Qüxü County

Qüxü County 曲水县 • ཆུ་ཤུར་རྫོང་།
County
Yarlung Tsangpo ferry near Qüxü 1939
Location of Qüxü County within Tibet
Coordinates: 29°36′54″N 90°53′31″E / 29.61500°N 90.89194°E / 29.61500; 90.89194Coordinates: 29°36′54″N 90°53′31″E / 29.61500°N 90.89194°E / 29.61500; 90.89194
Country	China
Region	Tibet
Prefecture-level city	Lhasa
County seat	Qüxü
Area
• Total	1,624 km2 (627 sq mi)
Population (1999)
• Total	32,150
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)

Qüxü County, or Qushui or Chushur or Chushul, is a county in the Lhasa prefecture-level city southwest of the main center of Lhasa, Tibet, China. It is mountainous in the northwest, flatter near the Lhasa River, which runs through the east of the county, and the Yarlung Tsangpo, which forms the southern border. The population as of 2000 was 29,690, mostly engaged in agriculture or animal husbandry. The county is home to the Nyethang Drolma Lhakhang Temple.

In the Tibetan language the name means "water ditch." Qüxü County has a total area of 1,680 square kilometres (650 sq mi), with an average elevation of 3,650 metres (11,980 ft). The county is in the Yarlung Tsangpo valley, and is mostly relatively flat, but rises to the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains in the north. The Lhasa River runs south through the eastern part of the county to its confluence with the Yarlung Tsangpo River, which forms the southern boundary of the county. The lowest elevation is 3,500 meters, and the highest summit elevation is 5894 meters.

Qüxü County has a temperate semi-arid plateau monsoon climate zone with 3,000 hours of annual sunshine hours on average and 150 days a year without frost. Annual precipitation is 441.9 millimeters (17.40 in). Natural disasters such as flash floods, landslides, drought, sandstorms, pests and diseases are common. Mineral resources include mainly corundum, limestone, granite, peat and so on. Wild animals include Himalayan blue sheep, pheasants, deer, leopard and brown bear. Medicinal plants include Chinese caterpillar fungus, Fritillaria and Codonopsis.