Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (海北藏族自治州)

1. Introduction

Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan: མཚོ་བྱང་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ།, Wylie transliteration: mtsho-byang bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul, Tibetan pinyin: Cojang Poirig Ranggyong Kü), abbreviated as Haibei Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture under the jurisdiction of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China, located in the northeastern part of Qinghai Province. The prefecture borders Haidong City and Xining City to the southeast, Hainan Prefecture to the south, Haixi Prefecture to the west, Zhangye City of Gansu Province to the north, and Wuwei City of Gansu Province to the east. Situated on the southern foothills of the middle section of the Qilian Mountains, the terrain is higher in the north and lower in the south. The northern part is formed by a series of northwest-to-southeast trending parallel mountain ranges and valleys, including the Corridor South Mountains, Lenglong Ridge, Tuole Mountains, Shule South Mountains, and Daban Mountains. The southern part consists of the northern half of Qinghai Lake's surface and its surrounding lakeside plains, featuring vast grasslands. The Datong River flows diagonally across the entire territory from northwest to southeast. Other major rivers include the Heihe River, Huangshui River, Babao River, and Tuole River. The prefecture covers a total area of 34,390 square kilometers, with a registered population of approximately 300,000. The proportions of Han, Hui, and Tibetan populations are about 36%, 32%, and 24%, respectively. The prefectural people's government is located in Xihai Town, Haiyan County.

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2. History

In ancient times, this area was Qiang territory. In the fourth year of the Yuanshi era of the Han Dynasty (4 CE), the Xihai Commandery was established at the present-day Sanjiaocheng in Haiyan County, governing what are now Haiyan, Gangcha, Gonghe, and Xinghai counties (Records of Xining Prefecture).

During the Jin Dynasty, the Xiping Commandery was established, and later the Haibei region came under the rule of the Western Qin, Northern Liang, and Southern Liang states (Draft Records of Gansu Province).

In the fifth year of the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty (609 CE), after Emperor Yang defeated the main forces of Tuyuhun’s Fuyun, he established the Xihai Commandery, with its seat at Duozhi Fuqi City, and the Haibei region fell under its jurisdiction (Book of Sui).

In the fifth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty (631 CE), Michuan County was established, governing the Menyuan area (Draft Records of Gansu Province). In the twenty-sixth year of the Kaiyuan era (738 CE), Du Xiwang, the military governor of Shan Prefecture, captured the Tibetan new city at present-day Jinbatai in Menyuan and established the Weirong Army, stationing troops there for defense.

During the Yuan Dynasty, the Pacification Commissioner and Military Governor’s Office for Tibetan and Other Regions was established, and the Haibei region came under its jurisdiction.

In the eighth year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1378 CE), the Anding and Arui garrisons were established. The Haibei region fell within the jurisdiction of these two garrisons. In the fourth year of the Zhengde era (1509 CE), the Mongolian Khoshut tribe, led by Gushi Khan, entered Qinghai from Xinjiang and unified the Mongolian tribes, organizing them into 5 divisions and 29 banners. Among these, 11 banners were located in the Haibei region, placed under the administration of the Imperial Commissioner of Qinghai (stationed in Xining). At the same time, three cities were built: Datong (present-day Menyuan County town), Baita (present-day Chengguan Town in Datong County), and Yong’an (55 km northwest of Menyuan County town). The "Datong Garrison" was established in present-day Menyuan County town, governing Yong’an Camp and Baita Camp, under the jurisdiction of Xining Prefecture.

In the second year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty (1724 CE), the Datong Garrison was established in North Datong City. The present-day Menyuan and eastern Qilian County areas were part of the Datong Garrison, subordinate to Xining Prefecture. In the twenty-sixth year of the Qianlong era (1761 CE), the garrison was converted into a county, governing 33 forts. The present-day Menyuan County was part of the Hongshan Fort under the North Datong Camp of Datong County. In the same year, the garrison system was replaced by county administration.

