【Dec-Jan】Xinjiang: Kashgar ·Urumqi·Turpan

Generally speaking, there are three ways to explore Heavenly Lake. You can walk around the lake, take a boat cruise, or ride a cable car to the mountain top. If time allows, you can even enjoy all the experiences. The Boat cruise and cable car need extra fees. Tell your preference to your guide, who will then arrange accordingly for you.

- Walking around the lake. Plank roads were constructed to encircle the lake. But since the lake is very large, it takes about 5 hours to finish the circle. You can decide the hiking length on your own according to your physical condition and time. Fee: free.

- Boat Cruise on the lake. It is very popular among travelers to take a boat cruising to the deeper area of the lake and back, which is leisure and scenic. There are modern ships, Chinese-style ships and high-speed boats available at different prices. Fee: about CNY 100.

- Panoramic view from Maya Mountain. If you want more landscape, you can take a cable car up to Maya Mountain, where you can enjoy the panoramic view of Heavenly Lake and a closer view of Tianshan Mountain Range. Fee: about CNY 220.

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The population of Tashkurgan consists of the Chinese, Tajiks and Uighurs. Tajik women wear the remarkable head wears- cylindrical hats covered with a handkerchief. Tourists are able to visit Tajik traditional house and to get acquainted with the lifestyles of local’s. 

Not far from Opal are the red mountains of Oytagh Canyon, the first major scenic spot along the Karakoram Highway.

The surrounding mountains in this area all display a red tint and are great for taking photos. If you were to head west into the valley, you would eventually hit the Oytagh Glacier Park (奥依塔格冰川公园) that boasts more incredible scenery.

White Sand Lake, known as 白沙湖 in Chinese, is a massive water reservoir surrounded by sand dune mountains. The juxtaposition of sand dunes and a beautiful, blue lake make for some fun pictures to show people back at home.

Stopping here for a decent amount of time is well worth it to take in the beauty of the teal colored water and dunes in the distance.

White Sand Lake is also a good spot for souvenir shopping as Kyrgyz traders sell local trinkets – mostly stones – to travelers.

As one of the well-known stone cities along the silk road, it is a best place where you can enjoy the magnificent scenery and visit the historical sites.

Introduction of Stone City:

Located on north side of Tashkurghan Tajik Autonomous County, Stone City is a famous ancient city ruins on the ancient road in Xinjiang. The fortress is built on a high mount with very precipitous topography. Outside the city are multilevel or scattered walls, between which overlapping stone mounts form a unique stone city landscape. During Han Dynasty, here is the capita of Puli, one of the 36 kingdoms in western regions. After unified Western Regions, Tang Dynasty set Shouzhuosuo (as a military station).

What to visit in Stone City?

Tashkurgan Stone City was founded in the period of Tupantuo (about the 1st century A.D.) and it is a precious historical monument in Xinjiang. Nowadays, visitors can only visit the ruins in scenic area. In addition, the lonely castle was built on the hills is also very suitable for photography, which can exclude the desolate and solemn photos of the castle.

Ancient Stone City was built on the northeast side of the county town, it has a high terrain and can be photographed from a distance. If you want to visit the castle, you have to buy ticket. The area of the ancient city is not large, and tourists can take 1-2 hours to visit. In the ancient city you can see the ruins of the stone city, but they are already fragmented. However, when you standing on the hills, you can imagine the prosperity of Stone City.

In addition, the Golden Grass Beach is the best place to photograph and enjoy the magnificent scenery of Stone City, In recent year, the local government has built a wooden trestles here, which provides convenience for photographers. At sunset, the scenery of the ancient city is quite particularly tragic and solemn, which is the best time to take pictures.

The Kan'erjing Folk Custom Park is on the east side of Turpan. It is a scenic area displaying karez culture with karez, a karez museum, a folk custom street, and other spots. When entering the scenic area, the first thing you will see is the karez museum. The working principle and excavation process of the karez are showed systematically in the museum. It is also an ideal place to learn about karez culture.

Feature

Small Uighur valley with an array of historic sites spanning 3,000 years and lots of vineyards all within a day’s tour.

Situated in the Turpan Depression that is the second or third lowest point on the planet.

By road, the southern Mazar Village of the valley is about 70 kilometers or 43 miles from Turpan, and the northern Subeixi Village is about 75 kilometers from Turpan.

The cave at the Al-Sahab Kahfi Mazar in Mazar Village is considered holy by many people. They say it is described in the Koran.

Thousand Buddha Grottoes is older than the Bezeklik Grottoes. There are some remaining Nestorian and Buddhist artworks.

Vineyards like Grape Valley. People can have meals and buy produce.

Location of ancient Caucasian archeological sites older than the Astana Tombs.

Scenic desert canyon and some hiking paths.

A road that goes through the valley makes transportation between sites convenient.

