Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, often shortened to Ganzi Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture in the western arm of Sichuan province, China bordering Yunnan to the south, the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west, and Gansu to the north and northwest.
The prefecture's area is. The population is approximately 880,000, with Tibetans accounting for 77.8% of the total population. The capital city of Garzê is Kangding.
History
Garzê was traditionally part of the historical region of Kham.During the period of rule by the Republic of China, Garzê became nominally part of the province of Xikang, which included parts of former Kham.
In 1930, the Tibetan army invaded Garzê, capturing it without much resistance. However, in 1932, the Tibetan army withdrew after suffering defeats elsewhere at the hands of the warlord of Qinghai, Ma Bufang. Chinese warlord Liu Wenhui reoccupied Garzê, and signed an agreement with the Tibetans formalizing his control of the area east of the upper Yangtze, which corresponds roughly with eastern Kham.
In 1950, following the defeat of the Kuomintang forces by the People's Liberation Army, the area fell within the control of the People's Republic of China. Eastern Xikang was merged with Sichuan in 1955, where Garzê became an Autonomous Prefecture.
Population
According to the census of 2000, Garzê had a registered population of 897,239.| nationality | population | proportion |
| Tibetans | 703,168 | 78.37% |
| Han Chinese | 163,648 | 18.24% |
| Yi | 22,946 | 2.56% |
| Qiang | 2,860 | 0.32% |
| Hui | 2,190 | 0.24% |
| Naxi | 760 | 0.08% |
| Mongolians | 477 | 0.05% |
| Bai | 292 | 0.03% |
| others | 898 | 0.11% |
Languages
Garzê is linguistically diverse, having many variants of Tibetan as well as several Qiangic languages:- Kangding: Guiqiong, Muya
- Luding County: Muya
- Danba County: rGyalrong
- Jiulong County: Pumi
- Yajiang County: Zhaba
- Dawu County: Horpa
- Xinlong County: Queyu
Religion
- Dzogchen Monastery
- Dzongsar Monastery
- Kandze Monastery
- Kharnang Monastery
- Nanwu Si Monastery
- Palpung Monastery
- Sershul Monastery
- Tongkor Monastery
- Larung Gar Buddhist Institute
- Yarchen Gar Buddhist Institute
Subdivisions
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan | Wylie | Population | Area | Density |
| 1 | Kangding City | 康定市 | 130,142 | 11,486 | 11.33 | |||
| 2 | Luding County | 泸定县 | 83,386 | 2,165 | 38.51 | |||
| 3 | Danba County | 丹巴县 | 59,696 | 4,656 | 12.82 | |||
| 4 | Jiulong County | 九龙县 | 62,133 | 6,766 | 9.18 | |||
| 5 | Yajiang County | 雅江县 | 50,225 | 7,558 | 6.64 | |||
| 6 | Dawu County | 道孚县 | 55,396 | 7,053 | 7.85 | |||
| 7 | Luhuo County | 炉霍县 | 46,558 | 4,601 | 10.11 | |||
| 8 | Garzê County | 甘孜县 | 68,523 | 7,303 | 9.38 | |||
| 9 | Xinlong County | 新龙县 | 50,393 | 8,570 | 5.88 | |||
| 10 | Dêgê County | 德格县 | 81,503 | 11,025 | 7.39 | |||
| 11 | Baiyü County | 白玉县 | 56,290 | 10,386 | 5.41 | |||
| 12 | Sêrxü County | 石渠县 | 80,834 | 24,944 | 3.24 | |||
| 13 | Sêrtar County | 色达县 | 58,606 | 9,332 | 6.28 | |||
| 14 | Litang County | 理塘县 | 69,046 | 13,677 | 5.04 | |||
| 15 | Batang County | 巴塘县 | 48,649 | 7,852 | 6.19 | |||
| 16 | Xiangcheng County | 乡城县 | 33,170 | 5,016 | 6.61 | |||
| 17 | Daocheng County | 稻城县 | 31,113 | 7,323 | 4.24 | |||
| 18 | Dêrong County | 得荣县 | 26,209 | 2,916 | 8.98 |