Summer Encounter in Northern Frontier - Venturing into the 20°C Green Wilderness
In the northern part of Xinjiang during summer, the water of Kanas Lake is as blue as eyes, and wildflowers are in full bloom by the side of Sayram Lake, as if one has stepped into a summer scene from Hayao Miyazaki's world.
The summer of northern Xinjiang is a love letter written by God to the world.
Kanas Lake - The water is like crushed jade, and in the depths of the spruce forest, the deer's call and the stream's murmur blend into a summer pastoral song.
Sayram Lake - The last tear of the Atlantic Ocean has turned into a blue silk, with swans gliding across the water surface and wildflowers by the lake shore resembling fallen stars.
Ili Grassland - The grass waves of Keketuohai stretch all the way to the foot of the snow-capped mountains, and the figures of horse-riding teenagers are as swift as the wind, while the smoke from yurts depicts the poetry of nomadic life.
Duku Highway - One day traverses four seasons, and the scenery outside the car window suddenly shifts from the desert and steep cliffs to the snow-capped mountains and spruce forests.
N kinds of romance in northern Xinjiang in summer:
✅ Chasing light and shadow - The morning mist in Hemu Village wraps around the wooden houses, and the sunset at 9 p.m. turns Bayanbulak into a honey color.
✅ Lying in the sea of flowers - The lavender fields in Hucun are filled with purple mist, and the golden rape flowers in Zhaosu cover an area of over one million mu.
✅ Wild fun experience - A light hike on the Chata Ancient Road, and the surprise moment of eye contact with a little squirrel.
This 12-day itinerary:
Urumqi - Burqin - Kanas - Hemu - Wuerhe - Sayram Lake - Hohotong - Tekes - Shata - Kalajun - Bayanbulak - Duku Highway - Urumqi.
The Five-Colored Beach, also known as the Five-Colored Riverbank, is located in the area of Yegiz Tubie Township, about 24 kilometers northwest of Bulijun County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at an altitude of 480 meters. It covers an area of approximately 3 square kilometers.
On the south bank of the Five-Colored Beach, there are oases, deserts and blue skies. On the north bank, there are colorful rocks and strange rocks composed of mudstone, sandstone and gravel. The rock layers consist of red, reddish-brown, light yellow and light green sandstone, mudstone and gravel rocks, with various colors and a dazzling array of hues, resembling colorful castles, monsters, and peak clusters. It is a cliff-like Yada地貌， with undulating mountainous terrain and changing colors. It was formed by the erosion and cutting of the fierce river and the erosion of strong winds. Due to the varying strength of the weathering resistance of the rock layers on the riverbank， the contours are uneven. The rocks here have diverse colors， and under the sunlight at sunset， the colors of the rocks are mainly red， interspersed with green， purple， yellow， white， black and transitional colors. The colors are rich and beautiful， making it known as the "Five-Colored Beach" and is hailed as the "most beautiful Yada地貌 in Xinjiang".
The Kanas Scenic Area in Altay Prefecture, abbreviated as Kanas Scenic Area, is located in the middle section of the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is situated in the border area where China meets Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.
Kanas is derived from the Mongolian language and means "a beautiful, fertile and mysterious lake in a canyon".
The Tuva people are an ancient ethnic group in China, living by nomadic herding and hunting. For the past four hundred years, they have settled by the Kanas Lake. They are brave and strong, skilled in riding, skiing, singing and dancing. Currently, they basically maintain a relatively primitive way of life. Wooden houses built with logs, scattered throughout the village, small bridges, flowing water, curling smoke, fragrant milk wine. The quaint scenery of the small village, like the Kanas Lake, is full of mysterious charm.
This time we also experienced staying in a small wooden cabin!
The viewing platform of the Fish Viewing Tower is 19 meters high and weighs 777 tons. The vertical drop from the platform to the lake surface is over 660 meters. Due to its optimal position for observing "lake monsters", it was originally named "Viewing Fish Pavilion". It was built in 1987 and was renamed "Fish Viewing Tower" after being renovated in 2009. The structure of the Fish Viewing Tower consists of two platforms and one pavilion, which can accommodate over a hundred people for viewing. The top is in the shape of a semi-spherical ball, with four symmetrical and strange shapes resembling wings. These represent the tail of the "lake monster" and the wings of an eagle.