Overview

The little Tuyugou Valley is relatively unknown and is little visited by regular tourists.  However, it is a Muslim religious pilgrimage site. It is a more primitive Uighur agricultural valley, with vineyards and fields in the northern and southern valleys and a narrow ravine that connects them. The ravine has a stream and some good natural scenery and hiking. The canyon and area around it were once inhibited by Gushi Caucasian people who left large graveyards with thousands of graves of the same scale as the more recent Astana Tombs that has mainly Chinese graves. The southern mouth of the valley has big Uighur mosques older than the Emin Minaret and a cave thought by many to be described in the Koran. About a kilometer from the cave shrine is a group of grottoes called Thousand Buddha Grottoes that have some Buddhist and Nestorian artwork. The southern end has lots of vineyards and orchards, and people can have a meal in Uighur houses and restaurants. The little valley is only about 12 kilometers long, but it has sites like the better known places around Turpan.

Traveling north to south, Tuyugou's attractions are the Subeixi Village of Uighurs and the Gushi or Yuezhi people archeological site that is about 3,000 years old near Subeixi Village. Further south, there is a narrow ravine about 300 meters wide or so that has a stream. A road called County Road X065 follows the stream a little higher up in the ravine and about 200 meters away to the west of it. It makes transportation easy since it connects the whole valley. At the southern mouth, the valley opens out over the Turpan Basin. There are about 4 Uighur villages in an agricultural area about 8 kilometers or 5 miles long and about a kilometer or less wide in the southern mouth of the valley. The Uighur houses or restaurants amid the fertile vineyards are places where you can meet the people and have a Uighur meal and buy food. You can hike on the Flaming Mountain canyon sides and take wonderful pictures of this harsh environment of stone, mud brick houses and irrigated vineyards. About 8 kilometers south of the valley is another Yuezhi graveyard called the Yanghai Tombs. In 2008, it was in the world news because a Caucasian mummy 2,700 years old was found with pot next to it. There were also equestrian equipment and a harp that showed that he probably rode horses and played his harp.

For many local Muslims, the famous site in that southern valley is a cave in Mazar Village or "Mazacun" in Chinese. It is called the Al-Sahab Kahfi Mazar. They believe that a miracle that is described in the Koran happened in a cave there. The world "mazar" is an Arabic word that means "place to pray." For many Uighurs, it is a holy shrine. Some local Muslims say a dog defended the mosque during the Cultural Revolution so that it wasn't damaged. It is an old pilgrimage site. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter.

Mazar Village is a small Uighur town, but it isn't quite a regular Uighur town, because people have to pay a fee to get in. It is a little like a Uighur theme park. It has been purposely made to look ancient and rundown. It looks like a dusty old town in the Middle East. Though it is an actual place people live, the people are used to being photographed by the tourists who visit it, and the kids might demand money for any photos. The people earn money from the tourists by selling goods and serving meals in their houses An eye-catching feature in it is a green mosque with green minarets that rise above the reddish houses. It looks out of place, like something out of a movie. The sides of the Flaming Mountains of the valley are reddish.

About a mile from the Moslem shrine, there is a Thousand Buddha Grottoes with about 40 grottoes. About three were open for tourists, and they have patches of Buddhist and Nestorian Christian works of art. Lately, they have been closed. There is no telling when they might be open. This grotto complex is said to be about 80 years older than the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Grottoes that are about 20 kilometers away to the northwest. The Bezeklik Grottoes are said to date from 400 AD, but it is said that these date from the Western Jin Dynasty (265-316). However, there was less to see inside. Still, the site has been less built up than the Bezeklik Grottoes so that even the sight of rectangular openings in a cliff face is kind of strange.

The Jiaohe Ruins — a Disappearing City of Earth

The Jiaohe Ruins are what's left of the world's 'largest, oldest, and best-preserved city of raw-earth buildings'. This big ancient city was dug out from Turpan's yellow desert siltstone. Most tourists think that the ruins of the ancient city of Jiaohe are Turpan's best travel highlight.

The Layout of the Jiaohe Ruins

There was a long main street that went down the center, which divided the city into two parts. The western part was for common people, and the rulers lived in the east.

The northwestern part of the city had a Buddhist monastery and stupas. There was also a cemetery and an underground temple at the far northwestern end. The Buddhist monastery with its big tower is one of the biggest remaining ruins.

How Jiaohe City Was Built

The Jiaohe Ruins are about 300 meters (985 feet) wide at their widest point and 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) long.

Local kingdoms, and later Tang Dynasty Chinese, constructed the city out of the compressed loess soil of the desert. They excavated the ground to leave standing structures or dug rooms underground. The soil they dug out was rammed to build rooms above ground.

The underground rooms were cool, providing shelter from the strong sunlight in summer and the strong wind in winter. The rooms above ground was used as living rooms and kitchens.

The most wonderful thing was that the landscape of the location formed a perfect "city wall" so the people didn't need to build one. Jiaohe is on an island plateau about 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 feet) high. The city is isolated by two braids of a river. The rushing water eroded steep cliffs that made a perfect city wall.

