Xinghai County, also known as “Tsigortang County” in Tibetan, is located in the southwestern part of Qinghai Province, it is in the core area of the “Three Rivers” National Nature Reserve, with magnificent natural landscapes. Sertzong Mountain, which located in the central of Xinghai County, is one of the 4 holy mountains in the legends of Tibetans in Amdo. There are golden statues of Sakyamuni, Padmasambhava, Tsongkhapa, and Arecang in the hall of Sertzong monastery, which is at the foot of Sertzong mountain. The murals include both Buddhist scriptures and powers and animal, landscapes, which are colorful and lifelike.
Best travel time: From June to September
Local climate: Plateau continental climate
Most popular sites
Sai Zong monastery (Tosam Yonten Dargyeling) At the foot of Saizong Mountain (also known as Drakar Tredzong), some 18 kilometers west of Sangdang Township.According to legend that Guru Padmasambhava, Tsongkhapa, and the first living Buddha of Longwu Monastery, had all been here, and leaving relics. Around the end of the Qing Dynasty, a Senkang was founded at the foot of Saizong Mountain. In 1923, 18 monks’ houses and Angqian were built. After that, the sutra hall and Manjusri Hall were built in 1927. Between 1951 and 1954, the assembly hall, Maitreya Hall, and Dharma Hall were built, thus making Sai Zong monastery the largest Gelug temple and Buddhist cultural center in Hainan Tibetan Prefecture. In 1958, the monastery had a total of 18 halls and pagodas, 15 temples, more than 150 monks’ houses, there are about more than 500 monks, including monk students from Tongren.
Sai Zong mountain (Drakar Tredzong) Sai Zong Mountain is located in the central part of Xinghai County, it is one of the four famous Buddhist mountains in Amdo. its tibtean name means the cottage of the monkey. From a distance, Mount Sai Zong looks like a giant elephant that is drinking water, with its trunk hanging down in the Chemo ditch in front of the Sai Zong monastery. The mountain is full of ravines, caves, pine trees, cypresses, and many mysterious place names.
Yellow River Canyon The Yellow River Canyon in Xinghai County involves the canyon section formed by cutting the main stream of the Yellow River from Mardang Gorge to Banduo Gorge. It has a unique plateau climate. The canyon section has deep and rapid water flow. It is the longest and deepest in the Yellow River Basin. It has a rich and original landscape combination. The V-shaped canyon section with good appearance.
Geography
Xinghai County has a total area of 12,100 square kilometers, 160 kilometers long from north to south, and 119 kilometers wide from east to west. It is 248 kilometers away from Xining and 103 kilometers away from Chapcha, the capital of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It faces Guinan and Tongde across the Yellow River in the east, borders Gonghe County in the north, Dulan County in the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the west, and Mado County and Maqin County in the south. Xinghai County has an average elevation of 3,924 meters (Ziketan Town, where the county government is located, is 3,303 meters above sea level). Although the highest point of the Ora Mountain Range is 5305 meters above sea level, the lowest point is 2590 meters above sea level at Wuhetuo village of Heka Town.
History
Xinghai, before Qin Dynasty, was Rong Qiang. During the Yongjia period of the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 307-312), the Tuyuhun, a native of the Xianbei ethnic group in eastern Liaoning, moved westward and established governance in the Daheba Basin of Xinghai County. Thus, Xinghai was under the jurisdiction of the Tuyuhun King.
In the 8th year of Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty (AD 635), Tubo opened up the “Tangbo Ancient Road” and set up a post on the Huangqing River in Daheba, Xinghai County
In the 18th year of the Republic of China (AD 1929), the Qinghai Provincial Government was established, and Xinghai was under the jurisdiction of Gonghe county.
In the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939 AD), the Daheba was set up, which was the former Xinghai county.
In the 34th year of the Republic of China (1945 AD), the Daheba was upgraded to Xinghai County.
In June 1950, the People’s Government of Xinghai County was established
Culture and Ethnic group
As of the end of 2012, Xinghai County had a population of 76,000, and Tibetans accounted for 78% of the total population. The local Tibetan call themselves as “Boba”, which means an agricultural crowd, and they are an agricultural tribe that originated in the Yarlung Zangbo River Valley. During the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD), it belonged to a branch of the Xiqiang people. In the 7th century, Tibet King Songtsen Gampo established his kingdom. Tang and Song Dynasty called it “Tubo”. It was not called “Tibet” until the Kangxi period of Qingdynasty, and the Tibetan name came from this. The Tibetan language belongs to the Tibetan branch of the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language family, which distinguishes three dialects: Tibet, Kham and Amdo. The current Tibetan script is a phonetic script based on ancient Sanskrit and Western languages ??in the early 7th century. The 10th century to the 16th century was a period of prosperity for Tibetan culture.
