Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Aba (;
Qiang: ; ), is an
autonomous prefecture
Autonomous prefectures () are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, existing at the prefectural level, with either ethnic minorities forming over 50% of the population or being the historic home of significant minorities. A ...
of northwestern
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
, bordering
Gansu
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province.
The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
to the north and northeast and
Qinghai
Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
to the northwest. Its seat is in
Barkam
Barkam or Markang or Muerkvua is a county-level city in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the northwest of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China. The city seat is the town of Barkam.
Administrative divisions
Barkam has fo ...
, and it has an area of . The population was 919,987 in late 2013.
The county of
Wenchuan
Wenchuan County is a county in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
The county has an area of , and a population of 100,771 as of 2010.
Wolong National Nature Reserve is a protected area located in ...
in Ngawa is the site of the epicenter of the
2008 Sichuan earthquake, in which over 20,000 of its residents died and 40,000 were injured.
History and names
During the reign of
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
's king
Trisong Deutsen
Tri Songdetsen () was the son of Me Agtsom, the 38th emperor of Tibet. He ruled from AD 755 until 797 or 804. Tri Songdetsen was the second of the Three Dharma Kings of Tibet, playing a pivotal role in the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet and th ...
in the 8th century, the Gyalrong area was visited by the great translator
Vairotsana
Vairotsana () was a lotsawa or "translator" living during the reign of King Trisong Detsen, who ruled 755-97 CE. Vairotsana, one of the 25 main disciples of Padmasambhava, was recognized by the latter as a reincarnation of an Indian pandita. He ...
.
In 1410
Je Tsongkhapa
Tsongkhapa ('','' meaning: "the man from Tsongkha" or "the Man from Onion Valley", c. 1357–1419) was an influential Tibetan Buddhist monk, philosopher and tantric yogi, whose activities led to the formation of the Gelug school of Tibetan Budd ...
's student Tshakho Ngawang Tapa established the first
Tibetan Buddhist Gelug
file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India).
The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...
school monastery in the area, called "Gyalrong".
In contemporary history, most of Ngawa was under the 16th Administrative Prefecture of Szechwan (), which was established by the
Republic of China
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(ROC).
The People's Republic of China defeated ROC troops in this area during Chinese Civil war and subsequently established a Tibetan autonomous prefecture by late 1952. It was renamed Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 1956 and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in 1987.
On May 12, 2008, a
major earthquake
Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at ...
occurred in
Wenchuan County (), a county in the southeastern part of this autonomous prefecture. 20,258 people were killed, 45,079 injured, 7,696 missing in the prefecture as of June 6, 2008.
In 2009, the town of
Ngaba
Ngaba is a municipality (''commune'') in the Mont Amba district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La ...
in Ngawa prefecture became the
self-immolation capital of the world. From 2009 to 2019, more than 60 of Tibet's total 156 self-immolations occurred in Ngaba. By 2020, the town's entrances were barricaded and surveillance cameras installed, with some 50,000 security personnel for the town's population of 15,000.
In 2008, Aba county was stripped of its internet connections. Internet access in the prefecture remains severely restricted as of 2013.
Geography
Most of the prefecture lies in the Tibetan cultural and historical region of
Amdo
Amdo ( am˥˥.to˥˥ ) is one of the three traditional Tibetan regions, the others being U-Tsang in the west and Kham in the east. Ngari (including former Guge kingdom) in the north-west was incorporated into Ü-Tsang. Amdo is also the bi ...
. The west, and part of
Kardze, is also known as Gyalrong.
Gyalrong people speak a
Qiangic language
Qiangic (''Ch'iang, Kyang, Tsiang'', Chinese: 羌語支, "''Qiang'' language group"; formerly known as Dzorgaic) is a group of related languages within the Sino-Tibetan language family. They are spoken mainly in Southwest China, including Sichuan ...
known as
Gyalrong language. The source of the
Min River and its
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
Dadu River are to be found in Ngawa.
Demographics
, the prefecture's population was 919,987 inhabitants at a density of 10.91 per km
2:
Languages
Major languages spoken in Aba Prefecture include
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
,
Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...
and many vernaculars of the
Qiangic languages
Qiangic (''Ch'iang, Kyang, Tsiang'', Chinese: 羌語支, "''Qiang'' language group"; formerly known as Dzorgaic) is a group of related languages within the Sino-Tibetan language family. They are spoken mainly in Southwest China, including Sichuan ...
which vary from county to county:
*
Barkam
Barkam or Markang or Muerkvua is a county-level city in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the northwest of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China. The city seat is the town of Barkam.
