Get to know Xiangcheng County
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- Administrative area
- County · 县
- Part of
- Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
- Chinese name
- 乡城县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 5,016.00 km²
- Population · 2020
- 31,407
- Administrative seat
- Shambala
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
White houses above the fields
The houses occupy the banks of the Shuoqu (硕曲河), Mayi (玛依河) and Dingqu (定曲河) rivers. Typically L-shaped, they combine rammed-earth walls with dense timber supports inside. Outer wall faces slope inward while the inner faces remain vertical. Carved doors and windows carry bright paint, and red, yellow and green silk hangs beneath the eaves and on central pillars.
Living arrangements and renewal
Traditionally, the ground floor held animals and a kitchen, the second floor living rooms and bedrooms, and upper floors storage and crop-drying space. In Zhongde Village (仲德村), Qingde Town (青德镇), a family house has been adapted as a guesthouse while its owners remain downstairs, with separate stairs and entrances serving residents and guests.
Sources for this guide
乡城概况 - 乡城县人民政府 · Xiangcheng County Government
田野来讯丨一栋白藏房的“楼上”和“楼下”_四川在线 · Sichuan Online
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-27.
Explore Xiangcheng County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Xiangcheng County
Xiangcheng White Tibetan House Villages · Plan your visit
Getting there
Xiangcheng County is about 245 km in a straight line from central Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Search for 乡城县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Xiangcheng White Tibetan House Villages. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture →More in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Xiangcheng White Tibetan House Villages · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.