Haidong (;
Wylie: Haitung) is a
prefecture-level city
A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure.
During the Republican era, many of Chi ...
of
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 ...
province in Western China. Its name literally means "east of the
(Qinghai) Lake." On 8 February 2013 Haidong was upgraded from a prefecture () into a prefecture-level city. Haidong is the third most populous administrative division in Qinghai after
Xining
Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau.
The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and w ...
and
Golmud
Golmud, also known by various other romanizations, is a county-level city in the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, China. It is now the second-largest city in Qinghai and the third largest in the Tibetan ...
.
Haidong was historically populated by the
Qiang people
The Qiang people ( Qiangic: ''Rrmea''; ) are an ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognised by the People's Republic of China, with a population of approximately 310,000 in 2000. They live mainly in a ...
, although the area has been inhabited as early as 6000 years ago. In 121 BC the area was captured by
Huo Qubing
Huo Qubing (140 BC – 117 BC) was a Chinese military general and politician of the Western Han dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. He was the nephew of the general Wei Qing and Empress Wei Zifu (Emperor Wu's wife), and the half-broth ...
, defeating the
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
. In 399 AD the
Xianbei
The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into th ...
founded the state of Nanliang, with its capital in
Ledu District
Ledu District () is a district of the city of Haidong, Qinghai province, China. Nearby are Ping'an District and the city of Xining. Ledu used to be named Nianbo county before 1929. The county dates back to 1724. On 8 February 2013 Ledu was upgrade ...
.
Geography
Haidong is the easternmost division of Qinghai province. It is bounded by
Xining
Xining (; ), alternatively known as Sining, is the capital of Qinghai province in western China and the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau.
The city was a commercial hub along the Northern Silk Road's Hexi Corridor for over 2000 years, and w ...
, the provincial capital, to the West, the
Datong River Valley to the north, Gansu to the east, and the
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...
to the south. Mountain ranges tower above the district of which the main valley is the one of the Huang Shui (Tib. ''Tsong Chu''), a major tributary of the Yellow River. This valley stretches from west to east and makes up - together with the area around Xining, the landscape which is called
Tsongkha
Tsongkha (), also known as Qingtang () and Gusiluo (), was a Tibetan theocracy that ruled northeastern Tibet from 997 to 1104.
History
In 997 the elders of Amdo found a descendant of the Yarlung dynasty in Gaochang by the name of Qinanling W ...
("Onion Valley") by Tibetans. It has a total area of
Climate
Administrative divisions
Demographics
As of 2005, the total population of Haidong is approximately 1,480,000. It is the most densely populated area of
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 ...
, with almost a third of the province's population (its surface makes up only two percent of Qinghai).
Further reading
* A. Gruschke: ''The Cultural Monuments of Tibet’s Outer Provinces: Amdo - Volume 1. The Qinghai Part of Amdo'', White Lotus Press, Bangkok 2001.
* Tsering Shakya: ''The Dragon in the Land of Snows. A History of Modern Tibet Since 1947'', London 1999,
References
{{authority control
Prefecture-level divisions of Qinghai
Amdo
Cities in Qinghai