Xichang

The Qiongdu were the local people at the time of contact with China. The county of Qiongdu is attested in the area from the Han dynasty. Under the Song dynasty, a local lord was given the title of "King of the Qiongdu" (Qiongdu Wang). The area formed part of the medieval Kingdom of Dali and was subdued by the Mongolians from 1253–56, after which it was incorporated into Yunnan of the Yuan dynasty. It was organized as the Jiandu Ningyuan duhufu, qianhufu, or wanhufu but continued to be often known as Jiandu.{{sfn|Haw|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DSfvfr8VQSEC&pg=PA99 99–100]}} In the book of his travels, Marco Polo recorded that the people of Jiandu and its hinterland used no coins but rods of gold bullion reckoned in {{lang|it|saggi}}. A small change was made using half-catty pieces of molded salt, each reckoned as one-eightieth of a {{lang|it|saggio}} of pure gold.{{sfnp|Polo|1903|loc=Vol. II, p. 54}} Under the Qing, it was officially known as Ningyuan Commandery{{sfn|Haw|2006|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=DSfvfr8VQSEC&pg=PA99 99–100]}} but also continued to be referenced under the old name Jianchang. In the 19th century, it was the center of Sichuan's production of "white wax".{{sfnp|EB|1878|loc=Vol. V, "China"}}

In 1850, a magnitude-7.5 earthquake killed more than 20,600 people in Xichang. The city walls in Xichang County, three gate towers—the west, south and north—and some prisons collapsed.{{cite web |title=Significant Earthquake Information |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1905 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230419000247/https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-more-info/1905 |archive-date=April 19, 2023 |access-date=18 October 2021 |website= |publisher=NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}}

Roman Catholicism was introduced to Ningyuan in the 18th century by the Paris Foreign Missions Society. The Apostolic Vicariate of Kienchang was established in 1910 and was elevated to a diocese in 1946.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Diocese of Xichang |url=https://www.ucanews.com/directory/dioceses/china-xichang/258 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510210807/https://www.ucanews.com/directory/dioceses/china-xichang/258 |archive-date=May 10, 2020 |access-date=November 22, 2022 |website=Union of Catholic Asian News}} The episcopal residence is located next to the Cathedral of the Angels, Xichang.

In the 1980s, its population was thought to be around 140,000 people.{{Cite news |last=Terrill |first=Ross |date=1987-12-20 |title=A World Away From Beijing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/travel/a-world-away-from-beijing.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422174238/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/20/travel/a-world-away-from-beijing.html |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |access-date=2024-05-20 |work=The New York Times |page=9 |language=en-US |type=a transcribed text from a newspaper |issn=0362-4331}} In 2012, it had an estimated population of 481,796.{{Cite web |title=M 6.6 - 59 km N of Xichang, China |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/iscgem893478/region-info |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=United States Geological Survey |at=Nearby Places |format=from the GeoNames database}}

Xichang lies in a mountainous region of far southern Sichuan. The city is just northeast of the prefecture-level city of Panzhihua. The Anning River is the main river in the area. It is an affluent of the Yalong, Jinsha, and Yangtze rivers. It lies near Qiong Lake.

File:Txu-oclc-10552568-ng48-1.jpg

Owing to its low latitude and high elevation, Xichang has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) milder and far sunnier than the Sichuan Basin, with mild, very sunny and dry winters, and very warm, rainy summers. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from {{convert|9.9|°C|1}} in January to {{convert|22.6|°C|1}} in July, and the annual mean is {{convert|17.15|°C|1}}. Over 60% of the {{convert|1025|mm|1|abbr=on}} annual precipitation occurs from June to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 36% in September to 72% in January, the city receives 2,367 hours of bright sunshine annually.

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| metric first = y

| single line = y

| collapsed = Y

| location = Xichang, elevation {{convert|1591|m|ft|abbr=on}} (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present)

