Kangding Travel Guide

Kangding at the east of Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Region in the west part of Sichuan is located at the juncture of the fertile Sichuan basin with the Yunnan-Guizhou and Tibet Plateaus. 17 Minority groups including Tibet, Hui,Qiang inhabit the region, with the Tibet the majority group. Kangding was a vibrant –tea-horse trade town and one of the three cultural centers in Tibet region, and historically the largest staging point on the Tea-horse Road.

Caravans from the west used to change their conveyance and exchange their horses to tea with the locals. Kangding was first approved as the business center between inland China and Tibet in 1696 by the Qing emperor Kangxi. Tea, silk since passed through Kangding to Tibet and even further afield to South Asia and Europe while products from outside flew in.

Today Kangding is a fairly large town filled with Tibetan atmosphere with groups of Khambas down from the surrounding hills to sell yak butters in the market and crimson-robed monks wandering the streets. more about Kangding »