Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (果洛藏族自治州)

1. Introduction

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Tibetan: མགོ་ལོག་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ།, Wylie: mgo-log bod-rigs rang-skyong-khul, Tibetan Pinyin: Golog Poirig Ranggyong Kü), abbreviated as Golog Prefecture, is an autonomous prefecture under the jurisdiction of Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China, located in the southeastern part of Qinghai Province. The prefecture borders Huangnan Prefecture to the northeast, Hainan Prefecture and Haixi Prefecture to the north, Yushu Prefecture to the west, Ganzi Prefecture and Ngawa Prefecture of Sichuan Province to the south, and Gannan Prefecture of Gansu Province to the east. Situated in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is traversed by the Bayan Har Mountains in the south and the Anyêmaqên Mountains in the north, with the eastern part featuring the Nyenbo Yutse (Golog Mountain), which is the source of the Dadu River. The Yellow River (locally known as the Maqu River) flows across the entire territory, and the northwestern part of the prefecture contains large lakes such as the Ngoring Lake, Gyaring Lake, and Donggi Cona Lake. The total area of the prefecture is 74,246 square kilometers, with a permanent resident population of 215,600 people. The capital of the autonomous prefecture is located in Maqên County. Golog Prefecture has vast grasslands, and its economy is primarily based on animal husbandry.

2. Etymology

(1) Geographical Feature Theory
The Golog region is located in the eastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is one of the core areas of the Yellow River's source. In this region, the Yellow River forms many winding channels, as if "turning its head" or "circling back," hence the name "Golog" (head turning back). This explanation closely aligns with the geographical environment of the Golog region.

(2) Historical Legend Theory
According to local Tibetan folklore, the name "Golog" is related to the migration of ancient tribes. It is said that an ancient Tibetan tribe migrated from Tibet to the Golog region. During the journey, they "turned back" or "circled back" for some reason and eventually settled there, giving rise to the name "Golog."

(3) Tribal Name Theory
"Golog" may also originate from the name of an ancient Tibetan tribe. Historically, the Golog region was a settlement area for Tibetan nomadic tribes. These tribes might have been named "Golog," which later evolved into the name for the entire region.

3. History

Golog was historically known as Elo or Golok. In ancient times, it was part of the territory of the Dangxiang Qiang people. Until the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, neither the successive dynasties of the Central Plains nor the Tibetan regimes had achieved effective rule over the region. For a long time, the area was governed by a theocratic tribal system and a slave system, with all power concentrated in the hands of tribal chiefs and pastoral lords. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the "Three Goloks" (transliterated as "Golok Song," referring to the three tribes of Upper Golok Angqianben, Lower Golok Banmaben, and Middle Golok Ashijiangben) emerged. By the mid-Qing dynasty, this structure gradually disintegrated, giving rise to dozens of tribes of varying sizes, which frequently engaged in conflicts and armed clashes. During the Republican era, the northwestern warlords Ma Qi and Ma Bufang attempted to bring Golog under their actual control, launching seven wars in succession, but ultimately failed to achieve their goal.

4. Geography

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture borders Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Gansu Province and Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province to the east; it adjoins Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture and Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province to the south; it is adjacent to Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province to the west; and it connects with Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province to the north. The total area of the prefecture is 76,400 square kilometers, accounting for 10.54% of Qinghai Province's total area. The average elevation is above 4,200 meters, with areas at elevations of 4,000–5,000 meters covering about 80% of the entire region. The northwestern part mostly ranges between 4,000–5,000 meters in elevation, featuring gentle terrain with relatively small undulations, where height differences are mostly between 500–1,000 meters and slopes are moderate. The southeastern part lies between 3,500–4,000 meters in elevation but exhibits significant terrain undulations, with height differences generally ranging from 1,000–2,100 meters and slopes of 45°–50°, reaching a maximum of over 80°. The overall terrain slopes from northwest to southeast: the northwest is higher, characterized by hills and gentle topography, while the southeast is lower, dominated by high mountains with steep slopes and deep valleys. The Bayan Har Mountains stretch across the prefecture from west to east, forming the watershed between the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins. The main peak of the Anyêmaqên Mountains, Maqên Gangri, stands at 6,282 meters above sea level, making it the highest peak in southern Qinghai, with modern glaciers developed. The prefecture has 36 rivers of varying sizes, which flow into the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins. The Yellow River is the largest river in the prefecture, flowing through the counties of Maduo, Darlag, Gade, Jigzhi, and Maqên, with a course of 760 kilometers within the prefecture. The Maqu River and Duoqu River in Baima County are upstream tributaries of the Dadu River, and together with the Niqü River in Darlag County, they belong to the Yangtze River basin.

