Northern Sichuan is home to Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It is mainly inhabited by the Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups. With dense alpine forests and wide grasslands, northern Sichuan is a great place to get out and commune with nature.

The prefecture covers 83,426 square kilometers and has a population of 790,000. Under its jurisdiction, there are 13 counties: Wenchuan, Lixian, Maoxian, Jinchuan, Xiaojin, Maerkang, Aba, Ruoergai, Hongyuan, Rangtang, Songpan, Jiuzhaigou, and Heishui.

Aba is famous for its beautiful scenery, distinctive ethnic customs, and abundant tourist resources. In addition ot Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong and Wolong, the follwing scenic spots are also loved and frequented by multitudes of tourists: Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountain, a state-class scenic zone; Miyaluo Scenic Zone, which is famous for its red leaves and hot springs; Kalonggou Scenic Zone in Heishui; Hongyuan Grassland the Great Prairie at Zoige(Ruoergai). Aba is also home to many precious and rare wildlife, including giant pandas, golden monkeys, deer, roe deer, bear, and leopards.

The social customs in the district are colorful and varigated. The omnipresent Mani piles and the fluttering buddhisa scripture streamers demonstrate the Tibetan people's religious piety, the tall and strong watchtowers and the single cabled sliding bridges across the rapid give evidence to the technical expertise of the Qiang peoplel. The horse race festivals, new year celebrations and the jollyt tap dance and Guozhuang folk dance around the friplace, the sipping of fragrant highland barley wine, the melodious guitar and the lyric fluter all bear winess to the people's love of lift and happiness.