History: Yushu was inhabited by the Qiang, an ancient tribe in northwest China. In its history, it was governed successively by several Tibetan regimes. Yushu Special District was established in 1949 and changed to Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Region two years later, then changed to an autonomous prefecture in 1955.
Physical Features: The prefecture is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with most of the region 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above the sea level. It is the fountainhead of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River. Ravines and valleys have been cut by the rivers in its southeastern part.
Special Local Products: Tibetan medical herbs and ornaments
Religion: Tibetans make up ninety-seven percent of the prefecture's total population. It is an area with its entire population believing in Tibetan Buddhism. There are 192 Tibetan Buddhist temples here, nearly thirty percent of the total in Qinghai.
Festivals: Horse racing festivals are the most popular sport game in the grasslands. The grandest one is held annually on 25th, July, lasting one week. The site is in Zhaxigou, which is only three kilometers from Jiegu Town. Apart from the delightful horse racing, colorful tents, beautiful traditional costumes and ornaments of the Kangba Tibetan people as well as the folk songs and dance are some of the wonderful sights during the horse racing festival.
Traditional ethnic costumes: The climax of the horse racing festival happens on the last day. Men's robes usually have bands made of tiger or panther skins, while the women's are striped with otter skin. The women's costumes, especially, are made more luxurious by wearing ornaments. They wear ornaments made of turquoise, pearl, coral, carnelian and silver or golden amulets. So, a set of ornamented garments is very expensive.
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