The official Xinhua news agency reports that the earthquake, whose epicenter was in a mountainous area along the border between the Hejing and Xinyuan counties, also triggered landslides and damaged highways.
Local officials told the agency that many buildings were flattened or damaged in Xinyuan County, while hundreds of cattle were killed after their sheds collapsed.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the 6.3 magnitude quake struck at 5:07 a.m. local time about 60 miles south of the city of Dushanzi.
The relatively shallow depth of only 8 miles was responsible for the force of the shaking on the surface, according to seismologists.