| Namling | |
| Native Name: | · Chinese: 南木林镇 |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | China Tibet topography |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Tibet Autonomous Region |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tibet |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture-level city |
| Subdivision Name2: | Shigatse |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Namling |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Major Nationalities |
| Population Blank1: | Tibetan |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Regional dialect |
| Population Blank2: | Tibetan language |
| Timezone1: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset1: | +8 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Namling Town government |
| Coordinates: | 29.685°N 89.1012°W |
Namling or Namlingxoi (;) is a town and seat of Namling County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, about by road northeast of Shigatse (the second largest town in Tibet), north of Dobjoi.
The town is located at an altitude of 4683 metres (15,367 feet), at a bend in the Tsangpo River.[1] The township of Namling covers an area of and has a population of about 7000 people.[2] Several forts can be seen along the hills above the river valley and one fort is the Namling Dzong.[1] Vegetation in the area is sparse today, almost devoid of any vegetation looks like a desert country. Fossils (assessed to be of 15 million years age) unearthed here reveal that leaves, willows, alders, maples, rhododendrons and conifers existed here.[3] The village is situated on a cone-shaped hill.[4]
Namling has developed in recent times into a regional educational centre, overlooked by the Bureau of Education.[5] In 1993, the Namling County Schools Project received funding from the US-based Boulder-Lhasa Sister City Project. The schools of this project achieved the best results in 1994, in Tibet.[6]
Namling Dzong is a prominent fortress in the area, which has been likened to European castles along the Rhine.[1] In the early 17th century, the 5th Dalai Lama founded the Ganden Chökhor monastery in Namling, reached via a chain bridge; it was the first of thirteen monasteries of his era.[7] There were 300 monks at the monastery in 1908. It was the seat of the Teshu Lamas.[8]
The township contains the following villages:[2]