Maerkang

Barkam

Barkam

County-level city in Sichuan, China

Not to be confused with Barkham.
For the town with the same name, see Barkam Town.

Barkam or Markang or Muerkvua is a county-level city in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in the northwest of Sichuan province, China. The city seat is the town of Barkam.[2][3] As of the 2010 Chinese Census, Barkam has a population of 58,437.[2]

Quick Facts 马尔康市 · འབར་ཁམས་གྲོང་ཁྱེར། · Muerkvua shiMa'erkang, Country ...
Quick Facts Chinese name, Simplified Chinese ...

Toponymy

Barkam comes from the Tibetan "place of strong fire" and, by extension, "place of prosperity".[2]

History

Historically, Barkam belonged to the Somang Tusi (Chinese: 梭磨土司; pinyin: Suōmó Tǔsī), one of the Gyalrong Tusi.[2] The area was administered as three units: Zhuokeji (Chinese: 卓克基; pinyin: Zhuōkèjī), Zonggag (Chinese: 松岗; pinyin: Sōnggǎng), and Tamba (Chinese: 党坝; pinyin: Dǎngbà).[2]

During the Qin dynasty, the area belonged to Jiandi Dao.[4] It belonged to Wenshan Commandery [zh] during the Han dynasty.[4] During the Tang and Song dynasties, the area was part of the Jimi system.[4] The area was governed by the Bureau of Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs during the Yuan dynasty.[4] During the reign of the Yongle Emperor during the Ming dynasty, the area belonged to the Zagu Tusi [zh].[4] During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty, the area was brought under the control of the Lifan Ting [zh].[4] Under the subsequent Jiaqing Emperor, the area was reorganized as the Zagu Ting [zh].[4]

During the Republic of China, the area was organized as Lifan County (Chinese: 理番县; pinyin: Lǐfān Xiàn).[4]

People's Republic of China

In December 1950, officials from nearby Mao County embarked on a mission to establish temporary governing committees in the area of present-day Barkam.[4] The People's Republic of China established control of the area in August 1951.[4] In September 1951, the area was incorporated as the Situ Aba Provisional Military Government Committee (Chinese: 四土阿坝临时军政委员会; pinyin: Sìtǔ Ābà Línshí Jūnzhèng Wěiyuánhuì).[2][4] In April 1953, Barkam was organized as the Barkam Office (Chinese: 马尔康办事处; pinyin: Mǎ'ěrkāng Bànshìchù).[2][4] Barkam was reorganized as a county on April 21, 1956.[4]

In 1957, the areas of Sizhai (Chinese: 四寨), Rangkou [zh] (Chinese: 壤口), and Longri [zh] (Chinese: 龙日) were moved from Barkam County to nearby Hongyuan County.[2]

In November 2015, the State Council agreed to reorganize Barkam as a county-level city.[2][4]

On December 18, 2019, the Department of Civil Affairs of Sichuan Province approved the merger of the now-defunct town of Zhuokeji [zh] into the town of Barkam.[5]

Geography

Barkam is located within the southwest portion of Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, in northwest Sichuan.[3] The city is located on the southern edge of the Norhwest Sichuan Plateau [zh].[3] Major rivers that flow through Barkam include the Somang River [zh], the Chabao River (Chinese: 茶堡河; pinyin: Chábǎo Hé), and the Gyomgyo River [zh].[3] Barkam's canyons are densely forested, with major tree genus's including fir, spruce, larch, birch, and oak.[6] Quercus semecarpifolia, a species of oak tree, is present in Barkam.[6]

Fauna

The forests in the mountains are home to various protected animals such as leopards, Thorold's deer, sika deer, takin, and various birds.[6]

Climate

Due to its elevation, Barkam lies in the transition between a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb) and humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb), with strong monsoonal influences; winters are frosty and summers warm with frequent rain. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −0.5 °C (31.1 °F) in December and January to 16.4 °C (61.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 8.75 °C (47.7 °F). Nearly two-thirds of the annual precipitation of 784 mm (30.9 in) occurs from June to September. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 36% in June to 65% in December, the town receives 2,133 hours of bright sunshine annually. Diurnal temperature variation is large, averaging 16.0 °C (28.8 °F) annually.

