Rawu
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Rawu
| native_name = 然乌镇
| native_name_lang = zh
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Ranwu town.jpg
| image_caption = A streetscape in Rawu
| pushpin_map = Tibet
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = China
| subdivision_type1 = Autonomous region
| subdivision_name1 = Tibet Autonomous Region
| subdivision_type2 = Prefecture-level city
| subdivision_name2 = Chamdo
| subdivision_type3 = County
| subdivision_name3 = Pasho County
| elevation_m = 3970
| population_total = 4335
| population_as_of = 2010
| coordinates = {{coord|29|30|18|N|96|45|23|E|region:CN-54|display=it}}
}}
Rawu ({{Lang-zh|s=然乌镇|t=然烏鎮|p=Ránwū Zhèn}}), also known as Ravu{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} or Rawok,{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}} is a town in Pasho County, Chamdo Prefecture, within the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It sits at an altitude of about {{convert|3970|m|ft|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date=2019-07-31 |title= |script-title=zh:川藏公路上然乌镇的悄然之变 |trans-title=On the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Ranwu's quiet changes |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_3912985 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123233007/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_3912985 |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=The Paper |publisher=Shanghai United Media Group |language=zh}} Located along the Rakwa Tso, the town hosts a growing tourism industry.{{Cite web |date=2024-11-08 |title= |script-title=zh:然乌镇上的“网红店”：听，川藏公路的故事一直在讲述 |trans-title=Ranwu's "internet celebrity shop": listen, the Sichuan-Tibet Highway's story has been told |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_29285318 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123232248/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_29285318 |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=The Paper |publisher=Shanghai United Media Group |language=zh}} The modern town is built beside an older village of the same name.{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}} Per the 2010 Chinese Census, Rawu has a population of 4,335.{{Cite web |date=2016-02-24 |title= |script-title=zh:八宿县历史沿革 |trans-title=Pasho County Organizational History |url=https://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/20265.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123225403/https://www.xzqh.org/html/show/xz/20265.html |archive-date=2025-01-23 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=xzqh.org |language=zh}}
History
The Sichuan-Tibet portion of China National Highway 318 was constructed in the area during the 1950s, and was extended in the 1960s.
Geography
The town of Rawu is quite close to the original Tibetan village. To the southeast of the village is a large chorten and a small temple overlooking the Rakwa Tso{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} (also known as Ngan-tso,{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}} or Rawu Lake{{cite web |title=Rawu Lake, China |url=http://www.mbpost.com/image/265163/Rawu-Lake-China.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602075958/http://www.mbpost.com/image/265163/Rawu-Lake-China.html |archive-date=2012-06-02 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=www.mbpost.com}}{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}}), which is surrounded by snow-capped peaks and forests.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} The lake is about {{convert|7|km|mile|abbr=on}} from the town.Mayhew, Bradley and Kohn, Michael. Tibet. 6th Edition (2005), p. 238. Lonely Planet. {{ISBN|1-74059-523-8}}. It is {{convert|26|by|2|km|mile|abbr=on}}, and consists of two sections connected by a small stream.{{cite web |date=July 2005 |title=Rawu & Lhagu, Tibet |url=http://www.chinabackpacker.info/dest/d40.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124105643/http://www.chinabackpacker.info/dest/d40.html |archive-date=2018-11-24 |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=www.chinabackpacker.info}}{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}} There are small villages on both shores.{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2025}}
Demographics
Per the 2010 Chinese Census, Rawu has a population of 4,335, up from the 3,856 recorded in the 2000 Chinese Census. The modern town has a population of about 2,900.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Economy
The town is located near Rakwa Tso, a major lake, and attracts many tourists. The main industry other than tourism is logging.Buckley, Michael and Strauss, Robert. Tibet: a travel survival kit, p. 217. (1986) Lonely Planet Publications, Victoria, Australia. {{ISBN|0-908086-88-1}}. Many of the town's shops and hotels draw business from loggers and workers from nearby military base.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Transportation
Rawu sits along the Sichuan-Tibet portion of China National Highway 318.
References
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