Xikang

Xikang or Sikang (西康省 Xīkāng Shěng), was a province of the Republic of China (ROC), comprising most of the Kham region of traditional Tibet, where the Khampas, a subgroup of Tibetan people, live. The eastern part of the province was inhabited by a number of different ethnic groups, such as Han Chinese, Yi, Qiang and Tibetan, while the western part of the province was inhabited by Tibetans. Xikang, then known as Chuanbian (川邊), was a "Special Administrative District" of ROC until 1939, when it became an official province. The provincial capital was Kangding from 1939 to 1951, and Ya'an from 1951 to 1955. The province had a population of some 3,4 million in 1954.