Jiuzhaigou is not part of Tibet, it is a famous tourist attraction located in Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. Jiuzhaigou is famous for its unique alpine lakes, waterfalls, colorful bodies of water, beautiful natural scenery and rich biodiversity, and it is a national nature reserve, also listed on the World Natural Heritage List. Tibet, on the other hand, is an autonomous region of China, located in the southwestern part of the country, bordering Sichuan Province. The two are geographically different and belong to different administrative regions.
Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (阿坝藏族羌族自治州, Aba Prefecture), or Aba Prefecture for short, is an autonomous prefecture under the jurisdiction of Sichuan Province, China, located in the northwestern part of Sichuan Province, adjacent to the Chengdu Plain. Aba Prefecture is bordered on the north by Gansu and Qinghai provinces, and on the southeast and west by the cities and states of Chengdu, Mianyang, and Ganzi, respectively. The state's terrain is dominated by plateaus and alpine valleys, with an average elevation of more than 3,000 meters and marked vertical changes in climate, and is rich in hydropower resources, biological resources and mineral resources.
Aba has a long history, and its name “Aba” originated in the Tang Dynasty. Human beings have been living here since the Neolithic Age. In 316 B.C., King Huiwen of Qin set up Shu County after destroying Ba and Shu, and began to build the Waidi Road, which was subordinate to Shu County. 1953, the area was established as the Tibetan Autonomous Region of Sichuan Province (at prefecture level), which was later renamed Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, and was officially renamed Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province in 1987.
Aba Prefecture has 13 counties (cities), including Markham City (county-level) and Jinchuan County, Xiaojin County, Aba County, Ruoergai County, Hongyuan County, Yantang County, Wenchuan County, Li County, Mao County, Songpan County, Jiuzhaigou County, and Heishui County, with a total area of 84,242 square kilometers. By the end of 2023, the state's resident population reached 825,000 people.
In terms of cultural and tourism resources, Aba Prefecture has famous scenic spots such as Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Wolong, Siguniangshan and Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat, as well as national key cultural relics protection units such as the Malcolm Zhuo Keji Tusi Guanzhai, Songgang Zhi Bo Diaolou (including Qiangzhai Diaolou Cluster), the Songpan Ancient City Walls, the Langtang Bangtuo Monastery, the Tsolji Monastery, the ruins of Yingpan Mountain and the ruins of Jiangwei City, the Risimanba Diaolou, and the ruins of the Aba Red Army Long March.
Aba Prefecture is also a treasure trove of biological genes, a natural medicine bank and a national ecological construction demonstration area, with diverse ecosystems and biodiversity. In addition, the state has well-developed educational and health infrastructures, with a number of institutions of higher learning, secondary schools, general secondary schools, elementary school and kindergartens, as well as 1,546 health institutions.
