Xichang Explained

Xichang
Native Name: · Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꀒꎂꏃ
Settlement Type:County-level city
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:China
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Sichuan
Subdivision Type2:Prefecture
Subdivision Name2:Liangshan
Seat:Beicheng Subdistrict
Seat Type:Municipal seat
Area Total Km2:2655
Population As Of:2020
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Total:955041
Population Footnotes:[1]
Pushpin Map:Sichuan#China
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Sichuan
Coordinates:27.8944°N 102.2644°W
Elevation M:1542
Timezone:China Standard
Utc Offset:+8
Postal Code:615000
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Area Code:0834
Pic:XC name.svg
Picsize:125px
P:Xīchāng
L:Western Prosperity
Lang1:Yi
Lang1 Content:Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꀒꎂ
Romanisation: Op Rro
Former names
Also Known As:Jiandu
P2:Jiàndū
L2:Establishing Capital
W2:Chien-tu
Altname3:Jianchang
P3:Jiànchāng
L3:Establishing Prosperity
W3:Chien-chang

Xichang is a city in and the seat of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Sichuan, China.

History

The Qiongdu were the local people at the time of contact with China. The county of Qiongdu is attested in the area from the Han dynasty. Under the Song dynasty, a local lord was given the title of "King of the Qiongdu" (Qiongdu Wang). The area formed part of the medieval Kingdom of Dali and was subdued by the Mongolians from 1272–4, after which it was incorporated into Yunnan of the Yuan dynasty. It was organized as the Jiandu Ningyuan duhufu, qianhufu, or wanhufu but continued to be often known as Jiandu. In the book of his travels, Marco Polo recorded that the people of Jiandu and its hinterland used no coins but rods of gold bullion reckoned in Italian: saggi. A small change was made using half-catty pieces of molded salt, each reckoned as one-eightieth of a Italian: saggio of pure gold. Under the Qing, it was officially known as Ningyuan Commandery but also continued to be referenced under the old name Jianchang. In the 19th century, it was the center of Sichuan's production of "white wax".

In 1850, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake killed more than 20,600 people in Xichang. The city walls in Xichang County, three gate towers—the west, south and north—and some prisons collapsed.[2]

Roman Catholicism was introduced to Ningyuan in the 18th century by the Paris Foreign Missions Society. The Apostolic Vicariate of Kienchang was established in 1910 and was elevated to a diocese in 1946.[3] The episcopal residence is located next to the Cathedral of the Angels, Xichang.

In the 1980s, its population was thought to be around 140,000 people.[4] In 2012, it had an estimated population of 481,796.[5]

Geography

Xichang lies in a mountainous region of far southern Sichuan. The city is just northeast of the prefecture-level city of Panzhihua. The Anning River is the main river in the area. It is an affluent of the Yalong, Jinsha, and Yangtze rivers. It lies near Qiong Lake.

Climate

Owing to its low latitude and high elevation, Xichang has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) milder and far sunnier than the Sichuan Basin, with mild, very sunny and dry winters, and very warm, rainy summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 9.9°C in January to 22.6°C in July, and the annual mean is 17.15°C. Over 60% of the 1025mm annual precipitation occurs from June to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 36% in September to 72% in January, the city receives 2,367 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Administrative divisions

Xichang comprises 7 subdistricts, 11 towns, 6 townships and 2 ethnic townships.

