Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County 北川羌族自治县

Setting and landscape

Beichuan borders Jiangyou (江油市) to the east, Anzhou District (安州区) to the south, Mao County (茂县) to the west, and Songpan (松潘县) and Pingwu (平武县) to the north. Its three main rivers are the Tongkou (通口河), Anchang (安昌河) and Pingtong (平通河). The county government describes it as an ecological barrier on the upper Yangtze, with two national and one provincial nature reserve and a national forest park; wild animals include the giant panda and the Sichuan golden snub-nosed monkey, and protected plants include the dove tree and the Chinese yew.

History

The old name of the area is Shiquan (石泉), and local tradition holds it to be the birthplace of Yu the Great (大禹), the legendary tamer of floods. A Beichuan County was set up in 566 under the Northern Zhou, merged into Shiquan County in 651 and renamed Beichuan again in 1914. The State Council approved its conversion into a Qiang autonomous county in 2003. In the Wenchuan earthquake of 12 May 2008 most of the county reached intensity XI; the old seat of Qushan suffered worst, and landslides dammed a river to form the Tangjiashan quake lake (唐家山堰塞湖). The county town was rebuilt elsewhere, and the new town opened in February 2011.

What to see

The Beichuan Qiang City Tourist Area (北川羌城旅游区) is rated 5A, the only one in Mianyang. The 4A areas are Xiqiang Jiuhuangshan (西羌九皇山), Yaowanggu or Medicine King Valley (药王谷), the Beichuan Weisite agricultural leisure area and Xunlongshan (寻龙山). The county government lists Yaowanggu as having the world's largest forest of century-old xinyi magnolia (辛夷) medicinal trees. The county also has an earthquake ruins museum (地震遗址博物馆). China Tourism News names Shiyi (石椅羌寨), Xiwo (西窝羌寨) and Yina (伊娜羌寨) among more than 30 Qiang villages, and describes evening dancing on the Banaqia square (巴拿恰广场), whose shops sell cured pork, tea and Qiang embroidery.

Food and local products

Beichuan konjac (北川花魔芋), Beichuan cream-yellow marble (北川米黄大理石) and Beichuan Taizi tea (北川苔子茶) are Chinese geographical-indication products. The Qiang New Year (羌年) is on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

Getting oriented

Yongchang lies 31 km from central Mianyang and 138 km from Chengdu. National roads 247 and 347 cross the county, and the Beichuan section of the Mianyang–Jiuzhaigou expressway is open.

Highlights

• Beichuan Qiang City Tourist Area 北川羌城旅游区: Rated 5A; the only 5A scenic area in Mianyang.
• Yaowanggu 药王谷: 4A area listed by the county government as having the world's largest forest of century-old xinyi magnolia medicinal trees.
• Xiqiang Jiuhuangshan 西羌九皇山: One of the county's four 4A scenic areas.
• Tangjiashan quake lake 唐家山堰塞湖: Formed when the 2008 earthquake dammed a river above the old county town.
• Beichuan Taizi tea 北川苔子茶: Chinese geographical-indication product.