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture exhibits typical plateau continental climate characteristics, including significant high-altitude cold, oxygen deficiency, low temperatures, strong solar radiation, and large diurnal temperature variations. Due to its lofty terrain, Golog is susceptible to cold currents from the north and northwest, experiences long sunshine hours, receives relatively high rainfall (snow), has high evaporation rates, and frequently experiences gusty winds. The annual average temperature is -4°C. Annual precipitation ranges from 400–760 millimeters, with three distinct precipitation regions formed due to topographic influences. The relatively humid southeastern areas, such as Baima and Jigzhi, have an average annual precipitation of 655.8–759.8 millimeters and about 175 rainy days per year. The northwestern areas, including the central station and Maduo region, have an average annual precipitation of 306 millimeters and about 120 rainy days per year. The central regions, such as Dawu, Gyimain, and Gade, have an average annual precipitation of 474–540.9 millimeters and 118–162 rainy days per year.

5. Administrative Divisions

Golog Prefecture administers 6 counties: Maqên County, Baima County, Gadê County, Tarlag County, Jigzhi County, and Madoi County.

Administrative Division Map of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

| Division Code | Division Name | Tibetan Script | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan Pinyin | Wylie Transliteration | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Seat of Government | Postal Code | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|------------------------|-----------------|-----------|---------------| | 632600 | Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture | མགོ་ལོག་བོད་རིགས་རང་སྐྱོང་ཁུལ། | Guǒluò Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu | Golog Poirig Ranggyong Kü | mgo log bod rigs rang skyong khul | 74,246.36 | 215,573 | Maqên County | 814000 | 8 | 36 | | 632621 | Maqên County | རྨ་ཆེན་རྫོང་། | Mǎqìn Xiàn | Maqên Zong | rma chen rdzong | 13,460.12 | 58,117 | Dawu Town | 814000 | 2 | 6 | | 632622 | Baima County | པད་མ་རྫོང་། | Bānmǎ Xiàn | Baima Zong | pad ma rdzong | 6,396.99 | 31,794 | Sêraitang Town | 814300 | 1 | 8 | | 632623 | Gadê County | དགའ་བདེ་རྫོང་། | Gāndé Xiàn | Gadê Zong | dga' bde rdzong | 7,130.71 | 41,046 | Kêqu Town | 814100 | 1 | 6 | | 632624 | Tarlag County | དར་ལག་རྫོང་། | Dárì Xiàn | Tarlag Zong | dar lag rdzong | 14,485.21 | 40,197 | Jima Town | 814200 | 1 | 9 | | 632625 | Jigzhi County | གཅིག་སྒྲིལ་རྫོང་། | Jiǔzhì Xiàn | Jigzhi Zong | gcig sgril rdzong | 8,279.20 | 29,929 | Zhiqingsongduo Town | 624700 | 1 | 5 | | 632626 | Madoi County | རྨ་སྟོད་རྫོང་། | Mǎduō Xiàn | Madoi Zong | rma stod rdzong | 24,494.12 | 14,490 | Machali Town | 813500 | 2 | 2 |

6. Economy

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the southeast of Qinghai Province and is an important part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In 2023, the prefecture achieved a regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 5.523 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 3%. Within the prefecture's economic structure, the primary industry holds the largest share of GDP, reaching 15.2%. Furthermore, agriculture and animal husbandry serve as significant economic pillars for Golog, with the total output value of agriculture and animal husbandry reaching 1.282 billion yuan.

Golog is rich in natural resources, including medicinal resources from flora and fauna, as well as mineral resources. In recent years, Golog has made remarkable achievements in ecological civilization construction. It has successfully established itself as a "National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Zone" and has implemented multiple ecological protection projects.

7. Transportation

The transportation system in Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has undergone significant development and transformation. In recent years, Golog has implemented multiple expressway and national/provincial highway renovation projects, with a cumulative investment exceeding 20 billion yuan. Over 4,000 kilometers of roads have been newly built or upgraded, forming a transportation network that covers all six counties. Currently, the total length of operational roads in the prefecture reaches 13,220.62 kilometers, including national expressways, national highways, provincial highways, and rural roads. Additionally, Maqin Airport has been constructed in Golog, improving air travel conditions.