Administrative divisions
Barkam has fo ...
:
rGyalrong
Gyalrong or rGyalrong (), also rendered Jiarong (), or sometimes Gyarung, is a subbranch of the Gyalrongic languages spoken by the Gyalrong people in Western Sichuan, China. Lai et al. (2020) refer to this group of languages as East Gyalrongic. ...
*
Li County:
Southern Qiang
Southern Qiang is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Qiangic branch spoken by approximately 81,300 people along the Minjiang () river in Sichuan Province, China.
Southern Qiang dialects preserve archaic pronoun flexions, while they have disappe ...
,
rGyalrong
Gyalrong or rGyalrong (), also rendered Jiarong (), or sometimes Gyarung, is a subbranch of the Gyalrongic languages spoken by the Gyalrong people in Western Sichuan, China. Lai et al. (2020) refer to this group of languages as East Gyalrongic. ...
*
Mao County:
Northern Qiang
Northern Qiang is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Qiangic branch, more specifically falling under the Tibeto-Burman family. It is spoken by approximately 60,000 people in East Tibet, and in north-central Sichuan Province, China.
Unlike its cl ...
,
Southern Qiang
Southern Qiang is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Qiangic branch spoken by approximately 81,300 people along the Minjiang () river in Sichuan Province, China.
Southern Qiang dialects preserve archaic pronoun flexions, while they have disappe ...
*
Jiuzhaigou County
Jiuzhaigou County (; ) is a county of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Formerly called Nanping County (), it was renamed in 1998 to reflect the fact that the Jiuzhaigou Va ...
:
Baima
*
Jinchuan County
Jinchuan County (; ) is a county in the northwest of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. The seat of county is Jinchuan Town (Rabden).
The county spans an area of 5,524 s ...
:
Khroskyabs,
rGyalrong
Gyalrong or rGyalrong (), also rendered Jiarong (), or sometimes Gyarung, is a subbranch of the Gyalrongic languages spoken by the Gyalrong people in Western Sichuan, China. Lai et al. (2020) refer to this group of languages as East Gyalrongic. ...
*
Xiaojin County:
rGyalrong
Gyalrong or rGyalrong (), also rendered Jiarong (), or sometimes Gyarung, is a subbranch of the Gyalrongic languages spoken by the Gyalrong people in Western Sichuan, China. Lai et al. (2020) refer to this group of languages as East Gyalrongic. ...
*
Heishui County:
Northern Qiang
Northern Qiang is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Qiangic branch, more specifically falling under the Tibeto-Burman family. It is spoken by approximately 60,000 people in East Tibet, and in north-central Sichuan Province, China.
Unlike its cl ...
,
rGyalrong
Gyalrong or rGyalrong (), also rendered Jiarong (), or sometimes Gyarung, is a subbranch of the Gyalrongic languages spoken by the Gyalrong people in Western Sichuan, China. Lai et al. (2020) refer to this group of languages as East Gyalrongic. ...
*
Zamtang County
Zamthang County or Ndzamthang County (), or Rangtang County () is a county in the northwest of Sichuan Province, China, bordering on the Banma County of Qinghai Province to the north. It is one of 13 counties under the administration of and lies th ...
:
Amdo Tibetan
Amdo Tibetan (; also called ''Am kä'') is the Tibetic language spoken in Amdo (now mostly in Qinghai, some in Ngawa and Gannan). It has two dialects, the farmer dialect and the nomad dialect.
Amdo is one of the three branches of traditional cl ...
In April 2020, classroom instruction was switched from Tibetan to Mandarin Chinese in Ngaba.
