Ganzi

Ganzi County is located in the northwestern part of Ganzi Zang Minority Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province along the Yalong Jiang River. It is 752 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Chengdu, and 385 kilometers away from the prefecture capital of Kangding. Ganzi County has long been the political, economic and cultural center of the northern part of the prefecture, and a constant battleground in history. Currently, as a commodity distribution center and a trade center, the county holds a position of strategic significance on the Sichuan-Tibet Northern Line. The county covers an area of 5.3 square kilometers, and has a total population of 846,000.

As has been mentioned, Ganzi County is situated in a key area of the Sichuan-Tibet Northern Line, one of the “north and south lines” between Sichuan and Tibet. Inside the county are four tourist routes bringing travelers to every corner of the dazzling “pearl on the plateau.” You can reach the East Valley in the east to explore brilliant Tibetan Buddhist culture, and Rongbaca in the west (a fork of Yalong Jiang River) to enjoy the infinite charm of Yalong Jiang River, and view the vast grassland scenery of Tongdama in the south and experience the thrilling adventure of rafting on Zakho River in the northwest.

History

Ganzi, being the name of a temple originally, means “a beautiful and spotless place” in the Tibetan language. It was established as an organization unit some 1,300 years ago when a disciple of the 5th Dalai Lama built the first Gelugpa Temple (Gelugpa is one branch of Buddhism). Before that it was the residential area of Baili Motu tribe (an ancient tribe in Tibet).

During the Tang and the Song Dynasty, Ganzi was under the reign of the Tubo state (an ancient kingdom in Tibet). However, later it became one part of the territory of the Yuan Dynasty, which began after the conquests of Genghis Khan, the dynasty’s first emperor. It administered three sub-counties, namely Kongsha, Mashu and Baili.

In 1911 (during the reign of Emperor Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty), it was downgraded to a county-level city because of the national policy entitled “Abolishing the System of Appointing Ethnic Minority Hereditary Headman and Bringing the Ethnic Areas under Unified Provincial Administration”. In the following year, it began its history as a county, which continues to this day.

In 1936, the Ganzi Boba Government was set up by the Fourth Army, the Second Army and the Sixth Army of the Chinese Red Army. In 1950, Ganzi County was taken by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and soon after in 1951, the Ganzi Government at the county level was formed. The current local government is the tenth in power since the liberation in 1950.