Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County

Infobox Settlement
name = Beichuan
official_name = Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County
other_name =
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settlement_type =Autonomous County
total_type =
motto =
translit_lang1=Chinese
translit_lang1_type=Chinese
translit_lang1_info=北川羌族自治县
translit_lang1_type1=Pinyin
translit_lang1_info1=Běichuān Qiāngzú Zìzhì Xiàn


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Beichuan within Mianyang, Sichuan


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pushpin_map_caption = Location in China
pushpin_mapsize = 250
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = China
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Sichuan
subdivision_type2 = Prefecture
subdivision_name2 = City of Mianyang
seat_type = County seat
seat = Qushan (曲山镇)
parts_type =nowrap|Towns & Townships
parts_style =
parts =
p1 =Towns
p2 =Qushan (曲山镇)
p3=Leigu (擂鼓镇)
p4=Tongkou (通口镇)
p5=
p6=Townships
p7=Xiangquan (香泉乡)
p8=Chenjiaba (陈家坝乡)
p9=Guixi (桂溪乡)
p10=Guanling (贯岭乡)
p11 =Yuli (禹里乡)
p12=Xuanping (漩坪乡)
p13=Baini (白坭乡)
p14=Xiaoba (小坝乡)
p15=Piankou (片口乡)
p16=Kaiping (开坪乡)
p17=Badi (坝底乡)
p18=Baishi (白什乡)
p19=Qingpian (青片乡)
p20=Duba (都坝乡)
p21 =Taolong Tibetan Township (桃龙藏族乡)
p22 = Dunshang (墩上乡)
p23=Macao (马槽乡)
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area_total_km2 =2867.83
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population_as_of =2006
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population_total =160156
population_density_km2 =auto
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population_blank1_title =Major nationalities
population_blank1 =Qiang - 56.7% Han - 40.1%
population_density_blank1_km2 =
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timezone = China Standard
utc_offset = +8
timezone_DST =
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coor_type =
latd=31 |latm=53 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=104 |longm=26 |longs= |longEW=E
postal_code_type =Postal code
postal_code =622750
area_code =0816
website =http://beichuan.my.gov.cn
footnotes =

Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County (zh-stp|s=北川羌族自治县|t=北川羌族自治縣|p=Běichuān Qiāngzú Zìzhì Xiàn) is a county under the jurisdiction of Mianyang Municipality in, Sichuan, China. It is located in an ethnically diverse mountainous region of Sichuan. It's Chinese name literally means "North" (bei) "River" (chuan).

Geography & Demographics

It has an area of 2867.83 square kilometers and a population of 160,156 in 2006, 56.7% of which are Qiang people, a Sino-Tibetan people related to Tibetans, and 40.1% of which are Han Chinese. [zh [http://beichuan.my.gov.cn/beichuan/720858514867617792/20080210/261652.html Demographics of Beichuan County] , Official website of Beichuan County Government, visited on May 16, 2008. ]

History and culture

The first administrative county of Beichuan was set up in 566 A.D. during the Northern Zhou dynasty. The Tang dynasty first created another county, Shiquan (zh-stp|s=石泉|t=石泉|p=Shíquán) inside the original Beichuan county in 634 A.D., then in 651 A.D. merged Beichuan county into Shiquan. The Republic of China changed the county name back to Beichuan in 1914 because there had been a "Shiquan county" in Shaanxi province before 566 A.D. cite web
url=http://beichuan.my.gov.cn/bcx/1658169087802474496/20080617/305292.html
title=Administrative history of eichuan Qian Autonomous County (北川羌族自治县建置沿革)
publisher=Government of Beichuan
accessdate=2008-10-01
language=Chinese]

In 1988, the People's Republic of China granted Beichuan county the status of Qiang autonomy. The Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County was formally created in 2003.

