Kangding County

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Kangding or Dardo (Chinese: 康定, Pinyin: Kāngdìng; Tibetan in official transcription: Dardo or Darzêdo, in Wylie transliteration: dar mdo or dar rtse mdo) is the name of a county and a town in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan Province, China. In the west, Dardo was previously known as Tachienlu or Tatsienlu, after the Chinese transcription Dǎjiànlú 打箭爐 of the Tibetan name Darzêdo.

It is an ethnic Tibetan township located in the historical Tibetan region of Kham. A raging river splits the city, thus the constant sound of water eminates throughout much of the city. The city features a sizable city square where young and old alike gather in the early hours of the morning to do tai-chi, play badminton, or socialize. This square comes alive on the weekends as well, when families tend to populate it. Traditional Tibetan and Sichuan restaurants are easily found throughout the city. A monastery sits on the mountains overlooking the city, and is accessible by cable car. As of October 2006 a stone ampitheatre is under construction at the upper monastery.

During the Republic of China administration, Kangding was the capital of the now-defunct province of Xikang.

It is a fast growing city, perhaps 40% Han Chinese, 40% Tibetan, with the remaining being Qiangs, Yis and other ethnic groups. The city has a scenic cable car imported from Germany.

Kangding, about 6 hours from Chengdu, is the staging point for further trips over a high pass to the formerly Tibetan area of Kham, which is still, predominantly Tibetan, and there is an enormous amount of Chinese road construction, so that the district area of Luho can be reached in about 6 hours from Kangding by 2008. Right now it is a very bumpy trip of about 9 hours through lovely Tibetan towns. There is a small Tibetan area in Kangding with a nice Tibetan hotel where you can catch a ride to Chengdu, about 130Y, or to Luho about the same.