NameSimplified ChineseHanyu pinyinYiRomanized YiAdministrative division code
Subdistricts
Beicheng SubdistrictChinese: 北城街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꀙꍰꏦꈜ513401001
Xicheng SubdistrictChinese: 西城街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꑟꍰꏦꈜ513401002
Dongcheng SubdistrictChinese: 东城街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꄏꍰꏦꈜ513401003
Chang'an SubdistrictChinese: 长安街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꍤꉢꏦꈜ513401004
Xincun SubdistrictChinese: 新村街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꑟꋂꏦꈜ513401005
Hainan SubdistrictChinese: 海南街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꉰꇂꏦꈜ513401007
Madao SubdistrictChinese: 马道街道Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꂶꄐꏦꈜ513401008
Towns
Lizhou TownChinese: 礼州镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꇉꂾꍔ513401101
Anning TownChinese: 安宁镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꉢꆀꍔ513401102
Chuanxing TownChinese: 川兴镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꍧꑟꍔ513401103
Huanglianguang TownChinese: 黄联关镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꉸꆃꇨꍔ513401104
Youjun TownChinese: 佑君镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꒀꏢꍔ513401105
Taihe TownChinese: 太和镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꄠꉼꍔ513401106
Anha TownChinese: 安哈镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꉢꉳꍔ513401107
Aqi TownChinese: 阿七镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꀈꐕꍔ513401108
Zhangmuqing TownChinese: 樟木箐镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꍈꃆꏿꍔ513401109
Langhuan TownChinese: 琅环镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꇂꉸꍔ513401110
Baru TownChinese: 巴汝镇Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꀠꌼꍔ513401111
Townships
Sihe TownshipChinese: 四合乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꌧꉼꑣ513401203
Kaiyuan TownshipChinese: 开元乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꇽꑸꑣ513401211
Daxing TownshipChinese: 大兴乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꄉꑟꑣ513401212
Jingjiu TownshipChinese: 经久乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꏢꏭꑣ513401215
Ma'anshan TownshipChinese: 马鞍山乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꂶꉢꎭꑣ513401228
Ethnic townships
Yulong Hui Ethnic TownshipChinese: 裕隆回族乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꒄꇊꉇꉈꑣ513401219
Gaocao Hui Ethnic TownshipChinese: 高草回族乡Sichuan Yi; Nuosu: ꇨꊿꉇꉈꑣ513401220

Transportation

Xichang Railway Station (西昌站) is a main station on the Chengdu–Kunming railway. Construction of a fast express train line has been completed. It connected Panzhihua, Chengdu and Guangyuan. There are also some other stations in the city, including the Xichang North railway station and Xichang South railway station.

The city possesses its own airport, Xichang Qingshan Airport, which is attached to the spaceport by a railroad line and a motorway directly.[6]

Xichang lies on the G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway.

Spaceport

See main article: Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Xichang's spaceport is located about northwest of the city and went into operation in 1984. Communications satellites are the most common payload to be inserted into orbit from the Xichang spaceport.[7]

References

General and cited references

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 凉山州第七次全国人口普查公报(第二号)——县(市)人口情况 . Government of Liangshan Prefecture . zh . 2021-06-02 .
  2. Web site: Significant Earthquake Information . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20230419000247/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1905 . April 19, 2023 . 18 October 2021 . NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
  3. Web site: . . Diocese of Xichang . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20200510210807/https://www.ucanews.com/directory/dioceses/china-xichang/258 . May 10, 2020 . November 22, 2022 . Union of Catholic Asian News.
  4. News: Terrill . Ross . 1987-12-20 . A World Away From Beijing . limited . live . https://wayback-api.archive.org/web/20090422174238/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/travel/a-world-away-from-beijing.html . April 22, 2009 . 2024-05-20 . The New York Times . 9 . en-US . a transcribed text from a newspaper . 0362-4331.
  5. Web site: M 6.6 - 59 km N of Xichang, China . 2024-05-20 . United States Geological Survey . Nearby Places . from the GeoNames database.
  6. Web site: Wade . Mark . February 7, 2005 . Xichang . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050129090651/http://www.astronautix.com/sites/xichang.htm . January 29, 2005 . Encyclopedia Astronautica.
  7. Web site: July 21, 2011 . Xichang - Chinese Space Facilities . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231018024157/https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/xichang.htm . October 18, 2023 . 2024-05-20 . globalsecurity.org.