After the establishment of Qinghai Province in the eighteenth year of the Republic of China (1929 CE), Menyuan County, Qilian Administrative Bureau, and Haiyan Administrative Bureau (later converted into Haiyan County) were successively established, all directly under provincial jurisdiction. The area north of the Daban Mountains was designated as Menyuan County, and the Qilian region, along with Xianmi and Zhugu originally under Xining Prefecture, were incorporated into Menyuan County. In the twenty-eighth year of the Republic of China (1939 CE), the Qilian Administrative Bureau was established. In the thirty-second year of the Republic of China (1943 CE), Haiyan was established as a county. On December 31, 1953, the Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Region was established, governing Menyuan, Haiyan, Qilian, and Gangcha counties. On May 20, 1955, the Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Region was renamed Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

3. Geography

Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the northeastern part of Qinghai Province. To its southeast, it borders Datong, Huzhu, Huangzhong, and Huangyuan counties; to its west, it adjoins Tianjun County of Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; to its south, it faces Gonghe County of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture across Qinghai Lake; and to its north, it neighbors Tianzhu, Shandan, Minle, and Sunan counties of Gansu Province. The total land area of the prefecture is 34,389.89 square kilometers.

Haibei Prefecture lies in the central section of the Qilian Mountains, situated on the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the western edge of the Loess Plateau. Areas with an altitude exceeding 3,000 meters account for over 85% of the prefecture's total area. Mountain ranges of the Qilian system—the Corridor South Mountains (extending southeast as the Lenglong Range), the Tuole Mountains, the Tuole South Mountains, and the Datong Mountains (extending southeast as the Daban Mountain)—run from northwest to southeast. Most peaks within the prefecture have elevations around 4,000 meters, with the highest point being the main peak of Wugeshan Donggounao in the Tuole South Mountains, at 5,287 meters. The southern part features vast grasslands, with a minimum elevation of 2,180 meters.

In the high-altitude areas above 4,000 meters within Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, glaciers are widespread, and snow persists year-round. Modern fluvial processes are relatively intense, resulting in abundant surface runoff resources. There are 24 rivers belonging to exorheic drainage systems, 25 rivers belonging to the Qilian Mountains endorheic drainage system, and 12 rivers belonging to the Qinghai Lake endorheic drainage system. The Datong River is the largest exorheic river in Haibei Prefecture, with a length of 560 kilometers and a basin area of 15,000 square kilometers. The region possesses rich hydropower resources.

Haiyan County Meteorological Data (1971–2000)

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |------|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|------|------|------|------| | Avg high °C (°F) | -6.7 (19.9) | -3.1 (26.4) | 2.1 (35.8) | 7.8 (46.0) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.4 (63.3) | 13.3 (55.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 0.0 (32.0) | -5 (23) | 6.5 (43.8) | | Daily mean °C (°F) | −17.7 (0.1) | -13.5 (7.7) | -7.5 (18.5) | -1.1 (30.0) | 4.3 (39.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.4 (50.7) | 9.6 (49.3) | 4.7 (40.5) | -2.3 (27.9) | -10.7 (12.7) | -16.2 (2.8) | -2.7 (27.2) | | Avg low °C (°F) | -26.1 (−15.0) | -22.5 (−8.5) | -15.9 (3.4) | -8.9 (16.0) | -3.1 (26.4) | 1.4 (34.5) | 4.1 (39.4) | 2.9 (37.2) | -2.2 (28.0) | -9.6 (14.7) | -18.8 (−1.8) | -24.2 (−11.6) | -10.2 (13.6) | | Avg precip mm (inches) | 1.3 (0.05) | 1.9 (0.07) | 3.7 (0.15) | 8.0 (0.31) | 31.9 (1.26) | 66.8 (2.63) | 79.5 (3.13) | 63.5 (2.50) | 27.8 (1.09) | 6.9 (0.27) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.5 (0.02) | 292.9 (11.52) | | Avg precipitation days | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 9.6 | 15.7 | 17.3 | 14.2 | 8.6 | 4.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 87.1 |

4. Administrative Divisions

Haibei Prefecture administers 3 counties and 1 autonomous county.