| Jan high C = 17.5

| Feb high C = 20.3

| Mar high C = 24.6

| Apr high C = 27.4

| May high C = 28.5

| Jun high C = 27.7

| Jul high C = 28.2

| Aug high C = 28.5

| Sep high C = 25.8

| Oct high C = 22.8

| Nov high C = 20.3

| Dec high C = 17.1

| Jan mean C = 10.2

| Feb mean C = 12.8

| Mar mean C = 16.6

| Apr mean C = 19.6

| May mean C = 21.5

| Jun mean C = 22.0

| Jul mean C = 22.8

| Aug mean C = 22.6

| Sep mean C = 20.3

| Oct mean C = 17.2

| Nov mean C = 13.6

| Dec mean C = 10.2

| year mean C =

| Jan low C = 4.8

| Feb low C = 7.0

| Mar low C = 10.3

| Apr low C = 13.4

| May low C = 16.3

| Jun low C = 18.2

| Jul low C = 19.1

| Aug low C = 18.8

| Sep low C = 16.9

| Oct low C = 13.8

| Nov low C = 9.2

| Dec low C = 5.5

| Jan record high C = 26.0

| Jan record low C = −3.1

| Feb record high C = 28.7

| Feb record low C = −3.5

| Mar record high C = 33.5

| Mar record low C = 0.3

| Apr record high C = 35.5

| Apr record low C = 3.0

| May record high C = 39.1

| May record low C = 7.1

| Jun record high C = 36.0

| Jun record low C = 11.4

| Jul record high C = 35.5

| Jul record low C = 12.7

| Aug record high C = 35.1

| Aug record low C = 13.0

| Sep record high C = 34.9

| Sep record low C = 8.9

| Oct record high C = 30.9

| Oct record low C = 6.4

| Nov record high C = 27.8

| Nov record low C = −1.8

| Dec record high C = 24.8

| Dec record low C = −2.8

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 4.6

| Feb precipitation mm = 5.8

| Mar precipitation mm = 13.6

| Apr precipitation mm = 32.3

| May precipitation mm = 83.0

| Jun precipitation mm = 234.5

| Jul precipitation mm = 234.8

| Aug precipitation mm = 179.6

| Sep precipitation mm = 163.3

| Oct precipitation mm = 67.5

| Nov precipitation mm = 16.8

| Dec precipitation mm = 5.0

| Jan humidity = 49

| Feb humidity = 43

| Mar humidity = 41

| Apr humidity = 45

| May humidity = 54

| Jun humidity = 71

| Jul humidity = 74

| Aug humidity = 71

| Sep humidity = 74

| Oct humidity = 71

| Nov humidity = 63

| Dec humidity = 59

| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 2.6

| Feb precipitation days = 2.9

| Mar precipitation days = 5.0

| Apr precipitation days = 8.7

| May precipitation days = 13.0

| Jun precipitation days = 19.0

| Jul precipitation days = 17.9

| Aug precipitation days = 15.9

| Sep precipitation days = 15.6

| Oct precipitation days = 11.7

| Nov precipitation days = 4.2

| Dec precipitation days = 2.0

| year precipitation days =

| Jan sun = 221.5

| Feb sun = 216.7

| Mar sun = 247.4

| Apr sun = 235.9

| May sun = 207.2

| Jun sun = 136.6

| Jul sun = 142.8

| Aug sun = 163.5

| Sep sun = 126.6

| Oct sun = 142.2

| Nov sun = 186.0

| Dec sun = 198.3

| year sun =

| Jan percentsun = 67

| Feb percentsun = 68

| Mar percentsun = 66

| Apr percentsun = 61

| May percentsun = 49

| Jun percentsun = 33

| Jul percentsun = 34

| Aug percentsun = 41

| Sep percentsun = 35

| Oct percentsun = 40

| Nov percentsun = 58

| Dec percentsun = 62

| year percentsun =

| Jan snow days = 1.1

| Feb snow days = 1.0

| Mar snow days = 0.1

| Apr snow days = 0

| May snow days = 0

| Jun snow days = 0

| Jul snow days = 0

| Aug snow days = 0

| Sep snow days = 0

| Oct snow days = 0

| Nov snow days = 0.1

| Dec snow days = 0.6

| year snow days =

| source 1 = China Meteorological Administration{{cite web|url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 - WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-cn |access-date=2020-04-15}}

{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =14 April 2023}}

{{cite web|url=http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |script-title=zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |access-date=2010-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055035/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-date=2013-09-21

}} all-time extreme temperature{{cite web

|url= http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm

|title= Extreme Temperatures Around the World

|access-date= 2024-10-06

}}

| source =

}}

Xichang comprises 7 subdistricts, 11 towns, 6 townships and 2 ethnic townships.

Xichang Railway Station (西昌站) is a main station on the Chengdu–Kunming railway. Construction of a fast express train line has been completed. It connected Panzhihua, Chengdu and Guangyuan. There are also some other stations in the city, including the Xichang North railway station and Xichang South railway station.

The city possesses its own airport, Xichang Qingshan Airport, which is attached to the spaceport by a railroad line and a motorway directly.{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Mark |date=February 7, 2005 |title=Xichang |url=http://www.astronautix.com/sites/xichang.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050129090651/http://www.astronautix.com/sites/xichang.htm |archive-date=January 29, 2005 |website=Encyclopedia Astronautica}}

Xichang lies on the G5 Beijing–Kunming Expressway.

{{main|Xichang Satellite Launch Center}}

Xichang's spaceport is located about {{convert|64|km}} northwest of the city and went into operation in 1984. Communications satellites are the most common payload to be inserted into orbit from the Xichang spaceport.{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2011 |title=Xichang - Chinese Space Facilities |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/xichang.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018024157/https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/china/xichang.htm |archive-date=October 18, 2023 |access-date=2024-05-20 |website=globalsecurity.org}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite EB9|mode=cs2|wstitle=China|ref={{harvid|EB|1878}}|volume=5}}.
• {{cite book |last=Haw |first=Stephen G. |title=Marco Polo's China: A Venetian in the Realm of Khubilai Khan |date=22 November 2006 |isbn=978-1134275427 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSfvfr8VQSEC}}
• {{cite book |last=Polo |first=Marco |author-link=Marco Polo |editor-last=Yule |editor-first=Henry |editor-link=Henry Yule |title=The Travels of Marco Polo |date=1903 }}
• {{cite book |last=Vogel |first=Hans Ulrich |title=Marco Polo Was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts, and Revenues |date=21 November 2012 |isbn=978-9004231931 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ydo_9TEmuVQC }}
• {{cite web |url= http://www.house.gov/coxreport/body/ch6bod.html |title=Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral |access-date=2007-06-30 |author=Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives |date=1999-01-03 |work=U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China }} (Congressional report discussing Intelsat 708 launch failure and possible technology transfer.)
• {{cite web|url=http://www.softwar.net/hughes2.html |title=2002 State Dept. Charge Letter to Hughes |access-date=2007-06-30 |year=2005 |publisher=Softwar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703002707/http://www.softwar.net/hughes2.html |archive-date=July 3, 2007 |url-status=dead }} (Documents on Intelsat 708 and export controls, including State Department letter charging two companies with export law violations.)
• {{cite web |url= http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/Disaster-at-Xichang-187496561.html |title=Disaster at Xichang |access-date=2013-04-21 |author=Anatoly Zak |date= February 2013 |work=Air & Space Magazine }} (Article on the crash of a rocket carrying a commercial payload on February 15, 1996.)

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