| Riwoche | |
| Other Name: | Riwoqê |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | Tibet#China |
| Pushpin Label: | Riwoche |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the seat in the Tibet AR |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tibet |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture-level city |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chamdo |
| Seat Type: | County seat |
| Seat: | Sado |
| Area Total Km2: | 6,337.93 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 58856 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Riwoqê County government |
| Coordinates: | 31.2116°N 96.6002°W |
| Tib: | རི་བོ་ཆེ་རྫོང་། |
| Wylie: | ri bo che rdzong |
| Zwpy: | Riwoqê Zong |
| Order: | st |
| S: | 类乌齐县 |
| T: | 類烏齊縣 |
| P: | Lèiwūqí Xiàn |
Riwoche (;) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Chamdo in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The county lies in eastern Tibet and borders Qinghai province to the north.
Riwoche is the name of the county, the county capital, and the small village where the main monastery is located. Riwoche sits at around 3400m (11,200feet) above sea level. The Dzi River flows through the region. The county grows barley and wheat. Khampa inhabitants of the area lives in houses made of wood. The area is highly mountainous, and in contrast to the high altitude grasslands predominant in Tibetan Plateau, Riwoche is lush all year round with evergreen forests. Riwoche's climate is mild by Tibetan standards, with daytime high temperatures generally above -4°C in winter and 20°C in summer.[2]
Riwoche County is divided in 2 towns and 8 townships.
| Name | Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Tibetan | Wylie | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town | ||||||
| Riwoche Town (Riwoqê) | Chinese: 类乌齐镇 | |||||
| Sado Town (Samdo) | Chinese: 桑多镇 | |||||
| Townships | ||||||
| Jagsamka Township | Chinese: 甲桑卡乡 | |||||
| Chamoling Township | Chinese: 长毛岭乡 | |||||
| Kangda Township | Chinese: 岗色乡 | |||||
| Jigdoi Township | Chinese: 吉多乡 | |||||
| Pênda Township | Chinese: 宾达乡 | |||||
| Karmardo Township | Chinese: 卡玛多乡 | |||||
| Samka Township | Chinese: 尚卡乡 | |||||
| Yeru Township | Chinese: 伊日乡 | |||||
Yiri Hot Spring is located at Riwoqê County, surrounded by the hills, is a famous hot spring which is reputed to cure diseases.[3]
Riwoche is also home to the famous Riwoche Monastery, the main set of the Taklung Kagyu,[4] situated 29 km north of the Riwoche Town, and 134 km west of Chamdo. Jiumichan Monastery is within Riwoqê County, 105 km away from the county seat, is a national key scenic spot.[5]
Naitang Monastery is located at Riwoqê County, with Dingxia Mountain on the back, Naishui River in the front, and Duoji Cliff on the north. Buddhists thought it as the holy land of Ruchi 16 Arhats, called it Naitang Monastery.[6]
Riwoche is also known for a unique horse breed called Riwoche horses, thought to be the missing link between modern horses and prehistoric horses after ground-breaking research in 1995.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]