Kangding, town, western Sichuan sheng (province) and capital of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China. Kangding is on the Tuo River, a tributary of the Dadu River, 62 miles (100 km) west of Ya’an on the main route from Sichuan into the Tibet Autonomous Region. It lies at an elevation of 8,400 feet (2,560 metres) and is situated in a wild mountainous region with a mixed population of Han Chinese and Tibetans.
Until the Song period (960–1279), the area was beyond Chinese control. In the 10th century a Chinese commissioner was stationed there, although the autonomy of the local Tibetan population was recognized. At that time the town was primarily a market in which Chinese merchants traded with Tibetan merchants in tea and cloth. In 1909 the site was accorded regular administrative status under the name Kangding Fu; it became a county in 1913. When Xikang province was established after 1938, Kangding became the provincial capital, and it remained so until 1950, when the provincial seat was moved to Ya’an. Xikang province was abolished in 1955.
Since 1949, a hydroelectric plant has been built at Kangding, and the city has developed some handicraft industries. It also has a wool-dressing plant, hand-loomed-textile production, and tea processing. The town also remains a centre for Han Chinese relations with the Tibetans of the western Sichuan highlands. Pop. (2005 est.) Kangding county, 110,000.