Country China Autonomous prefecture Ili Kazakh | Autonomous region Xinjiang Area 4,430 km² | |
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[[File:|thumb|Location of Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County (pink) in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture]]
Contents
Map of Qapqal, Ili, Xinjiang, China
Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County (simplified Chinese: 察布查尔锡伯自治县; traditional Chinese: 察布查爾錫伯自治縣; pinyin: Chábùchá'ěr Xíbó Zìzhìxiàn; Xibe: Cabcal Sibe beye dasangga siyan, also transliterated as Chapchal, Uyghur: Чапчал Шибә Аптоном Наһийиси, Kazakh: Шапшал Сибе аутономыялық ауданы) in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in northern Xinjiang is the only Xibe autonomous county of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 4,430 square kilometers and a population 160,000 (2000). Qapqal means "the granary" in the Xibe language.
Subdivisions
The Xibe, sent to garrison the area by the Qing Dynasty, were divided into eight niru (companies); each niru established a settlement. The settlements are thus simply referred to as "First Niru" through "Eighth Niru", with the exception of the settlement established by the Sixth, which came to be known as Qapqal, thus giving the county its name.
Media
The county has one Xibe-language newspaper, the Qapqal News. A television station broadcasts a few programmes in Xibe as well each month, with Chinese-language content the rest of the time.