Yushu City, Qinghai

Yushu, also Romanized as Yüxü, is a county-level city of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Southern Qinghai Province, China. It comprises a surface area of 13462 km². In 2010, the overall city's population was 120,447 and 56,802 live within the city core. There are around 356,000 people in the metropolitan area in 2020. Yushu is the fourth largest city in Qinghai.

The city seat is the town of Gyêgu (also known as Yushu and Jiegu in Chinese), built in the valley of the Batang River, a right tributary of the Tongtian, which becomes the Jinsha at their confluence. All of these makeups part of the Yangtze watershed. In fact, almost the entire area of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is nomadic pastureland, except for Yushu city.

History
Yushu is one of the oldest towns in Qinghai, and has historically served as a major hub for regional trade. It is situated at the crossroads of the important trade routes between Ya’an, Xining, and Lhasa. In the early days, Chinese traders brought tea bricks from Sichuan and transported them to other parts of the Tibetan regions such as Lhasa, Chamdo, and Golok, which were the best-known towns during that time.

During the late 20th century, government officials encouraged traditionally nomadic merchants to settle down in Qinghai, including in Yushu, through measures such as low taxes and rents. A 1995 research paper estimated that these merchants, which included many Hui traders of the Tibetan Plateau, comprised about one-third of Yushu's population.

In 2010, Yushu was severely impacted by an earthquake. The earthquake destroyed many buildings in the city, and damaged many others.

Geography and climate
With an elevation of around 3700 m, Yushu has an alpine subarctic climate (Köppen Dwc), with long, cold, very dry winters, and short, rainy, and mild summers. Average low temperatures are below freezing from early/mid-October to late April; however, due to the wide diurnal temperature variation, the average high never lowers to the freezing mark. Despite frequent rain during summer, when a majority of days sees rain, only June, the rainiest month, has less than 50% of possible sunshine; with monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 49% in June to 66% in November, the city receives 2,496 hours of bright sunshine annually. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from −6.8 °C in January to 13.3 °C in July, while the annual mean is 3.75 °C. About three-fourths of the annual precipitation of 482 mm is delivered from June to September. The residents of Yushu City reported seeing a large meteor fireball falling from the sky into the horizon on December 23, 2020.

Administrative divisions
Yushu comprises four subdistricts, two towns, and six townships.

Demographics
During the late 20th century, government policy encouraged merchants throughout the region to settle down in Yushu. A 1995 research paper estimated that these merchants, which included many Hui people, comprised about one-third of Yushu's population.

Transportation
The city is served by the China National Highway 214 and the recently constructed (opened 2009) Yushu Batang Airport.

Religion
The city has a few monasteries in and around, it has also one mosque. Gyegu Monastery is located on the hill, while Thrangu Monastery and Domkar Monastery are located outside the city. There are also some famous religious sites such as the Wencheng Temple, the Gyanak Mani Stone Temple, and the King Gesar Museum. The Wencheng Temple is located 20 kilometers from the city center, while Gyanak Mani Temple is located 9 kilometers from the center. King Gesar Museum is located in the city center.

Festivals
The city hosts a number of notable cultural festivals. Yushu is home to an annual horse racing festival, where Kham Tibetan warriors showcase their local culture. The Yushu Horse Racing Festival is a traditional festival that is normally held at the end of July to the beginning of August, depending on the dates in the Tibetan calendar. The festival site is located on the lush summer grasslands of the valley floor, to make for better horse-racing events. Renowned as being the largest horse racing event in the Tibetan areas, the festival plays host to tens of thousands of Tibetans and tourists every year.

The festival features feats of horsemanship and horse racing that have been native to the plateau for over two thousand years, as well as horseback archery, tug-of-war, weightlifting, and many other local sports.