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Songpan County 松潘县 · ཟུང་ཆུ་རྫོང་། · SsezSungqu
County
Terrace in Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Location of Songpan County (red) within Ngawa Prefecture (yellow) and Sichuan
SongpanLocation of the seat in SichuanShow map of SichuanSongpanSongpan (China)Show map of China
Coordinates: 32°39′N 103°36′E / 32.650°N 103.600°E / 32.650; 103.600
Country	China
Province	Sichuan
Autonomous prefecture	Ngawa
County seat	Jin'an
Area
• Total	8,486 km (3,276 sq mi)
Elevation	2,867 m (9,406 ft)
Population
• Total	66,937
• Density	7.9/km (20/sq mi)
• Major nationalities	Tibetan Han Qiang Hui
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	623300
Area code	0837
Website	www.songpan.gov.cn

Songpan County, formerly Songzhou, is a county in northwestern Sichuan province, China, and is one of the 13 counties administered by the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It has an area of 8,486 square kilometres (3,276 sq mi), and a population of approximately 68,000 composed of Tibetan, Qiang, Han and Hui populations.

History

The ancient city of Songpan was built during the Tang dynasty and it was later rebuilt during Ming dynasty. Songpan was an important military post. It was also an important economic and trading center for horse and tea exchange between Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet.

During Tang rule, it was the border with the Tibetan Empire. Emperor Songtsen Gampo of Tibet tried to invade Tang China through this gate. Emperor Taizong of Tang offered him Princess Wencheng at Songzhou (now Songpan) in 641. According to Tibetan and Chinese legends, Princess Wencheng then brings with her among other things the Jowo statue to the Tibetan Empire. Throughout the Ming dynasty, the Chinese court was troubled by the frequent invasion of the Songpan area. The area was given to a Tibetan lama friendly with the Chinese court to maintain frontier control while leaving it in local hands.

In August 1935, led by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, the retreating People's Liberation Army marched through the Songpan Grasslands to advance to the northwestern province.

While Songpan can be a charming city in its own right, the countryside surrounding the city offers a variety of tourist attractions. The hills surrounding the city are visual delights of Tibetan cattle herders leading their livestock over rolling grasses, endless valleys, and generally beautiful landscape. All of this can be seen through affordable horseback riding outlets on the outskirts of the city.

Geography and climate

Songpan covers latitudes 32° 06′−33° 09′ N and longitudes 102° 38′−104° 15′ E, and has a total area of 8,608 square kilometres (3,324 sq mi). Neighbouring counties are Pingwu to the east, Beichuan to the southeast, Mao to the south, Hongyuan and Heishui to the southwest, and Jiuzhaigou and Zoigê to the north.

Due to its altitude, Songpan has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb), with cool winters and warm, rainy summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −3.4 °C (25.9 °F) in January to 14.8 °C (58.6 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 6.28 °C (43.3 °F). The high elevation also results in a large diurnal temperature variation, exceeding 17 °C (31 °F) in winter. More than 70% of the 708 mm (27.9 in) of annual precipitation occurs from May to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 31% in September to 57% in December, the county seat receives 1,831 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Economy and Tourism

The economy of Songpan is dominated by agriculture and livestock raising. In recent years, tourism has become an increasingly important sector, and is actively promoted by the authorities. Additionally, Songpan is popular among foreign students and other Chinese language learners staying in China as the base for treks through the scenic mountains nearby. Apart from the scenic attraction of Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area which is located in the county, Songpan with its strategic location also acts as the gateway to Jiuzhaigou Valley at the north.

Administrative divisions

Songpan County has 7 towns, 9 townships, one ethnic township, and one other township-level division.

Transport

• China National Highway 213
• Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport

See also

• Jiandi Dao
• 1976 Songpan-Pingwu earthquake

Gallery

• Street peddlers in Songpan, 2002
• Street peddlers in Songpan, 2002
• Songpan Bridge

References

1. "阿坝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 Ngawa Prefecture. 2021-06-11.
2. Kapstein, Matthew (2009). Buddhism between Tibet and China. Wisdom Publications.
3. 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
4. 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
5. 松潘 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 27 November 2022.

External links

• Government Website
• Additional Songpan tourist information
• Songpan travel information

• Songpan County
• County-level divisions of Sichuan
• Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture