Location: Nyingchi, 'the Switzerland of Tibet', lies in the southeast of Tibet, over 249 miles east to Lhasa.Nyingchi, 'The Grand Throne of Sun' in Tibetan, also called 'the Switzerland of Tibet', lies in the southeast of Tibet, where the Himalaya Mountains and Nyainqentanglha Mountains extend from west to east, like parallel huge dragons, to join the Hengduan Mountains in the east. It is one of the 7 prefecture areas of Tibet Autonomous Region. Covering an area of 117,000 square kilometers (45,174 square miles), Nyingchi is noted for its green mountains and clear water. Nyingchi area, with a population of 159,200 (2000), has 7 counties under its jurisdiction. The lower reaches of the Brahmaputra River, with the Sichuan-Tibet highway runs through the whole prefecture from east to west.
History
Nyingchi County, named in ancient times as Gongbo, has a long history that can be traced to Tibet's prehistoric period. As early as over 4,000 years ago, what is now the Nyingchi area was a settlement of humans who farmed by the slash-and-burn method and were relatively settled. The earliest record of the history of Nyingchi can be found in the inscription on the Demo Stone Board in Gongbo.
Geography
The average height of the Nyingchi area is 3,100 meters (10,171 feet) above sea level and the lowest place- Bacuoka is only 150 meters above the sea level. The prefecture is comparatively lower to other cities of Tibet. This makes the city temperature quite normal without any sudden changes. Nyingchi contains the Namjagbarwa Peak, and the Brahmaputra Grand Canyon. The mountains all run east to west - the north being higher than the south, leaving a great disparity in height.
Climate
Nyingchi is known for its mild wet weather. The warm Indian current moves upstream to bring abundant rainfalls here. Nyingchi has an annual average rainfall of 650 millimeters (25.6 inches), 2,022.2 hours of sun lighting, and a yearly average temperature of 8.7 degrees Celsius (47.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Therefore, Nyingchi is a very pleasant place without harsh winter and burning summer. The rainy season, from May to September, however, is not a nice time period for visitors.
Tourist Resources
Nyingchi boasts both gorgeous natural beauty and profound ethnic cultures. It has snowy mountains, blue lakes, villages, ancient monasteries, and so on. There are eight scenic regions with 40 scenic spots here and the most famous ones include the 'Summer Waterfall and Winter Ice-Fall', the Rigyimu Co Lake and the giant cypress forest. Though surrounded by snow mountains, Nyingchi is a verdant world. Nearly all kinds of plants growing from Hainan Island to the North Pole can be found in the Nyingchi area. With green mountain slopes, snow-capped peaks and crystal-clear rivers, Nyingchi looks just like heaven on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.
What to see: Namjagbarwa Peak
Nyingchi Photos: Yarlung Tsangpo River
