| Xichang 西昌市 · ꀒꎂꏃ | |
|---|---|
| County-level city | |
 | |
.png) Location of Xichang City jurisdiction (red) within Liangshan Prefecture (yellow) and Sichuan | |
  XichangLocation in SichuanShow map of Sichuan XichangXichang (China)Show map of China | |
| Coordinates: 27°53′40″N 102°15′52″E / 27.89444°N 102.26444°E / 27.89444; 102.26444 | |
| Country | China |
| Province | Sichuan |
| Prefecture | Liangshan |
| Municipal seat | Beicheng Subdistrict |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,655 km (1,025 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,542 m (5,059 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 955,041 |
| • Density | 360/km (930/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (China Standard) |
| Postal code | 615000 |
| Area code | 0834 |
| Website | www |
| Xichang | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 西昌 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Western Prosperity | ||||||
| |||||||
| Yi name | |||||||
| Yi | ꀒꎂ Romanisation: Op Rro | ||||||
| Former names | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiandu | |||||||||
| Chinese | 建都 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Establishing Capital | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Jianchang | |||||||||
| Chinese | 建昌 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Establishing Prosperity | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Xichang (Northern Yi: /o̝˨˩dʐo̝˧/) 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 1253–56, 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 saggi. A small change was made using half-catty pieces of molded salt, each reckoned as one-eightieth of a 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.
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. 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. In 2012, it had an estimated population of 481,796.
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 (49.8 °F) in January to 22.6 °C (72.7 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 17.15 °C (62.9 °F). Over 60% of the 1,025 mm (40.4 in) 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.
| Climate data for Xichang, elevation 1,591 m (5,220 ft) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
28.7 (83.7) |
33.5 (92.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
39.1 (102.4) |
36.0 (96.8) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.1 (95.2) |
34.9 (94.8) |
30.9 (87.6) |
27.8 (82.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
39.1 (102.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
27.4 (81.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.8 (78.4) |
22.8 (73.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
24.1 (75.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) |
12.8 (55.0) |
16.6 (61.9) |
19.6 (67.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.2 (63.0) |
13.6 (56.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
17.5 (63.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
10.3 (50.5) |
13.4 (56.1) |
16.3 (61.3) |
18.2 (64.8) |
19.1 (66.4) |
18.8 (65.8) |
16.9 (62.4) |
13.8 (56.8) |
9.2 (48.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.1 (26.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.3 (32.5) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.1 (44.8) |
11.4 (52.5) |
12.7 (54.9) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 4.6 (0.18) |
5.8 (0.23) |
13.6 (0.54) |
32.3 (1.27) |
83.0 (3.27) |
234.5 (9.23) |
234.8 (9.24) |
179.6 (7.07) |
163.3 (6.43) |
67.5 (2.66) |
16.8 (0.66) |
5.0 (0.20) |
1,040.8 (40.98) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 5.0 | 8.7 | 13.0 | 19.0 | 17.9 | 15.9 | 15.6 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 118.5 |
| Average snowy days | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 2.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 49 | 43 | 41 | 45 | 54 | 71 | 74 | 71 | 74 | 71 | 63 | 59 | 60 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 221.5 | 216.7 | 247.4 | 235.9 | 207.2 | 136.6 | 142.8 | 163.5 | 126.6 | 142.2 | 186.0 | 198.3 | 2,224.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 67 | 68 | 66 | 61 | 49 | 33 | 34 | 41 | 35 | 40 | 58 | 62 | 51 |
| Source: China Meteorological Administration all-time extreme temperature | |||||||||||||
Administrative divisions
Xichang comprises 7 subdistricts, 11 towns, 6 townships and 2 ethnic townships.
| Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu pinyin | Yi | Romanized Yi | Administrative division code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subdistricts | ||||||
| Beicheng Subdistrict | 北城街道 | Běichéng Jiēdào | ꀙꍰꏦꈜ | bip chep jie gga | 513401001 | |
| Xicheng Subdistrict | 西城街道 | Xīchéng Jiēdào | ꑟꍰꏦꈜ | xi chep jie gga | 513401002 | |
| Dongcheng Subdistrict | 东城街道 | Dōngchéng Jiēdào | ꄏꍰꏦꈜ | do chep jie gga | 513401003 | |
| Chang'an Subdistrict | 长安街道 | Cháng'ān Jiēdào | ꍤꉢꏦꈜ | chap nga jie gga | 513401004 | |
| Xincun Subdistrict | 新村街道 | Xīncūn Jiēdào | ꑟꋂꏦꈜ | xi ce jie gga | 513401005 | |
| Hainan Subdistrict | 海南街道 | Hǎinán Jiēdào | ꉰꇂꏦꈜ | hie lap jie gga | 513401007 | |
| Madao Subdistrict | 马道街道 | Mǎdào Jiēdào | ꂶꄐꏦꈜ | max dop jie gga | 513401008 | |
| Towns | ||||||
| Lizhou Town | 礼州镇 | Lǐzhōu Zhèn | ꇉꂾꍔ | lo mox zhep | 513401101 | |
| Anning Town | 安宁镇 | Ānníng Zhèn | ꉢꆀꍔ | nga nip zhep | 513401102 | |
| Chuanxing Town | 川兴镇 | Chuānxīng Zhèn | ꍧꑟꍔ | chuo xi zhep | 513401103 | |
| Huanglianguang Town | 黄联关镇 | Huángliánguān Zhèn | ꉸꆃꇨꍔ | huop niep guo zhep | 513401104 | |
| Youjun Town | 佑君镇 | Yòujūn Zhèn | ꒀꏢꍔ | yop ji zhep | 513401105 | |
| Taihe Town | 太和镇 | Tàihé Zhèn | ꄠꉼꍔ | tiep hop zhep | 513401106 | |
| Anha Town | 安哈镇 | Ānhā Zhèn | ꉢꉳꍔ | nga ha zhep | 513401107 | |
| Aqi Town | 阿七镇 | Āqī Zhèn | ꀈꐕꍔ | at qyp zhep | 513401108 | |
| Zhangmuqing Town | 樟木箐镇 | Zhāngmùqìng Zhèn | ꍈꃆꏿꍔ | zha mup qip zhep | 513401109 | |
| Langhuan Town | 琅环镇 | Lánghuán Zhèn | ꇂꉸꍔ | lap huop zhep | 513401110 | |
| Baru Town | 巴汝镇 | Bārǔ Zhèn | ꀠꌼꍔ | ba ssut zhep | 513401111 | |
| Townships | ||||||
| Sihe Township | 四合乡 | Sìhé Xiāng | ꌧꉼꑣ | syp hop xie | 513401203 | |
| Kaiyuan Township | 开元乡 | Kāiyuán Xiāng | ꇽꑸꑣ | kie yiep xie | 513401211 | |
| Daxing Township | 大兴乡 | Dàxīng Xiāng | ꄉꑟꑣ | da xi xie | 513401212 | |
| Jingjiu Township | 经久乡 | Jīngjiǔ Xiāng | ꏢꏭꑣ | ji jox xie | 513401215 | |
| Ma'anshan Township | 马鞍山乡 | Mǎ'ānshān Xiāng | ꂶꉢꎭꑣ | max nga sha xie | 513401228 | |
| Ethnic townships | ||||||
| Yulong Hui Ethnic Township | 裕隆回族乡 | Yùlóng Huízú Xiāng | ꒄꇊꉇꉈꑣ | yup lop hxix hxi xie | 513401219 | |
| Gaocao Hui Ethnic Township | 高草回族乡 | Gāocǎo Huízú Xiāng | ꇨꊿꉇꉈꑣ | guo co hxix hxi xie | 513401220 | |
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.
Xichang lies on the G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway.
Spaceport
Main article: Xichang Satellite Launch CenterXichang's spaceport is located about 64 kilometres (40 mi) 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.
References
Citations
- "凉山州第七次全国人口普查公报（第二号）——县（市）人口情况" (in Chinese). Government of Liangshan Prefecture. June 2, 2021.
- ^ Haw 2006, p. 99–100.
- Polo (1903), Vol. II, p. 54.
- EB (1878), Vol. V, "China".
- "Significant Earthquake Information". NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- "Diocese of Xichang". Union of Catholic Asian News. Archived from the original on May 10, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- Terrill, Ross (December 20, 1987). "A World Away From Beijing". The New York Times (a transcribed text from a newspaper). p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- "M 6.6 - 59 km N of Xichang, China" (from the GeoNames database). United States Geological Survey. Nearby Places. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
- 中国气象数据网 - WeatherBk Data (in Chinese (China)). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
- 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
- 中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）. China Meteorological Administration. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved October 6, 2024.
- Wade, Mark (February 7, 2005). "Xichang". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on January 29, 2005.
- "Xichang - Chinese Space Facilities". globalsecurity.org. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
General and cited references
- Baynes, T. S., ed. (1878), "China" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 5 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
- Haw, Stephen G. (November 22, 2006). Marco Polo's China: A Venetian in the Realm of Khubilai Khan. ISBN 978-1134275427.
- Polo, Marco (1903). Yule, Henry (ed.). The Travels of Marco Polo.
- Vogel, Hans Ulrich (November 21, 2012). Marco Polo Was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts, and Revenues. ISBN 978-9004231931.
- Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives (January 3, 1999). "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. Retrieved June 30, 2007. (Congressional report discussing Intelsat 708 launch failure and possible technology transfer.)
- "2002 State Dept. Charge Letter to Hughes". Softwar. 2005. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007. (Documents on Intelsat 708 and export controls, including State Department letter charging two companies with export law violations.)
- Anatoly Zak (February 2013). "Disaster at Xichang". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved April 21, 2013. (Article on the crash of a rocket carrying a commercial payload on February 15, 1996.)
