Aba is one of two Tibetan "autonomous" prefectures in Sichuan Province, the other being Ganzi Prefecture to the west. Aba lies to the north of Sichuan capital of Chengdu; its own capital is Barkam, a windswept Tibetan town of yaks, motorcycles and monks that is experiencing boom times as the provincial government teams up with locals and Han businessmen to develop the region.
Aba's ethnic makeup is slightly different than its cousin to the west. While Ganzi is mostly Khampa Tibetan mixed with Qiang, Hui, Naxi and Yi minorities, in Aba, Jiarong Tibetans are the largest ethnic group, complemented by Qiang, Hui and Han. The terrain is slightly less forbidding that of Ganzi, making it more amenable to settlement and therefore a more popular destination for Han Chinese moving in from the east.
The geography of northern Sichuan is rugged and mountainous; it's also lush and riven with streams and lake-speckled valleys like Jiuzhaigou, one of China's most famous tourist destinations. Near Jiuzhaigou is Huanglong National Park, famous for its vivid turquoise lakes and hotsprings, while just south of that is semi-arid Songpan—half Muslim, half Tibetan and home to nearly as many horses as humans.
Just a few hours northwest of Chengdu and within Aba Prefecture lies the gorgeous town of Danba, which features beautiful Tibetan architecture, towering snow-capped peaks and old watchtowers dotting the mountainsides.
In the far northwest of Aba, yet another landscape awaits adventurous travelers; Ruoergai, a vast wetland prairie, enjoys some of the greatest biodiversity anywhere in China.
In sum, few regions in China have more outdoor activities to offer than Aba Prefecture, from hiking and trekking, to religious and cultural sites, to jawdroppingly beautiful alpine landscapes and a rich mix of indigenous cultures.
Sichuan guide | Aba guide | Aba attractions | Jiuzhaigou flights
Jiuzhaigou hotels | Aba tours & activities | Aba on the China Travel Blog
History
Aba Prefecture has a long and convoluted history as the crossroads of at least four major civilizations. The Aba or Ngaba/Ngawa area is culturally part of the Amdo Tibetan region which encompasses northern Sichuan, southern Gansu and Qinghai Provinces. Politically, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture is part of Sichuan Province.
Amdo (and therefore the Aba region) was always split up amongst the various tribes, warlords, spiritual leadres and ethnicities of western China. This includes Tibetans, Mongols, Hui Muslims and Han Chinese.
After the breakup of the Tibetan Empire in the 9th century, Amdo was ruled by local chieftains and warlords as well as spiritual heads of the various monasteries, most notably Labrang Monastery.
The Mongols under Kublai Khan conquered Amdo (and everything else they came across) and ruled until deep into the 13th century. It was under the Mongols that the Dalai Lama became the leader of Tibet. The Dalai was in effect propped up by Mongol power against teh many local kings and warlords, until the position eventually gained the respect and acknowledgement of most common Tibetans.
The MIng Dynasty was the first Han Chinese dynasty to truly penetrate and control much of Amdo and parts of Kham (modern day western Sichuan). The Imperial government reached as far as the Himalayas, but much of the actual ruling was still done by local chieftains, in general ethnic Tibetans or Mongols (who by this time has become more Tibetan than Mongol).
The Qing Dynasty controlled all of Tibet (Kham, Amdo and U-Tsang, modern Tibetan Autonomous Region TAR) for a few years and exerted constant pressure on the region. The Manchu Dynasty ruled -- as the Ming and Yuan before them -- from afar, using local chieftains to carry out their rule, but basically leaving the region to its own devices.
That changed in the 20th century when the Nationalists allied themsleves with local Hui Muslim warlords to attack, conquer and subjugate as much of Amdo as possible, even taking Labrang Monastery for a short time. The constant bloodshed between the Hui Muslim in the employ of the Republic of China and the Amdo (Ngolok) Tibetans centered on Labrang was put to a stop by the People's Liberation Army, which defeated everyone in its path and assumed full and total control over all of the Tibetan regions in 1959, after putting down several rebellions.
Aba's role in all of this was arguably more peaceful. Much of the fighting was in Gansu and Qinghai Provinces (especially the Xiahe and Labrang areas of Gansu) or in Kham, west of Aba. Today, Hui Muslims and Han Chinese less than 1/3 of the population with Qiang and Tibetans making up much of the rest -- Tibetans with just under 2/3 of the population.
There seems to be little evidence of the ethnic strife between Hui and Tibetan that marked much of the early 20th century, even though the monasteries themselves are still besieged today, in the 21st century.
Sichuan guide | Aba guide | Aba attractions | Jiuzhaigou flights
Jiuzhaigou hotels | Aba tours & activities | Aba on the China Travel Blog
Climate
Aba Prefecture is part of the Himalayan sprawl. The region is mountainous and thus the winters are cold, teh summers bright and sunny, the spring slightly rainy and crisp and the fall actually has leaves turning colors. In the southwestern part, you have Danba and the wetter mountains closer to the Chengdu basin, whereas farther north you reach Jiuzhaigou, where the climate is decidedly drier and colder.
Travel to Aba anytime, the weather (even in winter) is awesome especially if you are coming (coughing and choking) out of the lowlands or even worse, a city.
Sichuan guide | Aba guide | Aba attractions | Jiuzhaigou flights
Jiuzhaigou hotels | Aba tours & activities | Aba on the China Travel Blog