Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County

"Sibo military colonists", picture drawn during Henry Lansdell visit to today's Qapqal County in 1882

Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County (simplified Chinese: 察布查尔锡伯自治县; traditional Chinese: 察布查爾錫伯自治縣; pinyin: Chábùchá'ěr Xíbó Zìzhìxiàn; Xibe: Cabcal Sibe beye dasangga siyan, also transliterated as Chapchal) in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang is the only Xibe autonomous county of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 4,430 square kilometers and a population 160,000 (2000). Qapqal means "the granary" in the Xibe language.

Subdivisions

The Xibe, sent to garrison the area by the Qing Dynasty, were divided into eight niru (companies); each niru established a settlement. The settlements are thus simply referred to as "First Niru" through "Eighth Niru", with the exception of the settlement established by the Sixth, which came to be known as Qapqal, thus giving the county its name.^[1]

Demographics per niru (2000)

Number[1]	Xibe name[1]	Chinese name	% Xibe[1]	% Han[1]	% Other[1]	Population	Number of villages	Source
1	Uju Niru		61.8	20.9	17.3
2	Jai Niru		72.2	15.5	12.3
3	Ilaci Niru		73.2	12.3	14.5
4	Duici Niru		32.9	28.4	38.7
5	Sunjaci Niru	孙扎齐乡	38.2	15	46.8	8033	4	[2]
6	Ningguci Niru, or Capcal		29	32	39
7	Nadaci Niru		41.6	32	24.6
8	Jakûci Niru	扎库齐牛录乡	72.2	15.5	12.3	13,000	5	[3]

Media

A ca. 1809 map of the Ili Region (the map is drawn "upside down": the south is on top) showing the Xibo Eight Banners (锡伯八旗) stationed across the Ili River from the Manchu Fort Huiyuan (惠远城), exactly where Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County is nowadays. There is a place - or perhaps a river - named 察布察儿 (Chabucha'er; 察布查爾 in traditional characters) in that area as well

The county has one Xibe-language newspaper, the Qapqal News. A television station broadcasts a few programmes in Xibe as well each month, with Chinese-language content the rest of the time.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Stary, Giovanni (2003), "Sibe: An endangered language", in Janse, Mark; Tol, Sijmen; Hendriks, Vincent, Language death and language maintenance, John Benjamins, pp. 81–89, ISBN 9789027247520 
2. ^ "察布查尔县孙扎齐乡", Qapqal Online, http://www.cbcr.ccoo.cn/gaik/xiangzhenShow.asp?id=30714, retrieved 2009-04-15 
3. ^ "察布查尔县扎库齐牛录乡", Qapqal Online, http://www.cbcr.ccoo.cn/gaik/xiangzhenShow.asp?id=36297, retrieved 2009-04-15 
4. ^ 张莉 [Zhang Li] (2007), "新疆锡伯族新闻事业发展现状 [Xinjiang Xibo Peoples' News Undertaking Present Situation]", 《伊犁师范学院学报》 [Journal of Ili Normal University] (1), ISSN 1009-1076, http://scholar.ilib.cn/A-QCode~yilsfxyxb200701012.html, retrieved 2009-04-13 

External links

• County info page, at an Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture info site

Coordinates: 43°48′07″N 81°05′14″E / 43.80194°N 81.08722°E / 43.80194; 81.08722