Lhorong County Overview
Overview
In Chinese: 洛隆县
In Pinyin: Luò Lōng Xiàn
Administrative Division Code : 542132
Post Code : 855400
Phone Area Code :0895
The Prefix of Motor Vehicle License Plate : 藏B
The Prefix of Citizen Identity Card Number: 542132
Area Coverage: 8184 square kilometers
Population : 40,000 persons (by the end of 2010)
Seat of Government: Zito Town
Lhorong County is a county of the Qamdo Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region. The county covers an area of 8,108 km2 (3,131 sq mi) and has a population of around 40,000 as of 2003. The word Lhorong means "valley in the south" or "river in the south" in Tibetan.
Geography and climate
Lhorong County is located in the northeast of the Tibet Autonomous Region, in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and contains some 100 kilometres of the Nu River (Salween River).The Nu River flows through Tibet into Sichuan into Gongshan Dulong and Nu Autonomous County of Yunnan Province. It later flows through Lushui County and into Burma, eventually into the Indian Ocean. Lhorong County lies to the south-west of the Qamdo Prefecture. Banbar County lies to the northwest, Baxoi County lies across the river to the east, Banbar County to the west, Dêngqên County to the north, and Riwoqê County to the northeast. From east to west the county is 127 kilometers and from north to south the greatest distance of is 105 kilometres. A county has a total area of 8048.4 square kikometres. The total population is around 36,000 people (1999), with estimates in 2003 being around 40,000.Other rivers of Lhorong County include the Jalan Song, Maqu, and the Zhuoma Lang. The county also contains numerous small lakes which the locals compare to 21 fairies.
The county has a temperate semi-arid plateau monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 5.1 ℃, the maximum air temperature (in July) being 14.5 ℃. The annual extreme minimum temperature is -10.1 ℃ and annual mean maximum temperature is 31.2 ℃. The country experiences 2,500 hours of sunshine annually on average, with a frost-free period of 120 days or so. The annual average rainfall is 439.7 millimeters, with much rain in August. Annual average relative humidity is around 50-55%.
Attractions of Lhorong County
Zhuoma Langcuo Lake(卓玛郎措湖): Zhuoma Langcuo Lake which means Du mu nv shen Lake in Tibetan language, is one of the biggest freshwater lakes in Lhorong County, 40 KM away from county seat.
Badongcuo Lake(八冻措湖): Badongcuo Lake means Hailuo Lake(海螺湖), located at the top of Bamei mountain(八美山) of Lajiu Town(腊久乡), 88 KM away from Lhorong County seat. The water surface of the lake with 7 KM length, 1.5 KM width is representing a milk white all year round.
Leiwuqi Monastery(类乌齐寺): Leiwuqi Monastery, also called Yanggong Monastery(扬贡寺), named Chajiema(查杰玛), or Gepeilin(格培林) in Tibetan language. It is a famous Geju monastery integrated Tibetan, Han and Nepali architectural style.
Karub Ruins(卡若遗址): It’s one of the three large primeval cultural ruins in Tibet and from the New Stone Age with a history of 4,000 years with a close relationship with the ancient culture of Yellow River Valley.
Economy
The county is semi-agricultural, with an area of 88800 mu of cultivated land per capita, a grassland area of 400.9 hectares, and 24,797 hectares of forest. Lhorong County has reserves of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc and other minerals such as mercury, arsenic, tin, marble etc. The country contains 7 townships, 4 of which have town status, 76 administrative village municipalities and a total of 289 villages. Lhorong County, has a county-level People's Hospital (MCH station, health and epidemic prevention stations), 11 small rural health clinics across the country and there is a Tibetan school. In recent years there has been a development of private medicine and pharmacology, mainly for the grassroots peasants and herdsmen in masses. Education is taught bilingually in Tibetan and Chinese and the current school-age children enrollment rate is 99.66%.
Wildlife include deer, bison, bear, leopard, monkey, Himalayan blue sheep (bharal), argali, wolves, foxes etc. Lhorong County contains rich fertile land suitable for agriculture. The main crops are spring wheat, winter wheat, spring barley, winter barley, peas, rapeseed, potatoes, round root, etc. and a speciality, Lhorong tsampa butter. 11 townships in the county belong to the farming and animal husbandry. Livestock include mainly yak, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, mules, pigs etc. and meat, dairy products, hides and wool is produced and in 2002 amounted to a revenue of 1.96 million yuan. Grain and oil processing plants, brickwork, breeding factories and other enterprises exist in Lhorong County. Folk handicrafts, ethnic costumes, ethnic handicraft production also employs people.
The county has a county-level radio and television transmitter and a township-level radio and television transmitter. In Lhorong County there is a Lhorong County Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China, township credit unions and other financial institutions, primarily for farmers and herdsmen in agricultural and pastoral development. Lhorong County has a post office, which has opened a 24-hour electronic remittance business, a bureau, and now has controlled telephone, fax, telegraph and postal services and 163 computers have Internet access as of 2008. Lhorong county town has numerous guest houses and a variety of small food and beverage outlets.
Qamdo Lhorong County Travel Tips:
Physical Features: It lies among the upper reaches of the Nujiang, Jinsha and Lancang rivers, in the Hengduan Mountains. High mountains and plateaus make up the main part of the region.
Local Highlights: Almost every month Tibet Lhorong County has festivals with different themes, and some of the traditions have been passed down for many generations. The Tibetan New Year is the most important and ceremonious traditional festival of the Tibetans. New Year's Day (the first day of the first month) of the Tibetan calendar is usually in February. During the fifth and the sixth months of the Tibetan calendar, a horse racing festival is held among the locals. In addition, monasteries hold religious festivals such as the Butter Lamp Festival in the first Tibetan month and the Saga Dawa Festival in the fourth Tibetan month. During these festivals devotees perform magnificent rituals and supplications.
Special Local Products: chang, rare herbs, Tibetan boots and knives, silver objects and decorations
