| Xinjiang
briefing |  The
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in northwestern part China, covers an area of
1.66 million square kilometers, making up one sixth of China's total area. It
has a population 1 6 million, including the Han people, and 1 3 ethnic groups,
such as the Uygurs, Kazaks, Huis, Kirgizs, Xibes, Tajiks, Uzbeks, manchus, Daurs,
Tatars, and Russians. Urumqi is the capital.
Xinjiang is attractive for
its beautiful landscapes. The magnificent Tianshan Mountain lies from the east
to the west the middle, cutting Xinjiang into the north and the south. In e north
is the Junggar Basin sandwiched by Mt. Altay and :. Mt. In the south is the Tarim
Basin, the largest basin China, with the boundless Taklimakan Desert at the center
mmed in by the mountains of Tianshan, Kunlun, Karakorum, d Altun, and the Pamir
Plateau. Among its countless scenic wonders, the most famous are the Heavenly
Pond, Kanas Lake, e Swan Lake of Bayanbulak, Sayram Lake, and the Nanshan enic
Spot in Urumqi. Xinjiang has served as a link of international trade between
e central Asia, South Asia and the West Asia and Europe. The ancient Silk Road
in Xinjiang has left behind many historic :es, such as the ancient cities of Gaochang,
Jiaohe and Beiting, the ruins of Loulan, Niya and Subashifo, several Thousand-Buddha
caves, and ancient tombs, which are under ate protection. The long history,
the brilliant culture, and the colorful Iklore of the minority peoples make Xinjiang
attractive for urists. The hospitable people of Xinjiang are always ready to welcom
friends from all parts of the world. | | Urumqi |  Capital
of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and a rising industrial city. Major attractions:
Hongshan, Xinjiang Museum, and Shuimugou Hot Springs. Urumqi stands out as a most
distinct Chinese city with a folkloric look and burgeoning modern industry. Baiyang
Gully south of the city is a scenic Kazakh pastoral farm. Museum of Xinjiang Uygur
autonomous Region at Xibei Road has a collection of more than 50,000 cultural
relics with distinct ethnic features.
| | Tianchi
Lake |  Sprawling
on the waist of Mount Bogda of Tianshan Mountains and 100 km east of Urumqi,Tianchi
runs 4.9 square km wide and 90 metres deep, a natural lake fed by thawing snow
runoffs. Snow-mantled peaks and sky-soaring dragon-spruce, among other things,
define Tianchi Lake as a scenic place with prismatic splendour. | | Kizil
Grottoes |  Kizil,
70 km from Kuqa County, is the venue of one of China's four grottoes which was
built earlier than Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. The 10,000 square metres of murals
kept in the 236 caves that are still there, are of high value for artists and
researchers alike. | | Kanas Lake |  The
Kanas in Altay Mountain, north Xinjiang, is a lake which looks mysterious and
elegant with the peaks around it reflected bewitchingly in its pellucid water.
Inhabiting the place are Mongol nomads who have adhered to their incomparable
habits and customs. | | Turpan |  Hot
is summer in this major tourist city of Xianjiang, situated in Turpan Basin, the
lowest point on the mainland of China. The local people have developed karez,
an irrigation system composed of wells connected by underground channels, to counter
the heat and drought of the place. at the foot of the Flaming Mountain east of
Turpan lies and Grape Gully (nickname: Green Pearl City"), an oasis where
the scorching sun is shut off by luxuriant tree foliages and grapevine trellises
that cover 220 hectares and are crisscrossed by irrigation ditches. No place in
China is hotter in summer than the Flaming Mountain in Turpan, a mountain made
famous by the classical Chinese mythological novel, Journey to the West. Xinjiang's
largest ancient pagoda, Dorbiljin (Emin) Pagoda, (also called Sugong Pagoda) stands
2 km east of downtown Turpan. To the east lies Gaochang, which until the early
Ming was a thriving town on the Silk Road; today it has been reduced to a 2 million-square-metre
stretch of broken walls and deserted fields. The inexorable pace of history is
even more keenly felt at Jiaohe, another ancient city that was deserted during
the early Ming, leaving a pile of ruins west of Turpan.
| | Silk
Road Tour |  During
the Han and Tang dynasties, silk products and other goods were shipped to the
capital city of Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), where the Silk Road started, and
then they were transported by a constant flow of foreign caravans along Hexi Corridor
to Europe by way of Xianjiang, where three routes were divided on the Silk Road.
A journey down the Silk Road has thus become a most enchanting tourist program
in Xinjiang. | | |
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