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Abstract: The article summarizes the historical development of Urumqi, especially during the last 60years. Two thousand years ago it located just off the main Silk Routes, which contributed greatly in promoting Urumqi’s economic and cultural exchanges. Now its urban competitive strength has become at the leading position of the five capital cities of western China. While striving to become the new economic power house of western China, Urumqi is undergoing a profound restructuring of its economic and, more importantly, its physical form and appearance. To face the challenges, Urumqi has expanded its administrative boundary and taken a number of planning and infrastructure development initiatively to enhance the competitive strength in the future. This profile outlines the historical development, current conditions, the economic and physical structure of the city, and the main challenges that Urumqi faces in the future development. Field reconnaissance surveys, interviews and secondary sources are used in the presentation and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]