Hike to Sanwan, get close to the Kanas Lake, and experience a unique beauty.
Hemu Village is located within the Kanas Scenic Area. It is a settlement of the Mongolian Tuva people. It has the most intact and historically significant Tuva tribe in China. There are also attractions such as Jikpilin International Ski Resort and Hemu Bridge.
Hemu is divided into two parts: the old village and the new village. The old village is home to over 80 Tuvan ethnic herdsmen who were originally from this area. The new village is mostly populated by Kazakh herdsmen and Tuvans.
The small wooden cabins in the Huomu village are all single-story with double-pitched roofs. The minimum distance between the mountain walls is 5 meters, and the minimum horizontal distance is 25 meters. The surrounding maintenance walls of the buildings are made of natural wood, and the structure is dry-laid. The joints of the wooden pieces are offset by 20 centimeters at both ends. The roof of the small cabins is three bays or five bays wide, all of which are odd numbers, the same as the bays in traditional Chinese wooden architecture. The height is 2.6 meters, and the doors and windows are all made of wooden frame structures. Side high windows are opened on the mountain walls, and there is a special ladder outside for entering the upper layer of the pitched roof and accessing the upper floors. On one side of the building entrance, there are several wooden square pillars supporting the roof rafters that extend to both sides, forming a roofless building with an unenclosed external corridor on one side. All the maintenance surfaces inside the building are made of naturally treated and fireproofed wood. Besides the main buildings, there are landscape structures in the courtyard, such as wooden swings, seats, and outdoor barbecue areas, all made of wood. The light wood color inside the building, the dark wood color on the exterior, and various structures of the same color scheme together create a unified and unique rural color scheme for Huomu.
Karamay City World Devil City Scenic Area, abbreviated as World Devil City Scenic Area, is a Danxia landform scenic area for tourism featuring wind-sculpted landscapes located in Karamay City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Whenever a fierce wind blows, strange roars can be heard here, so it is called the Devil's City. The World Devil City Scenic Area is a "wind-eroded city", as it is caused by the air flow and the wind erosion landform. The wind sweeps up sand and stones, constantly hitting, colliding and rubbing against the rocks, thus generating various sounds. Over time, various rocks of different hardness will be blown into strange shapes by the wind.
The Lake Serinuo is called "Serinuo Naoer" in Mongolian, meaning "The Lake on the Ridge of the Mountain". The lake's surface is at an altitude of 2073 meters.
The Sayram Lake integrates mountains, glaciers, forests, grasslands, a clear lake and rare birds. It combines the beauty of grandeur, uniqueness, mystery, elegance and vastness. It is the highest-altitude and largest mountain lake in Xinjiang, and is renowned as "a unique place from the west and a sacred land beyond the world".
Huo City Lavender is a local specialty of Huo City, Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang. It is a national agricultural product geographical indication. The production area of Huo City Lavender is at the same latitude as Provence in France, and the climate and soil conditions are similar. It is the largest lavender planting base in China and the hometown of lavender in China. Lavender in Xinjiang has been listed as one of the world's eight famous varieties.
Guozigou Bridge is a major expressway in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. It is located on the Guozigou Canyon and is one of the main components of the Lianyungang - Khotogosu Expressway (National Highway G30). It is also an important public welfare project in Xinjiang.
Guojiugou Bridge is the first large-span highway steel truss cable-stayed bridge in China. It integrates new technologies, new structures, new processes and new equipment, "four new elements", and represents a major breakthrough in Xinjiang's road construction history. At the same time, the construction of this bridge has provided new ideas for the construction of large-scale bridges in mountainous areas of China. The completed bridge blends seamlessly with the beautiful scenery of Guojiugou, adding another beautiful line to the Guojiugou National Scenic Area.
Xiatai, also spelled Xia Ta or Xia Te, means "ladder". In ancient times, Xiatai was a summer resort for the Uyghur royal family and was also known as the "Summer Capital". Xiatai is mainly composed of the Xiatai Ancient Road that connects the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and it links Xiatai Ancient City, Xiatai River, Xiatai Hot Spring, Snow Lotus Peak, and Mu Zidabang, among other scenic spots.
