Banma County, also known as “Padma County” in Tibetan, is a county in the southeast of Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. It is located in the southeast of the autonomous prefecture and the upper reaches of the Dadu River. It borders Aba, Zamtang and Sertarcounties in Sichuan Province in the southeast, Darlag County in the west, and its north is connected with Jigzhi County. It is about 137 kilometers long from east to west and 96 kilometers wide from north to south witht an area of 6,452 square kilometers
Best time to travel June, July, August and September
Local climate plateau climate
Most popular sites
Baizha monastery, is also known as “Jiangritang monastery”, is located in Jiangritang Township in the southeast of Banma County. It was rebuilt by Lama Baizha in 1936 and belongs to the Kathok tradition. Baizha monastery is composed of three parts including Zuigong Temple, Doka Temple and Sky Burial Platform. It is one of the oldest Kathok monasteries in the Guoluo area
Banma Tibetan Watching Tower Group is one of the best-preserved Tibetan Watching Tower groups in China. It is divided into three types: stone blocks, wooden blocks, and mixed blocks. Among of which, the stone block is the most distinctive. The outer walls are all made of stone, according to a structure similar to mortise and tenon joints, interlocking in size and staggered horizontally and vertically, so that the wall is evenly stressed and not easy to crack or tilt.
Make River Forest Area is located in the southeast of Banma County, which belongs to the upper reaches of the Dadu River and borders Zamtang County in Sichuan Province. It is an important biological species bank in my country’s alpine forest area. There are 466 species of plants in 67 families in the forest area. There are 11 national first-level protected wild animals such as white-lipped deer, leopard, snow leopard, pheasant, and golden eagle. There are also 29 national second-level protected wild animals such as brown bears, macaques and red pandas, and more than 10 provincial-level protected animals .
Banma County Geography and Climate
Banma County is a mountainous region. There are mountains, overlapping peaks, with rivers, deep valleys and there are many small grasslands and narrow river valleys. The altitude is about 4000 – 5000 meters. The main peak of Duoniang Mountain is 5,050 meters above sea level. The terrain is relatively large, with a slope of 40-60 degrees, and even 80 degrees at the maximum, and the air is thin, making it difficult to climb. Ren Yushan is located on the banks of the Marko River in the eastern part of the territory, with an east-west orientation, extending 50 kilometers into the Sichuan from west to east. The altitude is about 3500 – 5000 meters.
Banma County has a continental plateau climate, and the temperature decreases with the increase in altitude. Regarding the annual temperature changes in Banma County, July is the highest, with an average monthly temperature of 11℃, and at the end of January, with an average monthly temperature of -9.8℃. However, there is a notable feature of rapid heating, rapid cooling, and The temperature drop is greater than the temperature rise. The average annual precipitation in Banma County is between 665 mm and 767 mm. The annual average wind speed is 1.7 m/s. Among those, the average wind speed from March to April is relatively high, above 2.0 meters per second, and from July to January about 1.5 meters per second.
Population and Ethnic Groups
As of 2018, Banma County has a population of 30,000, mainly Tibetans, accounting for more than 95% of the total population, as well as ethnic groups such as Han, Hui, and Tu.
Banma County Brief History
In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Tang Dynasty, Banma County was included in the Tang territory.
In the tenth years of Zhenguan, the army of the Tubo Kingdom entered the southern part of Qinghai, and Banma County was occupied by Tubo kingdom.
In AD 842, civil strife broke out in the Tubo Kingdom, and the heads of various tribes in southern Qinghai, including Banma County, were in their own hands.
In AD 1239, the Mongolian army marched into Tibet, Banma area together with southern Qinghai Province were occupied by Mongolian Khanate.
In AD 1260, Banma was under jurisdiction of “Marshal’s Mansion of the Tubo, the chieftain system began to be implemented.
In AD 1644, Gushi Khan of the Oerut Mongolian Heshuote Tribe led the Qinghai Mongolian army into the Kham and Tibet. Banma belonged to the Qinghai-Mongolian Rright Wing.
In AD 1721, Banma was under jurisdiction of Songpan, Sichuan.
In the 24th year of the Republic of China, Banma county was established officially