Administrative divisions
The region is composed of one
county-level city
A county-level municipality (), county-level city or county city, formerly known as prefecture-controlled city (1949–1970: ; 1970–1983: ), is a Administrative divisions of China#County level (3rd), county-level administrative divi ...
and twelve
counties:
Though situated within
Wenchuan County,
Wolong National Nature Reserve
Wolong National Nature Reserve (), also known as Wolong Special Administrative Region (), is a protected area located in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. Established in 1963 with an initial size of about 20,000 hecta ...
and
Wolong Special Administrative Region
Wolong National Nature Reserve (), also known as Wolong Special Administrative Region (), is a protected area located in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. Established in 1963 with an initial size of about 20,000 hecta ...
are administered separately by th
Forestry Department of Sichuan
Transportation
![Transportation -- Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Transportation_--_Jiuzhai_Huanglong_Airport.JPG)
The prefecture is served by
Hongyuan Airport in the west and
Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport
Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport , also known as Jiuzhaigou Airport () and Jiuhuang Airport, is an airport in Songpan County, Sichuan province, China. This airport serves two major scenic places of interest in this area, namely Huanglong Scenic and His ...
in the east. Private taxis can be hired from these airports. ''Jiuzhaigou Train Station'' is under construction north-west of
Jiuzhaigou County
Jiuzhaigou County (; ) is a county of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Formerly called Nanping County (), it was renamed in 1998 to reflect the fact that the Jiuzhaigou Va ...
's town. The railway is to run between
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...
and
Lanzhou
Lanzhou (, ; ) is the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China. Located on the banks of the Yellow River, it is a key regional transportation hub, connecting areas further west by rail to the eastern half of the country. H ...
.
Tourism
![Gerdeng Monastery Aba Sichuan China](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Gerdeng_Monastery_Aba_Sichuan_China.jpg)
Tourism produced 71.0% of the GDP of the prefecture in 2006. There are many places of interest in the prefecture, including
*
Wolong National Nature Reserve
Wolong National Nature Reserve (), also known as Wolong Special Administrative Region (), is a protected area located in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. Established in 1963 with an initial size of about 20,000 hecta ...
in Wenchuan County, a well-known
giant panda
The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...
reserve where the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda was established in 1980
*
Kirti Gompa
Kirti Gompa ( bo, ཀིརྟི་དགོན་པ།), is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery founded in 1472 and located in Ngawa, Sichuan province, in China, but traditionally part of Amdo region. Numerous other associated Kirti monasteries ...
, a 15th-century Tibetan Buddhism monastery
*
Nangzhik Gompa
Nangzhik Monastery (, , locally pronounced "Narshi" or "Nogi"), formerly known by several other names (), is a monastery of the Bon religion in Amdo, modern Ngawa Town, Sichuan, China. It is about a walk up a shortcut to reach the monastery on a ...
monastery, founded in the 12th century
*
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Huanglong () is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful travertine p ...
in Songpan County
*
Jiuzhaigou,
Jiuzhaigou County
Jiuzhaigou County (; ) is a county of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Formerly called Nanping County (), it was renamed in 1998 to reflect the fact that the Jiuzhaigou Va ...
, a nature reserve known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes, declared a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 1992
*
Mount Siguniang
Mount Siguniang (; , ''Skubla'') is the highest mountain of Qionglai Mountains in Western China. It is located in the bordering area of Rilong Town, Xiaojin County and Wenchuan County in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Pro ...
( "Sku Mountain"; formerly , a transcription), the highest point of the
Qionglai Mountains
Qionglai Mountains () is a mountain range in the Sichuan Province of China. It runs in the general north-south direction, and is located mostly within the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the north-central part of the province.
...
, on the border between
Xiaojin County (; Tibetan: ) and Wenchuan County.
References
Further reading
*
Barbara Demick Barbara Demick is an American journalist. She was the Beijing bureau chief of the ''Los Angeles Times''. She is the author of ''Logavina Street: Life and Death in a Sarajevo Neighborhood'' (Andrews & McMeel, 1996). Her second book, '' Nothing to En ...
(2020) ''Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town''. New York: Random House.
* A. Gruschke (2001) ''The Cultural Monuments of Tibet’s Outer Provinces: Amdo - Volume 2. The Gansu and Sichuan Parts of Amdo''. Bangkok: White Lotus Press
*
Tsering Shakya
Tsering Wangdu Shakya () (born 1959) is a historian and scholar on Tibetan literature and modern Tibet and its relationship with China. He is currently Canadian Research Chair in Religion and Contemporary Society in Asia at the Institute of Asian ...
(1999) ''The Dragon in the Land of Snows.: a history of modern Tibet since 1947'', London: Pimlico, 1999,
External links
Aba, China - Official website of Prefectural Government
{{authority control
Tibetan autonomous prefectures
Prefecture-level divisions of Sichuan
Qiang people