Rutog County Overview
In Chinese: 日土县
In Pinyin: Rì Tǔ Xiàn
Administrative Division Code : 542524
Post Code : 859700
Phone Area Code :0897
The Prefix of Motor Vehicle License Plate : 藏F
The Prefix of Citizen Identity Card Number: 542524
Area Coverage: 71963 square kilometers
Population : 10,000 persons (by the end of 2010)
Seat of Government: Rutog Town
Geography and Climate
Although when the county was established in 1961 it was part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in 1978 it became a part of the Tibet Autonomous Region, under the jurisdiction of the Ngari Prefecture.
Rutog County is located in northwestern Tibet, Ngari northwest with a number of territorial borders. It is divided into 12 townships and 30 village committees. The Karakoram Mountains go through the county. The average altitude of 4,500 m (14,800 ft) with a maximum altitude of 6,800 m (22,300 ft).
The Nu River flows through this county of mountain shrub grassland and alpine grassland soil. Lakes in Rutog County include Bangda Lake, Guozha Lake, Longmu Lake, Lumajangdong Co and Wo Erba Lake.
Rutog County is located in semi-arid plateau sub-frigid monsoon climate zone, climate with low air pressure, radiation strong, cold and dry with very little precipitation. Gang Tisi, also known as "Kala Si" mountain is the highest point of Rutog County at 6800 meters above sea level, and since ancient times, people in Central Asia have come to visit it on pilgrimage routes. The county has an annual sunshine of 3370.9 hours, annual precipitation is 73.4 mm, annual evaporation is 2456.3 mm, and annual average wind speed 3.2 m/s.
Overall Rutog County has a rough subarctic climate with long, very cold, sometimes snowy winters and short, cool, humid summers (Dfc) owing its extreme altitude.
Economy
Rutog County's economy is based around farming and animal husbandry. Aside from wool, butter, hides, cattle cashmere etc. are produced. In Rutog County, the main growing crop is barley and yaks, sheep, goats, horses and other livestock are important to the economy. Rutog County has many wild animals and plants, including the black-necked crane, goose, wild yak, Tibetan antelope, Mongolian gazelle, black sheep, wild ass, and bear. A number of rare animals are protected by the government and are of high value. Known mineral resources are gold, lead, chromite, borax, and salt.
In the five years from 2006–2011, Rutog County produced 72 tons of cashmere wool worth 16 million yuan ($2.5 million USD in 2011).China produces 75% of the world's cashmere wool.
Infrastructure
The China National Highway 219 passes through Rutog County. In 1989 the Rutog County Commerce and Industry Bureau was established. In June 2002 it successfully held the first Bangong Folk Festival. As of the end of May 2006, the Rutog County Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China which was established in 1995, has given total loans amounting to 92.5 million yuan, mainly funding the distribution of animal products for farmers in Rutog County. The bank loaned 12.2 million yuan in 2006 alone.
In 1984, Rutog County television station was established and in 1985, Japanese investors built the first cinema on county soil. Japan also invested in Rutog's radio facilities.
Attractions of Rutog County
About Rutog Rock Paintings
Rock painting is a kind of stone carving culture. During the early development of human society, people described and recorded their way of production and life through a simple and natural form- stone inscription. This phenomenon became a precious cultural heritage left by ancestral people.
In 1985, rock paintings were found at several sites in Rutog County. This was the first time such finds had been made in Tibet. The rock paintings at a dozen places within Rutog, including Risum Rimodong and Lorinaka, are not only large in size and great in number, but are also of high artistic value.
The rock paintings cover a wide range of contents, including hunting, sacrificial rites, riding, domestic animal herding, and farming, as well as the sun and moon, mountains, cattle, horses, sheep, donkeys, antelopes, houses, and people.
The most impressive one features 4 extravagantly antlered deer racing across the rock and looking back at 3 leopards in hot pursuit. Also depicted are eagles, yaks, camels, goats, tigers wild boars and human figures.
