History of Aba Prefecture (Ngawa)

In the 8th century the Gyalrong area was visited by Vairotsana.

In 1410 Je Tsongkhapa’s student Tshakho Ngawang Tapa established the first Gelug monastery in the area called “Gyalrong”.

In contemporary history, most of Ngawa was under the 16th Administrative Prefecture of Szechwan (四川省第十六行政督察區), which was established by the Republic of China (ROC).

The People’s Republic of China defeated ROC troops in this area and established a Tibetan autonomous prefecture by late 1952. It was renamed Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in 1956 and Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in 1987.

On May 12, 2008, a major earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County (Tibetan: ལུང་དགུ་, Wylie: lung dgu), a county in the southeastern part of this autonomous prefecture. 20,258 people were killed, 45,079 injured, 7,696 missing in the prefecture as of June 6, 2008.

Internet access in the prefecture has been severely restricted.

Source From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngawa_Tibetan_and_Qiang_Autonomous_Prefecture#History_and_Names