Riwoqe County is also known as “Riwoche County“. The economic type of Riwoqe County is dominated by animal husbandry, and with simultaneous development of agriculture and forestry.
Location
It is located in north of Chamdo City, connected to Nangqen County of Qinghai Province to north, Dengqen County to west, Baxoi County and Lhorong County to south, and Chamdo City to east.
Sanduo(Ratsaka) Town, the county seat, is with altitude of 3810 meters above sea level, it is at the intersection of National way of 317 and 214.
It is 947 kilometers away from Lhasa, 105 kilometers away from Chamdo City, 101 kilometers away from Bangda Airport, and 230 kilometers away from Nangqian County, 1400 kilometers away from Chengdu.
Best time to travel
From May to October
Local climate
Plateau temperate semi-humid climate
Most popular sites
Riwoqe monastery, also known as “Riwoqe Tsuklakhang“, is located about 35 kilometers away in the north of Riwoqe County with altitude of 3850 meters above sea level. Founded in AD 1276, Riwoqe monastery is a well-known Kagyu pa monastery in northeastern Tibet, with an architectural style of combination of Tibetan, Han and Nepalese
Yiri Hot Springs are distributed in long and narrow valley about 100 meters long. There are about 6 hot springs available with water temperature between 20-40 degrees Celsius. Because the hot spring has very obvious curative effects in treating rheumatoid arthritis and skin diseases, no matter whether it is day or night, the patients who come here for bathing and treatment almost never stop.
Kamado (Kharmardo) Pagodas, also named as “Takzham Monastery” are located by the National Road N317 in Riwoqe County, 25 kilometers away from the county seat. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery, such as towering ancient trees, green pines and cypresses, and evergreen all seasons. In the lush green cypresses, there is a unique small sutra hall, where the main statue of Guru Padmasambhava is offered, and there are several tall prayer wheels on the left and right sides.
Geography and climate
Riwoqe County is 116 kilometers from northwest to southeast, and 110 kilometers from southwest to northeast, with a total area of 6,356 square kilometers. It is located in western part of Boshulaling, which is “extension” of Nyainqentanglha Mountain. And it is in the Three rivers (Ziqu River, Gequ River, Angqu River) basin.
The eastern of Riwoqe County is a typical alpine and canyon-type landform of eastern Tibet, and the western part is a plateau-type landform of northern Tibet.
Its terrain runs from northwest to southeast along the tributaries of Lancang River. It is high in west and low in east, with an average elevation of 4500 meters.
Annual average temperature of Riwoqe County is 2.5℃. average temperature in January is -6℃, and average temperature in July is 12℃. The daily average temperature above 5℃, and lasts for 120 days, and the daily average temperature above 0℃ lasts for 250 days. The average daily temperature difference is 15°C. T
Annual average frost-free period is 50 days, annual average sunshine hours is 2,163 hours, average annual precipitation is 566 mm.
Local Products
Thangka, which is scroll painting, is usually painted on silk or cloth. Because it depicts religious content and is easy to carry, so that it is popular in Tibetan areas. Thangka is one of the main forms of local painting art in Riwoqe County. Thangkas express a wide range of subjects, including a lot of history and folklore in addition to religion, so thangkas are also called an “encyclopedia” for understanding Tibet. Thangka in Leiwuqi County is a scroll painting framed with colored satin. It has distinctive ethnic characteristics and a unique artistic style with strong religious colors. It has always been regarded as a treasure.
Tibetan accessories, Tibetan costume culture are the product of development of Tibetan history and culture. Natural stones, corals, animal bones, and silver are the main raw materials for making Tibetan ornaments. Small patterns, engravings, and inlays all cleverly form the design style of Tibetan ornaments. All Tibetan ornaments are finished by hand, and many Tibetan ornaments are made by lamas in the monastery and each one is unique.
Population and ethnicity
As of 2018, the total population of Riwoqe County is 58,400, of which Tibetans account for 97% of total population, Han people account for 2% of total population, and other ethnic minorities account for about 1% of total population;
Population density is about 8.5 people per square kilometer
Brief history
In Tang Dynasty(AD 618-AD 907), it belonged to Tubo kingdom
In AD 1274, after Yuan Dynasty(AD 1271-AD 1368) ruled Tibet, it was under jurisdiction of Tubo Itinerant High Commandery Marshal’s Mansion
In Yongle period of Ming Dynasty(AD 1403-AD 1424), the head lama of Riwoqe Tsuklakhang was named as National Teacher and managed the land of Riwoqe.
In Qing Dynasty(AD 1616-AD 1912), Enda County was established in the land of Riwoqe
In 4th year of Yongzheng Emperor of Qing Dynasty (AD 1726), Riwoqe Zong was established.
In 7thyear of Republic of China (1918), Kashag Regime directly stationed the “Rani” and a “debon” army, forming a political organization dominated by Kagyu, a unity of politics and religion.
In 1950, the former Riwoqe Zong ruled six “Benbu” areas,
In 1960, Riwoqe County was established, with the county resident in Riwoqe Town.
In 2014, Chamdo prefecture was abolished, Chamdo City was established, and Riwoqe County has been under jurisdiction of Chamdo City since then
