Xiahe County

Xiahe County is a county in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu province, China, bordering Qinghai province to the west. The name, which literally means "Xia River", refers to the Daxia River which runs through the county. It is home to the famed Labrang Tibetan Buddhist monastery, one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries outside the Tibet Autonomous Region. The town is populated largely by ethnic Tibetans, as well as some Hui and Han Chinese. The area is highly rural and pastoral. The geography is mountainous. Over the past decades it has become a tourist attraction. The county was named Xiahe in 1928, after the Daxia River that flows through its territory.

History

Xiahe used to be part of Qinghai when it was under the control of Chinese Muslim General Ma Qi. It was the site of bloody battles between Muslim and Tibetan forces.
In 1980, Xiahe mandible, a hominin fossil jaw, was discovered in Baishiya Karst Cave, Xiahe County.

Location

Xiahe is found in the southern portion of Gansu province, along the western border with Qinghai province. It lies along the Daxia and Zhao rivers. It is on the northeast edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The average elevation is with the highest being and the lowest.

Climate

Xiahe County has an alpine subarctic climate that grades into an alpine climate at the highest elevations. The climate is characterised by mild, rainy summers and frigid, but dry and sunny, winters.

Administrative divisions

Xiahe County is divided to 8 towns and 5 townships.