include

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924-495: The Hexi Corridor belongs to a Cenozoic foreland basin system on the northeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau . The ancient trackway formerly passed through Haidong , Xining and the environs of Juyan Lake , serving an effective area of about 215,000 km (83,000 sq mi). It was an area where mountain and desert limited caravan traffic to a narrow trackway , where relatively small fortifications could control passing traffic. There are several major cities along

966-533: The Hexi Corridor, namely (from east to west) Wuwei , Zhangye , Jiuquan and Dunhuang , collectively known as the Four Commanderies of Hexi ( Chinese : 河西四郡 ). From roughly 115–60 BCE, Han forces fought the Xiongnu over control of the oasis city-states in the Tarim Basin . Han was eventually victorious and established the Protectorate of the Western Regions in 60 BCE, which dealt with

1008-474: The Hexi Corridor. In western Gansu Province is Dunhuang (Shazhou), then Yumen , then Jiayuguan , then Jiuquan ( Suzhou ), then Zhangye ( Ganzhou ) in the center, then Jinchang , then Wuwei ( Liangzhou ) and finally Lanzhou in the southeast. In the past, Dunhuang was part of the area known as the Western Regions . South of Gansu Province, in the middle just over the provincial boundary, lies

1050-663: The Khao Wong Prachan Valley in central Thailand, with the site at Non Pa Wai providing the earliest date with direct AMS dating to around 2300 BC. The earliest evidence for foxtail millet in East Siberia comes from the archaeological site at Krounovka 1 in Primorsky Krai , dating to around 3620–3370 BC. The earliest direct evidence for foxtail millet in Korea come from Dongsam-dong Shell Midden ,

1092-511: The Tibetans then occupied along with the area that is modern Xinjiang . Hostilities between the Tang and Tibet continued until they signed a formal peace treaty in 821. The terms of this treaty, including fixed borders between the two countries, are recorded in a bilingual inscription on a stone pillar outside the Jokhang in Lhasa . The Western Xia dynasty was established in the 11th century by

1134-687: The Yuezhi survivors (later known as the Greater Yuezhi) into Central Asia, while the small portion of Yuezhi population that didn't migrate (known as the Lesser Yuezhi) was forced to mixed among the Qiang people and become the subjects of Xiongnu's Worthy Prince of the Right . At this point, the Hexi Corridor was under complete Xiongnu control, mainly occupied by the two tribes of Hunye and Xiutu . In 138 BCE , Emperor Wu sent Zhang Qian as

1176-428: The ambassador to the Western Regions in an attempt to make contact with Greater Yuezhi. Zhang Qian's envoy was intercepted by Xiongnu while travelling through the Hexi Corridor, and he was held a captive for ten years, until he finally escaped and continued his mission further west. He eventually arrived at Yuezhi territory, but was unable to convince the Yuezhi leaders to ally against Xiongnu. On his return journey he

1218-639: The area, the more drought-resistant wheat and barley had replaced millet as the main staple crop in the Hexi Corridor. Several Neolithic cultures developed in the Hexi corridor at this time, such as the Majiayao , Banshan , and Machang . The oldest bronze object to be discovered in China, dating to around 5000-4500   BP, was found at a Majiayao site in the Hexi Corridor, and the Bronze Age began in

1260-459: The city of Xining , the capital of Qinghai Province. Xining used to be the chief commercial hub of the Hexi Corridor. The Jiayuguan fort guards the western entrance to China. It is located in Jiayuguan pass at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of the city of Jiayuguan . The Jiayuguan fort is the first fortification of Great Wall of China in

1302-486: The countries where it is cultivated include: In India, foxtail millet is still an important crop in its arid and semi-arid regions. In South India, it has been a staple diet among people for a long time from the Sangam period . It is referred to often in old Tamil texts and is commonly associated with Lord Muruga and his consort Valli . In Karbi Anglong district of Assam, India, millets have been an integral part of