More information Climate data for Barkam, elevation 2,664 m (8,740 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2010), Month ...

Administrative divisions

Barkam administers the following three towns and 10 townships:[10]

More information Name, Simplified Chinese ...

Demographics

As of the 2010 Chinese Census, Barkam has a population of 58,437.[2] This represents an increase from the 55,046 recorded in the 2000 Chinese Census.[2] Barkam had a population of 54,735 in 1999.[12] In 1996, Barkam had an estimated population of 54,000.[2]

As of 2016 government figures, 77.41% of Barkam is classified as ethnically Tibetan, while 18.09% is ethnically Han Chinese, 2.97% is ethnically Qiang, 1.20% is ethnically Hui, and the remaining 0.34% belong to other ethnic groups.[13]

The area is traditionally inhabited by a branch of Rgyalrong people who speak the Situ language.[14] Chagpar Township [zh] hosts a unique dialect of Situ.[15]

Economy

As of 2021, Barkam has a gross domestic product (GDP) of about 4.6 billion renminbi (RMB).[16] This represents an approximate 70% increase from 2016.[16] GDP per capita as of 2021 was approximately 78,000 RMB, also a 70% increase from 2016.[16]

Barkam is home to over 1,300 ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, including many derived from local deer, bears, cattle, fungus, and lilies.[6]

Transport

Tourism

Major historical sites in Barkam include:

  • Zhuokeji Tusi Official Village [zh][3]
  • Codün Temple [zh][3]
  • Zonggag Zhibo Stone Blockhouse Group (Chinese: 松岗直波石碉群; pinyin: Sōnggǎng Zhíbō Shí Diāo Qún)[3]
  • Red Army Slogan Stone Inscription (Chinese: 红军标语石刻; pinyin: Hóngjūn Biāoyǔ Shíkè)[3]
  • Zhuomu Blockhouse Meeting Site (Chinese: 卓木碉会址; pinyin: Zhuōmù Diāo Huì Zhǐ)[3]

Notes

  1. [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. [2]
    马尔康市历史沿革 [Ma'erkang Organizational History]. xzqh.org (in Chinese). 2015-12-17. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  3. [3]
    马尔康市概况地图 [Ma'erkang Overview]. xzqh.org (in Chinese). 2015-12-17. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  4. [4]
    历史沿革 [Organizational History]. www.maerkang.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ma'erkang Municipal People's Government. 2022-01-04. Archived from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  5. [5]
    四川省人民政府关于同意阿坝州调整马尔康市等10个县（市）部分乡镇行政区划的批复（川府民政〔2019〕22号）. mzt.sc.gov.cn (in Chinese). Department of Civil Affairs of Sichuan Province. 2019-12-20. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  6. [6]
    自然资源 [Natural Resources]. maerkang.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ma'erkang Municipal People's Government. 2021-05-27. Archived from the original on 2021-10-17. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  7. [7]
    中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  8. [8]
    中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  9. [9]
    马尔康 - 气象数据 -中国天气网 (in Chinese). Weather China. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  10. [10]
    2023年统计用区划代码（马尔康市） [2023 Statistical Division Codes (Barkam)] (in Chinese). National Bureau of Statistics of China. 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  11. [11]
    "Administrative Divisions of China in minority languages (Sichuan)". ttpedersen.github.io. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  12. [12]
    National Population Statistics Materials by County and City - 1999 Period, in China County & City Population 1999, Harvard China Historical GIS
  13. [13]
    行政区划 [Administrative Divisions]. maerkang.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ma'erkang Municipal Government. 2017-03-22. Archived from the original on 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  14. [14]
    "Rgyalrong Culture" 嘉绒人文. Ma'erkang City Government website. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  15. [15]
    Zhang, Shuya (January 2023). 四土嘉绒语白湾话核心论元关系化 [Relationalization of Core Arguments in the Baiwan Dialect of the Situ rGyalrong Language]. Yuyan Kexue (in Chinese). 22 (1): 76.
  16. [16]
    社会经济 [Society and Economy]. www.maerkang.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ma'erkang Municipal People's Government. 2022-01-04. Archived from the original on 2022-03-20. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
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