Kham is one of the 5 historical provinces of Tibet along with Amdo, Ngari, U and Tsang. Kham is broken up into 54 counties spread across 6 prefectures of China. Prefectures make up the Kham region of Tibet. It covers an area of around 900,000 sq km with a population of around 2 million.
From the 10th century on, Kham was never under the authority of Lhasa for an extended period of time or under China until the communist takeover in the 1950's. Kham was never ruled by a single leader, but was split up into over 2 dozen seperate kingdoms each with its own king. Part of the reason that Kham never was under the authority of Lhasa was because of the sect of Buddhism followed in Kham. The Dalai Lama, the government and the most powerful monasteries in Lhasa follow the Gelukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism while older schools of Buddhism such as the Kagyu, Nyingma and Sakya are followed in Kham. The ancient Bon religion is still practiced in Nyingtri Prefecture, also known as the Kongpo region.
In 1939 the government of the Republic of China created Xikang province with Kangding as the capital. Xikang covered the far eastern region of Kham. This province lasted until 1954 when Xikang was merged into Sichuan province.
Kham has a wide range of geography. Most of Yushu and Nagchu prefectures sit above 4200m with many mountain peaks over 5500m. One of the highest and most famous mountains in this area is Gela Dandong which rises to 6621m. Many of the Tibetans found in Yushu and Nagchu are nomads, but large areas are unihabited. Nyingtri prefecture is home to Mt. Namcha Barwa (7782m) and Mt. Gyala Pelri (7294m). The river valleys around these two mountains drop as much as 5000m in places, making the towns of Nyingtri prefecture some of the lowest in Tibet. Nyingtri has thick forests, lots of rain and a mild climate. Chamdo and Ganzi prefectures sit mostly between 3200m and 3600m. The Yangtze and Mekong Rivers flow through these prefectures making the region known as "the bread basket of Tibet". The highest mountain in Kham, Minya Konka (7556m) is found in Ganzi prefecture.
Most people think of Tibetans as kind and peaceful. While that is true for many regions of Tibet, it isn't necessarily true of the Tibetans from Kham. Kham Tibetans have long been known as a violent group of bandits terrorizing the Tibetan Plateau on horseback. In his book "Seven Years in Tibet" Heinrich Harrer described Kham Tibetans as forcing their way into nomad tents stealing anything of value. He also reported that they would sometimes kill pilgrims, monks and nuns. Even today, it is rare to find a Kham man without a large knife (more like a sword) on his side. It was these same people that gave the communist government of China the most resistance. Long after the Tibetans of Lhasa gave up, the Tibetans of Kham continued to fight. The Chinese who live in the Kham region are often fearful of Kham Tibetans.
Kham is one of the 5 historical provinces of Tibet along with Amdo, Ngari, U and Tsang. Kham is broken up into 54 counties spread across 6 prefectures of China. Prefectures make up the Kham region of Tibet. It covers an area of around 900,000 sq km with a population of around 2 million.
From the 10th century on, Kham was never under the authority of Lhasa for an extended period of time or under C…
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