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 151078 km2. The population is approximately 880,000, with Tibetans accounting for 77.8% of the total population. The capital city of Garzê is Kangding (Dartsedo).

History

Garzê was traditionally part of the historical region of Kham. During the period of rule by the Republic of China (1912–49), 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 (see Sino-Tibetan War). 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 (population density: 5.94 people/km2).

Languages

Garzê is linguistically diverse, having many variants of Tibetan as well as several Qiangic languages:

Religion

Tibetan Buddhism is historically the predominant religion practiced in Garzê. Some notable Gompas here include:

Subdivisions

Garzê comprises 1 county-level city and 17 counties: