Seni District, formerly known as Nagqu, is a Tibetan place name translated and written in Chinese characters, meaning “Black River” in Tibetan. The name comes from Nagqu River which flows through the upper reaches of Nu River in its territory.
Seni District is the municipal district of Nagqu City, with an altitude of 4,510 meters. It is the political, economic, cultural, transportation, information and communication center of Nagqu City.
Location
Seni District borders Damxung County to the south, Nyainrong County and Amdo County to north, Biru County and Lhari County to east, and Baingoin County to west.
In old days, the Ancient Northern Tea Horse Trading Route passed through this area, and Nagqu Horse Racing Festival is one of the few Tibetan equestrian traditions still preserved.
Best time to travel
From May to September
Local climate
Plateau sub-frigid monsoon sub-humid climate zone
Most popular sites
Samdain Kangsang mountain, 6590 meters above sea level, is located in the middle of Nyainqentanglha mountain range. It is one of the 25 highest peaks in Tibet. Correspondingly respected as one of the 25 fairyland men in Tibetan Buddhism,
The grassland in northern Tibet refers to the vast plateau in northern Tibet. In Nagqu, it mainly refers to Qiangtang grassland. Qiangtang National Nature Reserve is also located in the grasslands of northern Tibet. The total area is 29.8 million hectares. Wild yak, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan wild donkey, argali, Tibetan antelope, plateau rabbit, black-necked crane and other rare wild animals inhabit here.
Nagqu swamp wetland is mainly Kobresia swamp in northern Tibet, with an area of 202,500 square kilometers. The location is 4300-4800 meters above sea level. The comprehensive natural zoning belongs to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and semi-desert zone (arid) Qiangtang Plateau.
Xiaodeng monastrey, also known as “Zhabten Gompa“, is located in the center of Seni District (about 338 kilometers away from Lhasa). Xiaodeng is a respectful Tibetan name for Buddhist activities such as “pray for blessings, prolong life, and prevent disasters”. Xiaodeng monastrey is one of the largest affiliated monasteries of Sera monastery in northern Tibet and belongs to Gelug pa
Geography and climate
Seni District is located in north-central of Tibet, belonging to Northern Tibet Plateau, with an average altitude of more than 4,500 meters and a highest altitude of 6,500 meters. It is 233 kilometers from east to west and 185 kilometers from north to south, with a total area of 16,195 square kilometers.
Seni District is mountainous, the northwest is high in elevation, and the slope is relatively gentle. Most of the mountains are perfectly round and belong to plateau hilly terrain; while the southeast is lower in elevation, but the mountains are steep and there are many peaks.
Seni District is cold and hypoxic, the climate is dry, there are about 100 days of strong wind throughout a year, Annual average temperature is -2.2 ℃, the coldest time can reach minus 30 or 40 degrees, and the annual sunshine hours are more than 2,886 hours;
It is relatively warm from May to September of a year, with annual precipitation of more than 400 mm. There is no absolute frost-free period throughout the year.
From October to May of the following year, there is a snowstorm and soil freezing period, and June to August is the growing period.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2016, the total population of Seni District was 144,116, of which Tibetans accounted for 98% of total population, in addition to Han, Hui, Mongolian, Monba, Loba and other ethnic groups
Brief history
In ancient times, the area of Nagqu county was part of Subi kingdom
During Tubo Dynasty, it was the main military food and horse supply base
During Tang Dynasty(AD 618-AD 907) and Song Dynasty(960 AD-1279 AD), it was the main traffic post
In 16th year Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty (AD 1751), the first Zong of Tibet plateau was established in Nagqu area
In 31st year of Republic of China (1942), Kashag government established Jiangcha Jiqiao to govern 14 Zong in the pastoral area of northern Tibet and north of Lhasa. Nagqu Zong was one of them.
In 1959, Nagqu County was established, once known as Black River County, under jurisdiction of Black River Prefecture.
In 1960, “Black River Prefecture” was renamed “Nagqu Prefecture”.
In 1965, Black River County was renamed “Nagqu County”.
In 1970, Nagqu Prefecture was renamed Nagqu Administrative District, and Nagqu County was under jurisdiction of Nagqu Administrative District.
In 2017, Nagqu Prefecture and Nagqu County were both abolished, and Nagqu City was established; Seni District was established as the urban area of Nagqu City, the administrative area of Nagqu County was the administrative area of Seni District.
