Abstract：The high-frequency attenuation parameter (κ0) is one of the most important parameters in ground-motion simulation. It controls the high frequency attenuation of acceleration Fourier amplitude spectrum. In this study, a dataset of 1671 accelerograms from mainshocks and aftershocks of the Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake and Lushan MS7.0 earthquake recorded at 50 strong motion observational stations were used to estimate κ0 of each station site. The fault distances of the stations are confined within 150 km. By using the stochastic finite-fault method, we simulated the acceleration time series, Fourier amplitude spectra and response spectra of these stations. Comparing with simulation results of previous studies, it can be noted that appropriate chooses of κ0 can improve the simulation performance, such as the amplitude of acceleration time series, high frequencies (>1 Hz) of Fourier amplitude spectra and response spectra. On the other hand, based on the correlation of κ0 and elevation, an empirical κ0 model was developed. The peak acceleration distribution of the Wenchuan earthquake was simulated by using the empirical κ0 model and a constant κ0 value of 0.04 s, respectively. Comparing the results with observations, the results from the empirical κ0 model have a better consistence, especially in the opposite rupture propagation direction and the mountainous area. Therefore, we concluded that the unsymmetrical distribution of peak accelerations during the Wenchuan earthquake was associated not only with the rupture geometry, but also with the condition that κ0 of the mountainous area is significantly smaller than that of the basin area.