City Introduction of Qinghai, China: Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region

Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region

Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Region is located in the southeastern part of Qinghai Province, bordering Gansu Province. It covers an area of 18,800 sq km and has a population of only 223,793.  

Huangnan has a complex continental plateau climate with significant geographical differences from low altitude to high altitude. The average temperatures of the counties under jurisdiction of Huangnan range from 4-8℃.

Huangnan is rich in mineral resources such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, antimony, and arsenic. In addition, there are over 60 rivers and streams running through the prefecture with theoretical hydro-energy amounting to 2.6 million kw. Huangnan is also replete with cultural landmarks and natural scenery.

Huangnan currently is not accessible by railways and airports. Transportation in Huangnan mainly relies on highways. There are provincial highways connecting Huangnan with outside regions and counties under jurisdiction of the region.  

Economic Features

Huangnan realized GDP of RMB 2.4 billion in 2007, representing a rise of 8.5% year on year. The prefecture's GDP accounted for approximately 3.2% of Qinghai's total and ranked sixth out of eight in the province.

The value-added output of the agricultural sector increased by 4.5% year on year to RMB 683 million in 2007, contributing 28% of the prefecture's GDP. Total grain output increased by 14% year on year to 28,011 tons in 2007, contributing less than 0.5% of the province's total.

In 2007, the value-added output of secondary industry (industry and construction), the largest contributor to the prefecture's economy, amounted to RMB 950 million and accounted for 42% of the prefecture's total. The value-added industrial output generated by the industrial sector reached RMB 763 million, up 7.6% year on year.  

Heavy and light industry generated value-added industrial output of RMB 748 million and RMB 15.1 million, up 8.0% and 124.5% year on year respectively. The two types of industries contributed 98% and 2% to the total value-added output of industrial sector, respectively.

Electricity and aluminum ingots are the major industrial products of the prefecture. In 2007, output of aluminum ingots reached 47.3 million tons, three times than that of 2006, while generated electricity amounted to 6.7 billion kwh, up 30.0% year on year. Huangnan’s electricity accounted for approximately 20% of the province's total.   

In 2007, the service sector generated value-added output of RMB 1.1 billion, contributing 30% of the prefecture's GDP. Wholesale and retail, an important pillar of the sector, realized sales of RMB 174 million, up 9% compared to the previous year. 

Tourism is also important for Huangnan’s service sector. In 2007, 388,200 tourists (382,200 domestic tourists and 5990 foreign tourists) visited the prefecture, while tourism income totaled RMB 41.4 million, up 121.3% year on year.  

Cultural Highlights

Huangnan is known for its profound and multi-cultural history. There are 15 minority ethnic groups including Tibetans, Hui, Mongols, and Tu, living here. Tibetans, Mongols and Hui account for 65.9%, 13.5% and 7.9% of the total population, respectively.

Huangnan is also famous for its Regong art, an important genre in Tibetan Buddhism. With history of more than 700 years, it is called "a magnificent pearl of Chinese art" and includes paintings (murals and scrolls called "thangka" in Tibetan), clay and wooden sculptures, barbola, color paintings on buildings, patterns, and butter sculptures.

Tourist Attractions

Huangnan is rich in beautiful tourism resources. Tourists should visit Kanbula National Forest Park, the Lijiaxia power station dam and reservoir area, Tongren Historical and Cultural City, and Maixiu Primeval Forest.

Tibetan Regong art is always the most popular tourism theme in Huangnan. Along the Yellow River to the southeast of Qinghai Province, Tongren County is reputed as the "Home of Tibetan Culture and Art".

When it comes to local special snacks, hand grabbed mutton, yogurt, milk tea and sheep tendons can be good choices for tourists.