Tips of Rutog Rock Paintings
1. The majority of the rock paintings lie at the southern and eastern of Pangong Lake. You can find some on the Xinjiang-Tibet road near Rutog County.
2. If you like, you can go to Pangong Lake by the way.
Northern Tibet Prairie
Northern Tibet Prairie is located in Rutog County. By using our Mysterious Tibet Rutog County holiday planner, you can arrange your visit to Northern Tibet Prairie and other attractions in Rutog County.
Qiangtang Nature Reserve: Qiangtang nature reserve as the biggest nature reserve was founded in 2000, which located in northern of Tibet, southern of Mt.Kunlun and Hoh Xil, northern of Mt.Gangdisi and Mt.Nien ching tanggula. It total area is about 29.8 million hectares, its area just secondly to Greenland National Park in the world. At the same time it is the highest latitude nature reserve.
The Karakoram Mountains: The Karakoram, or Karakorum is a large mountain range spanning the borders of Pakistan, India, and China, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
Bangda Lake: Bangda Lake also Bangdag or Bangdacuo, is a glacial lake in Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the western Kunlun Mountains, to the southeast of Guozha Lake. Located at an altitude of 4902 metres, it covers an area of 106 square kilometres with a maximum depth of 21.6 metres and contains 90 glaciers.
Guozha Lake: Guozha Lake, also Gozha Co, Gozha Tso or Guozhacuo, also known as Lake Lighten, is a glacial lake in Rutog County in the Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the western Kunlun Mountains to the northwest of Bangda Lake, not far from the regional border with Xinjiang. Located at an altitude of 5080 metres, it covers an area of 244 square kilometres with a maximum depth of 81.9 metres and contains 62 glaciers.
Longmu Lake: Longmu also Longmu Co or Longmucuo, is a glacial lake in Rutog County in the Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It was investigated in 1989 in a Sino-French expedition to western Tibet.
Lumajangdong Co: Lumajangdong Co or Lumajiang Dongcuo is a lake in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet, China with an area of 250 km². It is located at 34° 2' 0" and 81° 40' 0". Gormain lies a few miles (5–7 km) to the northwest.
Wo Erba Lake: Orba Co, also Wo Erba or Wo Erbacuo, is a lake in Rutog County in the Ngari Prefecture in the northwest of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies at an elevation of 5,209 metres (17,090 ft), to the southeast of Longmu Lake. The lake has four major islands which are the islands with the highest altitude on earth.
Transportation
The China National Highway 219 passes through Rutog County.
Recommended Routes and Transportation
1. At Lhasa you can take a long-distance bus to Shiquanhe, costing CNY600-700. Upon arrival at Shiquanhe, you can take a direct bus to Rutog County, which is only around 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) from the destination. There you can rent a car for the rest of the journey. Or you can rent a car at Shiquanhe to reach the attraction directly.
2. Fly from Lhasa to Ngari, where you can rent a car to the attraction. On the way, you can also visit Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasarova, Ruins of Guge Kingdom, Tholing Monastery etc.
3. If there is sufficient time and budget, you can also rent a car at Lhasa and drive there. It may be expensive, but well worth the money as well as time-saving.
Note: (1) To rent a car, it is suggested you turn to local travel agencies, as they generally offer acceptable charges.
(2) Generally speaking, you should rent an SUV if you are traveling to a remote areas as the road conditions can be a little tough.
Tips:
1. As well as the Tibet Entry Permit, you also need to apply for Border Permit for traveling as this destination lies near the Chinese territory boundary.
2. Owing to the long distance and circuitous route, it is better to head for the attraction in the early morning.
3.There are inns and restaurant, where you can have a rest and a bite to eat. you can also take a picnic if you like.
4. May and September is the best time of year to visit.
5. As there is a large temperature gap between daytime and night, it is highly recommended to take along one or two pieces of thermal clothing.