Claim to Yu the Great

Beichuan was the first county in Sichuan to make the claim as the birthplace of Yu the Great, founder of the Xia dynasty and traditionally regarded as the first hereditary sovereign in Chinese history. cite web
url=http://beichuan.my.gov.cn/bcx/1658169087802474496/20080617/305298.html
title=Yu and Qiang culture (zh-s|s=禹羌文化)
publisher=Government of Beichuan
date=2008-06-17
accessdate=2008-10-01
language=Chinese] Although this claim is probably more commercial than historical, Beichuan was part of "West Qiang" (zh-s|s=西羌) that some ancient records accredited as Yu's birthplace, just like the other three locations in Sichuan, namely Wenchuan, Dujiangyan, and Shifang, that raised similar claims. cite news
url=http://www.scol.com.cn/NSICHUAN/scwt/20070625/200762572739.htm
title=Discovery of ancient West Qiang pathway thickens the mystery surrounding "Birthplace of Yu the Great" (zh-s|s=发现西羌古道有关遗迹 "大禹故乡"迷雾更浓)
author=CHEN, Sisi (陈四四)
publisher=Sichuan Daily (四川日报) via Sichuan Online
date=2008-06-25
accessdate=2008-10-01
language=Chinese] Many places in other parts of China have made similar claims.

Great Sichuan Earthquake

Also like the other three counties and towns in Sichuan holding claims to be the birthplace of Yu the Great, Beichuan is among the most severely hit of all disaster regions following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, including the Beichuan High School campus, where more than 1,000 students lost their lives after two main buildings collapsed. [ cite web
url=http://bczx.changhong.com/
title=Eye witnesses of the earthquake disaster in Beichuan Middle School, Sichuan (zh-s|s=四川北川中学震灾纪实)
publisher=bczx.changhong.com
accessdate=2008-10-01
language=Chinese ] Beichuan's Party and government building also collapsed. 80% of the county's buildings are said to have collapsed. [ [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-china-earthquake,0,1326183.story Death toll in China earthquake rises to 7,600] ]

The county town, which prior to the earthquake had a population of 20,000, is to be made into a memorial park, as the site has been deemed too vulnerable. The survivors of the quake have been relocated. [ [http://www.chinadaily.net/china/2008-05/23/content_6707116.htm Beichuan county town to be made a memorial] , "China Daily", May 23, 2008.]

The earthquake also caused a landslide on Mount Tangjia which dammed the Jian River and created the Tangjiashan Quake Lake. The lake was once in danger of causing the Tangjiashan Dam to collapse and catastrophically flood downstream communities, totalling over a million persons. On June 10, 2008, the lake spilled through an artificially constructed sluice channel and flooded the evacuated town. No casualties were caused.

Beichuan was at the the center of one of two zones where seismic intensity were the highest at XI liedu during this earthquake and its aftershocks.cite web
publisher=CEA
url=http://www.cea.gov.cn/manage/html/8a8587881632fa5c0116674a018300cf/_content/08_09/01/1220238314350.html
title=Seismic intensity map of the M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake (汶川8.0级地震烈度分布图)
date=2008-08-29
accessdate=2008-09-10
language=Chinese] Since the earthquake, the central government has increased fortification intensity for seismic design for the old county town from VI to VIII.cite paper
author=XU, Zhengzhong; WANG, Yayong; et al (徐正忠、王亚勇等)
url=http://www.morgain.com/Help/GB50011-2001/A.htm
title=Code for seismic design of buildings (GB 500011-2001) (partially revised in 2008), Appendix A ( 《建筑抗震设计规范》（GB 500011－2001） （2008 年局部修订） 附录 A 我国主要城镇抗震设防烈度、设计基本地震加速度和设计地震分组)
publisher=Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PRC (MOHURD, 中华人民共和国住房和城乡建设部)
year=2001, partially revised in 2008
accessdate=2008-09-29
language=Chinese]

Administrative divisions

Beichuan County has 3 towns and 17 townships. [zh [http://www.xzqh.org/QUHUA/51sc/0726bc.htm Profile of Beichuan County] . ]

*Towns:
**Qushan (曲山镇)
**Leigu (擂鼓镇)
**Tongkou (通口镇)
*Townships:
**Xiangquan (香泉乡)
**Chenjiaba (陈家坝乡)
**Guixi (桂溪乡)
**Guanling (贯岭乡)
**Yuli (禹里乡)
**Xuanping (漩坪乡)
**Baini (白坭乡)
**Xiaoba (小坝乡)
**Piankou (片口乡)
**Kaiping (开坪乡)
**Badi (坝底乡)
**Baishi (白什乡)
**Qingpian (青片乡)
**Duba (都坝乡)
**Taolong Tibetan Township (桃龙藏族乡)
**Dunshang (墩上乡)
**Macao (马槽乡)

References

External links

* [http://beichuan.my.gov.cn Official website of Beichuan County]