Tianwendian

Tianwendian (Chinese: 天文点; lit.: 'astronomical point') is the location of a Chinese border outpost in the Chip Chap River valley, north of Depsang Plains in the Aksai Chin region controlled by China (as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang).[3] The region is disputed by India.

Tianwendian 天文点
border outpost
Tianwendian Show map of Xinjiang Tianwendian Show map of Ladakh
Coordinates: 35.331°N 78.179°E / 35.331; 78.179
Elevation [1][2]	5,171.2 m (16,965.9 ft)

Tianwendian
Traditional Chinese	天文點
Simplified Chinese	天文点
Literal meaning	astronomical point
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Tiānwéndiǎn Wade–Giles Tʻien2-wên2-tien3

Military outpost

The military outpost was constructed in 1959, and is composed of a border company.[4] Around the time of the 2013 Daulat Beg Oldi incident, PLA constructed a radar station at this outpost.[5]

India-China Border Meeting point

Further information: Border Personnel Meeting point § Daulat Beg Oldi - Tianwendian

The highest of the five Border Personnel Meeting points is located near Tianwendian. The Indian camp at Daulat Beg Oldi serves as the counter-party for this meeting point.[6]

See also

• List of locations in Aksai Chin § Outposts
• Daulat Beg Oldi

References

1. Baiping, Zhang (2000). "Kunlun Mountains Region". 57: 349–372. doi:10.1007/978-94-010-0965-2_17. ISSN 0924-5499. Tianwendian (5171.2 m) Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. "海拔5170米 天文点官兵扎根奉献". Xinwen Lianbo. CCTV-13. 22 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2019. 海拔5170米 天文点官兵扎根奉献
3. 地貌气候. 和田县政府门户网站 (in Chinese). 29 April 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019. 海拔5 000米以上的天文点、空喀山口一带，
4. 陈杰 (19 December 2013). 王建民 (ed.). "守防在昆仑之巅 记新疆军区某边防团天文点边防连" (in Chinese). Xinhua News. Retrieved 14 December 2019. 天文点边防连组建于1959年。
5. Bhat, Vinayak (25 August 2017). "China's string of radars in Ladakh track every move of Indian Army – ThePrint". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 January 2020. The Depsang area came into the limelight during 2013 Daulat Beg Oldie incident when the PLA pitched tents and constructed watchtowers much higher than required. At that time, China had also constructed a huge radar on a hillock north of their post called Tianwendian.
6. "Indian, Chinese armies decide to improve ties at functional level". News18. Retrieved 14 September 2017.