In September 2010, the Xiazagou Trail was named as "The Most Beautiful Ancient Trail in China".
The Xiazahu Road is one of the most perilous and dangerous ancient passways along the ancient Silk Road. Also known as the Tangsheng Ancient Road, it crosses the 3,600-meter-high Hataomuzidaban on the main ridge of the Tianshan Mountains, connecting the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. It is 120 kilometers long and serves as a shortcut for traveling from Yili to the southern Xinjiang region. The highest point of the Muzaletabadan at the very center of the Xiazahu Valley is around 5,000 meters.
Karajuun Grassland is a typical high-altitude natural meadow grassland. It is located in Tuchek County, the Ili River Valley of Xinjiang, serving as the transitional zone between the West Tianshan Mountains and the Ili River Valley. The altitude of the grassland ranges from 1,305 meters to 3,957 meters. It is 89 kilometers long from east to west and 32 kilometers wide from north to south, covering an area of 2,848 square kilometers.
Dongkarajuun is located deep in the area and is the most exquisite part of the entire grassland. The most famous attractions here include the Five-Flower Meadow, the Flower Hill, the Kuldere Forest Grand Canyon, the Viewpoint of the Triple Plateau, and the Falcon Viewing Point. It features both snow-capped mountains and grassland scenery, as well as forest canyons, presenting a diverse and extremely beautiful landscape.
Yingguolun Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture Bayinbulak Scenic Area, simply known as Bayinbulak Scenic Area.
The Bayinburuq Scenic Area in Bayingoulan Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture is a natural landscape tourism zone that is set against the backdrop of a large mountainous basin in the middle of the Tianshan Mountains, featuring alpine meadow grasslands and high-altitude marsh wetlands ecosystems. It is centered around the upper reaches of the Kaidu River's meanders and marsh wetlands. It is known as a "green paradise" and is the location of the largest subalpine high-altitude meadow grassland in China.
In the swan habitat, not only do you have elegant and noble swans, but also a large flock of red-billed gulls. You can feed them too.
The Bayinburuq scenic area in Bayin Gol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture has a total of 13 different-sized springs, 7 lakes, and 20 rivers. The Kaidu River, which winds through the grassland, is also known as having "nine twists and eighteen turns". In one of China's four famous novels, "Journey to the West", the Kaidu River has a well-known nickname - Tongtian River. According to legend, the "Sunbathing Island" where Tang Sanzang undertook his Buddhist scriptures journey is located in Xingjing County. It is full of mysterious charm and is well-known nationwide. The Bayinburuq Swan Lake Reserve, which is nationally renowned, is located in the high mountain basin upstream of this river. The tail end of the river is the largest inland freshwater lake in China - Bosten Lake. This river, with a width of over 40 meters, meanders and twists on the flat and vast grassland.
The Duoku Highway, namely the section of National Highway 217 from Dushanzi to Kuqa in Xinjiang, is the southern part of National Highway 217 that connects the north and south of Xinjiang. Due to its crossing of the Tianshan Mountains, it is also known as the Tianshan Highway. It starts from Dushanzi District, Karamay City, in the northern part of Xinjiang, and ends at Kuqa City, in the southern part of the southern Xinjiang region, on the southern slope of the Tianshan Mountains and the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. The total length is 561 kilometers. Half of the route has an altitude of over 2,000 meters, and the highest point, the Tie Limabu Pass, has an altitude of over 3,400 meters.
The Dukou Highway is truly a scenic thoroughfare. Starting from the Dushanzi Grand Canyon at the beginning, passing through Nalati and Bayinburuk Grassland along the way, and ending at the mysterious Dukuo Grand Canyon of the Tianshan Mountains at the destination. Along the Dukou Highway, one can traverse Yilianhabigalga Mountain, Borokonu Mountain, Aulalaer Mountain, Nalati Mountain, Elbin Mountain, Halke Mountain, Yining and Dukuo Basin. The Dukou Highway has four seasons in a single day, presenting the magnificent and spectacular scene of "four seasons in one day, different climates in ten miles" to the vast number of tourists.