• Counties: Haiyan County, Qilian County, Gangcha County
• Autonomous County: Menyuan Hui Autonomous County

| Division Code | Division Name Tibetan | Hanyu Pinyin Tibetan Pinyin Wylie Transliteration | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Seat of Government | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |---------------|----------|---------------------|--------------|-------------------------------------|-------------|----------|------------------| ------------------| ------------------| | 632200 | Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture མཚོ་བྱང་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ། | Hǎiběi Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu Cojang Poirig Ranggyong Kü mtsho byang bod rigs rang skyong khul | 34,389.89 | 265,322 | Haiyan County (Xihai Town) | 812200 | 11 | 19 | 2 | | 632221 | Menyaan Hui Autonomous County མོང་ཡོན་ཧུའེ་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་རྫོང་། | Ményuán Huízú Zìzhìxiàn Mongyoin Hu'êrig Ranggyong Zong mong yon hu'e rigs rang skyong rdzong | 6,381.65 | 138,335 | Haomen Town | 810300 | 4 | 8 | 1 | | 632222 | Qilian County ཆི་ལེན་རྫོང་། | Qílián Xiàn Qilên Zong chi len rdzong | 13,919.79 | 48,538 | Babao Town | 810400 | 3 | 4 | | | 632223 | Haiyan County ཧའེ་ཡན་རྫོང་། | Hǎiyàn Xiàn Ha'êyan Zong ha'e yan rdzong | 4,443.10 | 37,729 | Sanjiaocheng Town | 812200 | 2 | 4 | 1 | | 632224 | Gangcha County རྐང་ཚ་རྫོང་། | Gāngchá Xiàn Gangca Zong rkang tsha rdzong | 9,645.35 | 40,720 | Shaliuhe Town | 812300 | 2 | 3 | |

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5. Population

At the end of 2021, the registered population of the entire prefecture was 295,200. Among them, the urban registered population was 81,700, accounting for 27.7% of the total registered population (urbanization rate of registered population); the rural registered population was 213,500, accounting for 72.3%.

According to the Seventh National Population Census of 2020, the permanent resident population of the entire prefecture was 265,322. Compared with the 273,304 people from the Sixth National Population Census, the total population decreased by 7,982 over the ten years, a decline of 2.92%, with an average annual growth rate of -0.3%. Among them, the male population was 135,263, accounting for 50.98% of the total population; the female population was 130,059, accounting for 49.02% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (with females as 100) was 104. The population aged 0-14 was 53,545, accounting for 20.18% of the total population; the population aged 15-59 was 183,971, accounting for 69.34% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 27,806, accounting for 10.48% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 19,214, accounting for 7.24% of the total population. The population living in urban areas was 122,997, accounting for 46.36% of the total population; the population living in rural areas was 142,325, accounting for 53.64% of the total population.

5.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the permanent resident population, the Han ethnic population was 87,679, accounting for 33.05%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 177,643, accounting for 66.95%. Among them: Tibetan population was 68,900, accounting for 25.97%; Hui population was 86,737, accounting for 32.69%; Mongolian population was 12,499, accounting for 4.71%; Tu population was 6,601, accounting for 2.49%; Salar population was 1,177, accounting for 0.44%; other ethnic minorities population was 1,729, accounting for 0.65%. Compared with the 2010 Sixth National Population Census, the Han population decreased by 10,389, a decline of 10.59%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 2.84 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 2,407, an increase of 1.37%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 2.84 percentage points. Among them, the Hui population increased by 587, an increase of 0.68%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 1.17 percentage points; the Tibetan population increased by 2,314, an increase of 3.48%, and its proportion of the total population increased by 1.61 percentage points; the Mongolian population decreased by 1,171, a decline of 8.57%, and its proportion of the total population decreased by 0.29 percentage points.

Ethnic Composition of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (November 2020)

| Ethnic Group | Han | Hui | Tibetan | Mongolian | Tu | Salar | Tujia | Dongxiang | Manchu | Yugur | Other Ethnic Groups | |--------------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-------|--------|--------|--------|------|--------|----------| | Population | 87,679 | 86,737 | 68,900 | 12,499 | 6,601 | 1,177 | 891 | 397 | 101 | 89 | 251 | | Percentage of Total Population (%) | 33.05 | 32.69 | 25.97 | 4.71 | 2.49 | 0.44 | 0.34 | 0.15 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.09 | | Percentage of Minority Population (%) | - | 48.83 | 38.79 | 7.04 | 3.72 | 0.66 | 0.50 | 0.22 | 0.06 | 0.05 | 0.14 |

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Xihai Town, Haiyan County

Menyuan Hui Autonomous County

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