A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a more resistant layer or layers of harder rock, e.g. shales overlain by sandstones. The resistant layer acts as a caprock that forms the flat summit of a mesa. The caprock can consist of either sedimentary rocks such as sandstone and limestone; dissected lava flows; or a deeply eroded duricrust. Unlike plateau, whose usage does not imply horizontal layers of bedrock, e.g. Tibetan Plateau, the term mesa applies exclusively to the landforms built of flat-lying strata. Instead, flat-topped plateaus are specifically known as tablelands.
Kangding City has a long and splendid history and culture, is the Sichuan-Tibet throat, the important town of the Tea-Horse Road, and the Tibetan-Chinese intersection center. Since ancient times, it has been the political, economic, cultural, commercial, information center and transportation hub of Kangba Tibetan area. Covering an area of 11600 square kilometers, the city is dominated by Tibetans and inhabited by Han, Hui, Yi, Qiang and other ethnic groups. Comrade Zhu Rongji, former Premier of the State Council, came here with affectionate admiration, calling it "overseas Xianshan, Penglai Holy Land". Kangding is a Chinese name, because the east of Danda Mountain is "Kang", which means Kangdi stability, hence the name. In Tibetan, Kang is defined as "more discounted", meaning the confluence of Daqu (Yala River) and Zuoduo River (folding River). The old history was translated as "frying furnace", and later translated as "arrow furnace", referred to as "furnace city". September 25, 2018, obtained the Ministry of Commerce. "