However, due to its remote geographical location, Golog currently lacks a civil airport. Tourists must first fly to Xining and then transfer to other modes of transportation to reach Golog. Regarding railways, while there is no direct railway line to Golog, travelers can take long-distance buses or rent vehicles from Xining Railway Station.

8. Education

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located in Qinghai Province, China, is one of the highest-altitude and most climatically harsh ethnic autonomous prefectures in the country. In recent years, Golog has achieved remarkable progress in the field of education. By prioritizing educational development, increasing investment, and improving infrastructure, it has accomplished a transition from "ensuring access to education" to "providing quality education."

In terms of basic education, Golog has achieved full coverage of standardized schools. The net enrollment rate for primary schools remains above 98.65%, while the net enrollment rate for junior secondary education has increased to 93.92%. Additionally, the prefecture has successfully achieved dynamic zero dropouts among students from registered low-income families during the compulsory education stage. Furthermore, Golog has vigorously promoted the development of vocational education. It currently has five secondary vocational schools with a total enrollment of 4,365 students. Through school-enterprise cooperation and joint talent training models, it has achieved a 100% articulation rate between secondary and higher vocational education programs.

In the area of special education, Golog has established the highest-altitude special education school in the country, expanding educational opportunities for children and adolescents with disabilities and improving the quality of special education. At the same time, Golog has actively advanced the development of educational informatization. By leveraging technologies such as 5G live-streamed classes, it has promoted balanced educational development between urban and rural areas and established a "cloud-network-device" educational informatization system.

Golog's education sector has made significant strides in hardware facilities, teaching quality, and educational equity, providing strong support for local economic and social development.

9. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the permanent resident population of the prefecture was 215,573. Compared with the 181,682 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was an increase of 33,891 people over the ten-year period, representing a growth of 18.65%, with an average annual growth rate of 1.73%. Among them, the male population was 112,477, accounting for 52.18% of the total population; the female population was 103,096, accounting for 47.82% of the total population. The sex ratio of the total population (with females as 100) was 109.1. The population aged 0–14 was 63,993, accounting for 29.69% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 137,708, accounting for 63.88% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 13,872, accounting for 6.43% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 10,573, accounting for 4.9% of the total population. The population residing in urban areas was 75,632, accounting for 35.08% of the total population; the population residing in rural areas was 139,941, accounting for 64.92% of the total population.

9.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the permanent resident population, the Han Chinese population was 15,244, accounting for 7.07%; the population of various ethnic minorities was 200,329, accounting for 92.93%. Among them: Tibetans numbered 196,135, accounting for 90.98%; Hui people numbered 2,672, accounting for 1.24%; Tu people numbered 360, accounting for 0.17%; Salar people numbered 405, accounting for 0.19%; Mongolians numbered 145, accounting for 0.07%; and other ethnic minorities numbered 612, accounting for 0.28%. Compared with the Sixth National Population Census in 2010, the Han Chinese population increased by 3,310, a growth of 27.74%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.5 percentage points; the population of various ethnic minorities increased by 30,581, a growth of 18.02%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.5 percentage points. Among them, the Tibetan population increased by 29,240, a growth of 17.52%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 0.88 percentage points; the Hui population increased by 933, a growth of 53.65%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 0.28 percentage points.

Ethnic Composition of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (November 2020)

| Ethnic Group | Tibetan | Han | Hui | Salar | Tu | Tujia | Dongxiang | Mongolian | Bai | Bonan | Other Ethnic Groups | |------------------|-------------|---------|---------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------------|---------------|--------|-----------|-------------------------| | Population | 196,135 | 15,244 | 2,672 | 405 | 360 | 185 | 166 | 145 | 56 | 52 | 153 | | Percentage of Total Population (%) | 90.98 | 7.07 | 1.24 | 0.19 | 0.17 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.07 | | Percentage of Ethnic Minority Population (%) | 97.91 | — | 1.33 | 0.20 | 0.18 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.08 |

10. Religion

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the southeastern part of Qinghai Province, China, and is one of the important birthplaces of Tibetan culture. Religion holds a central position in the social, cultural, and daily life of Golog, with Tibetan Buddhism being the predominant religious belief in the region.

11. Culture

Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is located in the southeastern part of Qinghai Province, China, and is one of the important birthplaces of Tibetan culture. The culture of Golog is deeply influenced by Tibetan Buddhism and the natural environment, forming a unique and rich cultural system.

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Maqên County

Maqên County

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