Nyêmo County

Nyêmo is a county in the Lhasa west of the main center of Chengguan, Tibet. It lies on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, the northern part of the Brahmaputra. The county has an area of , and as of 2011 had a population of 30,844 people, mostly engaged in agriculture or herding.

Location

"Nyemo" is the Tibetan word for "wheat".
It is located in the middle section of the Brahmaputra, from Lhasa.
It is mainly agricultural and pastoral, with an area of and an average elevation of .
The county seat is above sea level.
The Nimu Maqu River flows through the county from north to south.
The Yarlung Tsangpo River forms its southern boundary.
The highest point is a peak at above sea level, and the lowest point is where the Maqu River empties into the Brahmaputra at an elevation of .

The county has a temperate semi-arid plateau monsoon climate, with about 100 frost-free days.
Annual rainfall is .
Nyêmo County mineral resources are copper, molybdenum and peat.
Wildlife includes leopards, bears, lynx, river deer, black-necked cranes, and pheasant.
Wild plants include Fritillaria, Cordyceps, berberine and lotus.

History

Nyêmo was the birthplace of the great translator Vairocana, and the place where the teacher Padmasambhava subjugated local spirits during his journey from Nepal to Lhasa. Old pre-Buddhist cults have survived into the modern era along with monasteries of the different Buddhist traditions.
The ''ala'' priestly tradition is a local hybrid of traditional religions and Buddhism that is distinctive of Nyemo.
Female mediums, possessed by spirits, performed healing ceremonies until the time of the Cultural Revolution.

In late 1968 a revolt in the rural areas of Tibet began in Nyêmo, caused by shortages of food and the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.
The revolt later spread to twenty more counties in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
In the 1969 "Nyemo incident" the followers of Nyêmo nun Trinley Chödrön combined with the forces of the Maoist Gyenlo party organization.
Their “Army of the Gods” attacked government and army compounds and rival cadres throughout the region over the course of several weeks in June 1969.
Tinley Chodron, who was said to be an emanation of the holy bird Labja Gongmo from the Epic of King Gesar, was executed in Lhasa later that year.

Administrative divisions

Nyêmo County was established in 1959.
It includes the following towns or townships:

* Tarchong Town (, )
* Toinba Township (, )
* Xumai Township (, )
* Pusum Township (, )
* Paggor Township (, )
* Margyang Township (, )
* Karru Township (, )
* Nyêmo Town