Rinbung County, also known as “Rinpung County“, is a county in Shigatse City; it means “gathering treasures” in Tibetan.
Location
Rinbung County is located in south of Tibet Autonomous Region and east of Shigatse City, with Nagarze County of Shannan City in east, Gyantse County in south, Samzhubze District and Namling County in west, and Nyemo County of Lhasa City across the river to north.
It is 120 kilometers from Shigatse City, 66 kilometers from Shigatse Peace Airport, 185 kilometers from Lhasa City, and 140 kilometers from Lhasa Gonggar Airport
Best time to travel
From June to October
Local climate
Temperate semi-arid plateau monsoon climate
Most popular sites
Jamchen Monastery was built in 1367 AD. The 13-meter-high Great Maitreya statue is made of copper in the monastery is one of the three largest Maitreya Buddhas in Tibet. Jamchen Monastery, whose full name is Rong Jamchen Chode, is located at the foot of Dzong Mountain in Jamchen Village of Rinbung County. It faces south and is built on the mountain, covering an area of more than 90 acres. It originally belonged to Sakya pa , later converted to be a Gelug pa monastery. The monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. After 1978, it was rebuilt and has basically restored its original appearance.
Yongze Lutso Lake is located in Dejilin Township which is about 70 kilometers away from Rinbung County. According to legend, this lake can show the blessings of this life and future life. Therefore, is regarded by local people as a “sacred lake for seeing past and future. According to legend of Tibetan Buddhism, Yongze Lutso Lake is the residence of the protector of Tashilhunpo Monastery. In addition, that as usual, this is the lake to determine the direction of finding reincarnation of Panchen Lama
Geography and climate
The terrain of Rinbung County is high in northeast and southeast, low in northwest. The average elevation is about 3950 meters. The average elevation in its east is above 4200 meters. The average elevation in its west is about 3761 meters.
Dangmu Peak, the highest peak in Rinbung County, is 6112 meters above sea level, and its size is with a total area of 2123 square kilometers
Rinbung County is located between Gangdis Mountains and Himalayas with high mountains and deep valleys and dense rivers. Yarlung Tsangbo River passes through the northwest of the county, and Menqu River, which originated from Nachin kangsa Snow Mountain in its territory, runs through three counties and one town from north to south, and flows into Yarlung Tsangbo River in Bailin Village of Rinbung Township.
Annual average temperature of Renbu County is 6.3℃, the absolute maximum temperature is 28.2℃, and the extreme minimum temperature is -25.1℃.
Annual sunshine hours are 2,300 hours, annual frost-free period is about 120 days, and the climate is dry.
The rainy season is concentrated in July and August with precipitation and volume account for 95% of the whole year, and annual precipitation is 451 mm.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2014, Rinbung County has a total population of 30,300, and Tibetans account for about 99% of total population. Other ethnic groups include Han, Hui, Mongolian, etc.
Brief History
In Yuan Dynasty(AD 1271-AD 1368), Sakya regime was established, which formed up 13 Wanhu households in “U-Tsang“, and Rinbung belonged to Qumi Wanhu(household) (in the area of Qumei Township and Namling of Shigatse City today).
In 1356 AD, during Phagmo Drupa Regime, Rinbung Zong was established.
In 1642 AD, it was under jurisdiction of Kashag regime
In 1959, Rinbung was established, and it was placed under Gyangtse Prefecture
In 1964, Rinbung was placed under jurisdiction of Shigatse Prefecture
In 2014, Shigatse Prefecture was abolished and the prefecture-level Shigatse City was established, Rinbung County has been under jurisdiction of Shigatse City since then
