Tianwendian () is the name of a

border outpost A border outpost, border out post, border observation post or BOP Aksai Chin Aksai Chin is a region administered by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang and Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet. It is claimed by India to be a part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory. It is a part of t ...

region under its administration (as part of

Xinjiang Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest ...

). The region is roughly equivalent to the portion of

Depsang Plains The Depsang Plains represent a high-altitude gravelly plain at the northwest portion of the disputed Aksai Chin region of Kashmir, divided into Indian and Chinese administered portions across a Line of Actual Control. India controls the we ...

under Chinese control. Its headquarters, the Tianwendian outpost, is in the

Chip Chap River The Chip Chap River (meaning: "quiet river") is a tributary of the Shyok River that flows from the disputed Aksai Chin region administered by China to Ladakh in India. It originates at the eastern edge of the Depsang Plains and flows west, skirt ...

valley close to China's

Line of Actual Control The Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the context of the Sino-Indian border dispute, is a notional demarcation lineAnanth KrishnanLine of Actual Control , India-China: the line of actual contest, 13 June 2020: "In contrast, the alignment of ...

with India.

Name

Tianwendian is taken to mean "astronomical point", but the literal meaning would be "sky art point", with "sky art" being interpreted to mean astronomy. The name is said to have been used to describe a military defence area in northern Aksai Chin in the run-up to the 1962

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

. The region was also referred to as the "sky defence area" (). The name is an obvious allusion to the high elevation of the area, reported as 6200 metres above sea level. The region extends till the next defence area to the south, viz., Heweitan ("river beach"). The

Depsang Bulge The Depsang Bulge or Burtsa Bulge is a 900 square kilometre area of mountain terrain in the disputed Aksai Chin region, which was conceded to India by China in 1960 but remains under Chinese occupation since the 1962 Sino-Indian War. P. J. S. ...

area has been referred to as the "South Tianwendian Valley", its river

Burtsa Nala The Depsang Bulge or Burtsa Bulge is a 900 square kilometre area of mountain terrain in the disputed Aksai Chin region, which was conceded to India by China in 1960 but remains under Chinese occupation since the 1962 Sino-Indian War. P. J. S. ...

as "Tiannan", and its mountain pass to the Jeong Nala valley as the "Tianhexi Pass"—the "western pass between Tian(wendian) and He(weitan)". In this respect, Tianwendian is the Chinese equivalent of India's "

". In the 1980s, a specific outpost named Tianwendian was established close to China's

with India's

Daulat Beg Oldi Daulat Beg Oldi (also Oldie, DBO) is a traditional campsite and current military base located in the midst of the Karakoram Range in northern Ladakh, India. It is on the historic trade route between Ladakh and Central Asia, forming the last ca ...

sector. Now it is more common to use the name to refer to the outpost than the defence area.

Military outpost

China originally established a military outpost in 1959 at ''Point 5243'' (), which is at an elevation of 5243 meters above sea level. It was composed of a border company. In the run up to the 1962 war, China called the entire area ''Tianwendian Defence Area'' and used the Point 5243 post as its headquarters. The newer Tianwendian post was established after the 1962 war. China said it was an astronomical observatory. A few years later India realised that it was an not an observatory but a military post. Over the years, China has continued to expand the post. Around the time of the

2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident Thirteen or 13 may refer to: * 13 (number), the natural number following 12 and preceding 14 * One of the years 13 BC, AD 13, 1913, 2013 Music * 13AD (band), an Indian classic and hard rock band Albums * ''13'' (Black Sabbath album), 2013 * ...

, PLA constructed a radar station, an 11 m

radome A radome (a portmanteau of radar and dome) is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material transparent to radio waves. Radomes protect the antenna from weather and conceal antenna e ...

at an elevation of 5530m, at this outpost.

Forward Post 5390

Between 2006 and 2008, China constructed forward post 5390 (named after the highest point in that area).

India-China Border Meeting point

The highest of the five Border Personnel Meeting points is located near Tianwendian. The Indian camp at

serves as the counter-party for this meeting point.

References

Bibliography