Xiangcheng County

Xiangcheng is located in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the north-central section of the Hengduan Mountains on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. It is consisted of an old village paired with a modern Chinese downtown. By the end of 2011, Xiangcheng County has jurisdiction over 3 districts and 12 townships with population of 29,826 people

Xiangcheng county is 68.6 kilometers from east to west and 120.7 kilometers long from north to south. It is 488 kilometers from the state center of Kangding, and 860 kilometers from Chengdu

Xiangcheng County has its name after the terrain, which is a Chinese transliteration of the Tibetan “Ka-Chen | 卡称 “. It means “the Buddha beads in the hands”. Because the Shu-qu River in this county runs from the north to the south and through the whole territory, which just like a silk thread connecting the villages on the two side of river bank together, and making those as a string of Buddha beads.

The highest altitude of Xiangcheng County is the Sa-Gou Peak on the southeastern of the county, which is 5,336 meters above sea level. The lowest elevation is 2,560 meters of Zhong-da Village in Dongsong Township in the south. The relative height difference is large, and it forms topography of inclined surface of high in the northereast and low in the southwest.

The three parallel rivers of Shuo-qu, Ding-qu and Ma-yi tranverse from north to south and cut through the whole territory into three valleys, four mountains and six slopes.

Xiangcheng County is located in the transit station of the “Golden tourist line” of Dali – Lijiang – Zhongdian – Xiangcheng – Daocheng – Litang – Kangding. The natural scenery and cultural landscapes are integrated in the landscape. Xiangcheng County has a long history, rich Khampa culture, ancient folk customs, a long history of religion and culture, unique Tibetan architecture, bold and unrestrained folk songs and dances, colorful and colorful collectors’ clothes, dotted mountain lakes, and ancient trees. The virgin forests, a wide variety of wild animals, high mountain and deep gorges, grassy pastures, snow-capped peaks, turbulent rivers. There are 27 temples of the Nyingma Pa, Gelug Pa, Sakya Pa, and Kagyu Pa Sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The largest monastery in this county is the Shambhali Temple(桑披岭寺),

Main Attractions

Bam Mountain | 巴姆神山 has become almost a symbol of Xiangcheng. In Tibetan, “Bam” means “the Alokiteśvara who ride the tiger”. The grand Bam Mountain Festival is held in every summer.

Bam Seven Lake Scenic Area | 巴姆七湖景区 is located in the mountains east of the township of Xiangcheng County. The main landscape is composed of alpine ice bucket lakes, waterfalls, streams, hot springs, virgin forests, meadows, snow mountains, pastures, ancient ruins of the Tea Horse Road, temples, Tibetan villages, rocks, etc. composition. The area of the scenic spot is 17,865 hectares, including 432 hectares of mountain lakes, 1,961 hectares of woodland, 12,000 hectares of alpine meadows, 3,270 hectares of meadows and 202 hectares of other areas. Rich in Cordyceps , Fritillaria, Tricholoma matsutake and others. The altitude of this Scenic area is in between 2,860 ~ 5,122 meters above sea level

Brown Bear valley | 马熊沟大峡谷 is located in Sha-gong Township of Xiangcheng County. It is a place that you “must” pass through when travel from Shangri-La County to Daocheng County. It is said that there are many Brown Bears in the valley often meet with local farmers. The natural scenery of Ma Xionggou is characterized by its heroic, extraordinary, dangerous and beautiful appearance.

Ranwu Town Hot Spring | 然乌乡温泉 has the most hotsprings of Xiangcheng, ranking first in the Xiangcheng’s hot springs, within an area of 0.5 square kilometers, there are 108 hot-springs with water temperature up to 85 °C, and the lowest is 17 °C.

Sao bu You Scenic Area | 扫布尤景区 It is located at the junction of Qingde Township, Ranwu Township and Daocheng County, with distance of 50 kilometers away from Xiangcheng . “Sao bu You” in Tibetan means the “Bull Valley”, its name is due to the shape of the mountain like a running bull. The scenic area altitude is from 2,000 meters to 5,168 meters above sea level, the vertical relatively altitude difference is more than 3,000 meters, Forms a complete vertical natural landscape from subtropical to alpine humphus. In the valley of 2,000 to 3,000 meters above sea level, the climate is mild and it is a beautiful pastoral scenery. From 3500 meters above sea level to 4000 meters above sea level, it is the original coniferous forest and mixed forest. At an altitude of 4500 meters and above, there are many high-plateau lakes that are surrounded by snowy peaks, forests, and meadows.

Local Custom

Respectful cat custom Most people raise cats to eradicate rats. However, behind this, there are some intriguing customs about cats. In Xiangcheng, the cat has a special religious status. People espouse the cat as the incarnation of the reincarnation of the high-ranking Lama. If anyone kills a cat, he will be punished as for killing monks and nuns. Even more peculiar is that the local people also cast the cat into the Vesta Totem.

Clothing The traditional clothing of Xiangcheng County is Tibetan. It is characterized by a round neck, wide waist, long sleeves, large left-handedness and small right-handedness, mostly used colors are white, red and yellow.

Food and Drink The daily food of the local people in Xiangcheng County is mainly glutinous rice flour, cornmeal, sweet noodles, ghee, milk cakes, cattle, sheep and pork. Its beverages are mainly butter tea and barley wine, while butter tea is an essential daily drink.

–Recommended Hotels–

How to get Xiangcheng County

Xiangcheng county is the first big town when enter Kham from South, it is almost the “must” town that you have to spend overnight here, the overland journey is the only option for reaching this hidden county in the southeastern Edge of Tibetan plateau; There are two airports that near this Tibetan county, of which are listed below:

Starting from Shangri La city, the overland journey is about 200 kilometers, which takes approximately 6 hours,

Starting from Daocheng, the overland journey is about 110 kilometers, which takes approximately 2.5 hours

Distance from Xiangcheng county to

• To Benzilan: 225 kilometers, about 6.5 hours’ drive
• To Deqin : 320 kilometers, about 8.5 hours’ drive
• To Derong County: 155 kilometers, about 4.5 hours’ drive
• To Daocheng: 110 kilometers, about 2.5 hours’ drive
• To Litang: 210 kilometers, about 4.2 hours’ drive
• To Batang: 375 kilometers, about 8 hours’ drive