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1344-566: The food system of the Karbis as well as the Jhum fields. Hanjangmilen, Karbi name of foxtail millets have been visible in the Jhum fields in the past. But today it is hardly visible in the Jhum fields. But farmers are now bringing the traditional crop back into their food system which needs little water, grows well on poor soil, is fast-growing and suffers from very few diseases. In China, foxtail millet

1386-518: 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 Mountains separating it from the arid Badain Jaran Desert , Gobi Desert and the cold steppes of

1428-416: The major cities are: Dunhuang, Yumen , Jiayuguan , Jiuquan , Zhangye , Jinchang , Wuwei , and finally Lanzhou in the southeast. Just south of the provincial boundary of Gansu lies Xining , the capital of Qinghai Province, which served as the chief commercial hub of the Hexi Corridor along the Northern Silk Road . The Hexi Corridor was first settled around 4800 BP by Chinese millet farmers from

1470-957: The new Protector General of the Western Regions Chen Mu was killed in 75 CE by allies of the Xiongnu in Karasahr and Kucha , the garrison at Hami was withdrawn. At the Battle of the Altai Mountains in 89 CE, Dou Xian defeated the Northern Chanyu , who retreated into the Altai Mountains . The Han forces, allied with the subjugated Southern Xiongnu, again defeated the Northern Chanyu twice in 90 CE and 91 CE, forcing him to flee west into Wusun and Kangju territories. The Tang dynasty fought

1512-585: The predominant grain only with the Yangshao culture . More recently, the Cishan culture of China has been identified as the earliest to domesticate foxtail millet around 6500–5500 BC. The earliest evidence for foxtail millet cultivation outside of its native distribution is at Chengtoushan in the Middle Yangtze River region, dating to around 4000 BC. In southern China, foxtail millet reached

1554-473: The region's defense and foreign affairs. During the turbulent reign of Wang Mang , Han lost control over the Tarim Basin, which was reconquered by the Xiongnu in 63 CE and used as a base to invade the Hexi Corridor. Dou Gu defeated the Xiongnu again at the Battle of Yiwulu in 73 CE, evicting them from Turpan and chasing them as far as Lake Barkol before establishing a garrison at Hami . After

1596-496: The west. 38°42′N 100°47′E  /  38.700°N 100.783°E  / 38.700; 100.783 Foxtail millet See § Synonyms Foxtail millet , scientific name Setaria italica (synonym Panicum italicum L.), is an annual grass grown for human food. It is the second-most widely planted species of millet , and the most grown millet species in Asia. The oldest evidence of foxtail millet cultivation

1638-524: The wild and cultivated forms is "their seed dispersal biology. Wild and weedy forms shatter their seed while the cultivars retain them." The reference genome for foxtail millet was completed in 2012. Genetic comparisons also confirm that S. viridis is the antecedent of S. italica . The earliest evidence of the cultivation of this grain comes from the Peiligang culture of China, which also cultivated Panicum miliaceum , but foxtail millet became

1680-518: Was found along the ancient course of the Yellow River in Cishan, China , carbon dated to be from around 8,000 years before present. Foxtail millet has also been grown in India since antiquity. Other names for the species include dwarf setaria , foxtail bristle-grass , giant setaria , green foxtail , Italian millet , German millet , and Hungarian millet . Foxtail millet is an annual grass with slim, vertical, leafy stems which can reach

1722-500: Was once again captured by Xiongnu while traversing the Hexi Corridor, but again managed to escape two years later. He finally returned to Chang'an in 125 BCE , bringing back invaluable detailed information about the various Central Asian kingdoms such as Dayuan , Daxia and Kangju , as well as other farther countries such as Anxi , Tiaozhi , Shendu and Wusun . During the Han–Xiongnu War , Han general Huo Qubing expelled

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1764-422: Was the main staple food in the north before Sung Dynasty , when wheat started to become the main staple food. It is still the most common millet and one of the main food crops in the dry northern part of the country, especially among the poor. In Southeast Asia, foxtail millet is commonly cultivated in its dry, upland regions. In Europe and North America it is planted at a moderate scale for hay and silage, and to

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