Zhouqu County, also known as “Drukchu County“, is under jurisdiction of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu Province. This county is named after “White Dragon River” in its territory which is called “Zhouqu” in Tibetan language. It has a total area of 3010 square kilometers; county seat is Chengguan Town.
There are many view spots including nature wonders of a national forest park, Cuifeng Mountain, Laga Mountain and others, as well as ancient burial tombs such as Qin dynasty tombs, Han dynasty tombs, Tang dynasty tombs, and Ming dynasty tombs, all of which are precious historical relics.
Best travel time
From May to October
Local climate
Warm and temperate zone
Most popular sites
Cuifeng Mountain, Located 5 kilometers north of county seat. it was officially opened in 1987 and being listed as one of 16 Shambhala attractions in Gannan prefecture.
Fengdie ancient city site, 17 kilometers east of county seat, unearthed glazed pottery jars and Jomon tiles from Northern and Southern Dynasties. It used to be a military fortress. It was Danglu County of Huaidao County during Sui Dynasty
Geography and climate
Zhouqu County is located in southern Gansu, southeast of Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is 99 kilometers from east to west and 89 kilometers from north to south.
It borders Wudu District of Longnan City to east, Dangchang County to north, and Diebu County, Wen County and Jiuzhaigou County of Sichuan Province to southwest. .
It is high in northwest and low in southeast. Altitude is between 1173 meters and 4504 meters. Bailong River Valley has a low altitude, with a height of about 1,200 meters. Mountain peaks in north and south can reach more than 4,000 meters. Mountains in center area are relatively slow, with an elevation of about 3,000 meters, which is a typical alpine valley area.
Frost-free period of this County is about 223 days in a year, and annual rainfall is 400-800 mm. There is no severe cold in winter and no intense heat in summer. August is the most sunshine month of a year. Annual average temperature is 12.7℃, average temperature of the hottest month is 23.1℃, the extreme maximum temperature is 35.2℃, and the extreme minimum temperature is -10.2℃.
Main rivers are Bailong (White Dragon) River, Gongba River, Boyu River and more than 40 tributaries. Zhouqu has high forest coverage
Population and ethnic group
As of 2011, Zhouqu County has a registered population of 139,990 people. Among them, Han people account for 65% of total population; Tibetans account for 36% of total population; in addition there are Hui, Manchu, Mongolian, Salar, Dongxiang, Tu, Yugu, Zhuang, and other ethnic groups
Brief History
In 28th year of Eperor Qin Zhao (BC 279), Zhouqu area belonged to Qin dynasty
From 140 BC – 135 BC, Zhouqu area was part of Longxi County;
In BC 117 years, Zhouqu area was occupied by Han dynasty
During Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhouqu area was under jurisdiction of Wudu County.
From AD 307 to AD 566, Zhouqu area belonged to Dangchang Kingdom.
In AD 571, after extermination of Dangchang Kingdom, Zhouqu area became a part of Gansong county.
In AD 584, Zhouqu area was under jurisdiction of Dangzhou.
In tAD 618, Zhouqu area was part of Huaidao County
From 761 AD to Five Dynasties, Zhouqu area was occupied by Tubo kingdom
In AD 1101, Zhouqu area became a part of Fujin County
Since Yuan Dynasty, Zhouqu area had been controlled by Central Government.
In 26th year of Republic of China (1927), Zhouqu area was directly under jurisdiction of Gansu province;
In 1954, Zhouqu Administrative Committee was established;
In 1955, Zhouqu Administrative Committee was changed to Zhouqu County;
In 1959, Zhouqu County was renamed Longdie County,
In 1962, Zhouqu County was restored, till now
