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.[2] 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 saggi. A small change was made using half-catty pieces of molded salt, each reckoned as one-eightieth of a saggio of pure gold.[3] Under the Qing, it was officially known as Ningyuan Commandery[2] 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".[4]
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.[5]
Xichang (labelled as HSI-CH'ANG (NING-YÜAN) 西昌 (寧遠)) (1954)
Climate
Owing to its low latitude and high elevation, Xichang has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) 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 9.9 °C (49.8 °F) in January to 22.6 °C (72.7 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 17.15 °C (62.9 °F). Over 60% of the 1,025 mm (40.4 in) 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.
Climate data for Xichang, elevation 1,591 m (5,220 ft) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present)
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.
Xichang's spaceport is located about 64 kilometres (40 mi) 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.[14]
^Terrill, Ross (December 20, 1987). "A World Away From Beijing". The New York Times (a transcribed text from a newspaper). p. 9. ISSN0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
Select Committee of the United States House of Representatives (January 3, 1999). "Satellite Launches in the PRC: Loral". U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China. Retrieved June 30, 2007. (Congressional report discussing Intelsat 708 launch failure and possible technology transfer.)
"2002 State Dept. Charge Letter to Hughes". Softwar. 2005. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007. (Documents on Intelsat 708 and export controls, including State Department letter charging two companies with export law violations.)
Anatoly Zak (February 2013). "Disaster at Xichang". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved April 21, 2013. (Article on the crash of a rocket carrying a commercial payload on February 15, 1996.)
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