As one of the border counties of Tibet, Ritu is located in the northwest of Tibet and Ngari (Ali) as well. It covers an area of 75,400 square kilometers and has a population of 6,300. In the Tibetan language, Ritu means “at the foot of the gun and fork’s bracket-shaped mountain”. The county government is subject to the administration of Ngari (Ali) Prefecture and the county seat lies at Deru. At Ritu, an ancient dance “Xiebaxiema” has been preserved. It was said the content of the dance was indicated to commemorate a famous minister of the King Gesar. The 17 couples of male and female dancers wear ancient fineries; the male dancers holding knives are knights and the female dancers put on beautiful clothes. The rich and colorful contents of the folk stories, fables, legends, adages and folk songs have gain a fame of “the treasure house of the folk culture” for the county. Lots of ancient human remains like grottoes and cliff paintings are found at Ritu.