How Jiaohe Was Defended

Jiaohe is surrounded by two adjoining canyons with steep cliffs and two branches of a river running through. This made access to the city very difficult.

The city is said to have had only two gates. One was at the southwestern corner and one was in the east. It was unusual for a city of this size to only have two gates. There may be vestiges of a third gate.

When you walk among the ruins, you will find that there are hardly any windows, even in buildings with 6-meter-high walls. When you stand in a high place, you will only see high walls. All the houses were divided into different walled areas. Each area had a door, which was opened in the daytime and closed at night.

When invaders came, they could only stand on the roofs, but would have had difficulty finding doors to enter any of the houses.

Now, however, the roofs have eroded and only the high walls remain intact, so you can still see the structures of the houses and other areas.

Tianchi Lake, or Tianshan Tianchi Lake, or some people prefer Heavenly Lake, is located at the hill side of Bogda Peak in Fukang City of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, about 97km east of Urumqi. With an altitude of 1980m, it's a natural crescent alpine lake. The lake is 3.5km from east to west, and 0.8km ~ 1.5km from north to south, with maximum depth of 105m. The greenish-blue water here is radiant like jade, just like a pearl in Tianshan Mountain. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, where are full of straight and thick growing firs and spruces.

Centered on Tianchi Lake, Tianshan Tianchi National Park covers four natural landscape zones, and it features in snow-covered mountain, glacier and alpine lake. Thick forest, vast grassland, magnificent snow mountain and unique local culture can all be seen in here. The whole area covers an area of 160km2, reach to Shimen in north, Xuexian in south, Ma Yashan on its west and Dadonggou on its east. There 8 small scenic spots in the park, 38 attractions in total. Besides the Tianchi Lake, there are two small lakes on the two sides of Tianchi Lake: East Minor Tianchi Lake and West Minor Tianchi Lake.

What to See in Tianchi Scenic Area

In Tianshan Tianchi National Park, besides the stunning Tianchi Lake, there are two more lakes in the area. The eastern one is called East Minor Tianchi Lake, which was called Heilongtan in ancient time. Located at 500m east of Tianchi Lake, it's said that it was the showering place for Queen Mother of the West. Under the lake, there is a high cliff, and the waterfall falls like a long rainbow from the sky, very magnificent. In the western one is called West Minor Tianchi Lake, also called Yunvtan. Located 2km west of Tianchi Lake, different from the eastern one, the West Minor Tianchi Lake is said the footbath place for Queen Mother of the West. West Minor Tianchi Lake is just like a full moon, the deep and clear water is surrounded by tall and standing firs and pines. There is a waterfall (tens of meters high) hanging next to the periphery of the lake, tourists can ascend to the pavilion besides the lake to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the waterfall and the lake.

Besides the lakes and mountains, there are also cultural relics in the scenic area. Iron Tile Temple is located at 700m west of the Tianchi Lake. Sitting in a 4000m2 platform, facing the Tianchi Lake, the serene temple is surrounded by green pines in three directions, leaving its front space vacant. Built in Southern Song Dynasty (1127 ~1279), the temple is a Taoist temple, and it has a great view for the lake and the mountain around.

Despite coming to the scene in the late 1980s, the popularity of Xinjiang-style braised chicken has since spread all over China. The main ingredients are chicken, potatoes, chilies, green peppers and “belt” noodles.

Samsa, in the Uyghur language, refers to a roast bun usually stuffed with minced lamb and sweet onions. Baked for about 10 minutes, Samsas are crispy on the outside while the meat inside stays tender.

Xinjiang meatball soup borrows heavily from Hui cuisine. Besides meatballs, the soup includes beef, vermicelli and fresh vegetables.

Tips: Pilaf is a feature of festivals, weddings and funerals.

Perhaps the quintessential food of the East, the innumerable varieties of pilaf vary from country to country and town to town.  In Xinjiang people generally use mutton, carrots, onions, vegetable oil and melted sheep’s fat. Vegetarian pilaf uses dried fruits, like raisins, as main ingredients.

Tips: Naan is great to carry on long trips because of its dryness — it doesn’t spoil easily or make a mess.

This type of bread is a staple for many ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Sometimes naan is made with sorghum flour, and topped with sesame seeds, onions, eggs, vegetable oil, butter, milk, or really anything you want.

Tips: Try one of the meter-long kebabs if you’re really hungry.

Lamb kebab has become synonymous with Uyghur cuisine across China. Sliced mutton is strung on long brochettes and roasted after being seasoned with salt, chopped ginger, scallions and pepper.

Tips: If the heat gets to you, compliment your meal with Xinjiang’s most famous beer: Sinkiang Black Beer.

Another classic Xinjiang dish created by the Hui people, Xinjiang-style spiced chicken is served cold and can be quite spicy. It somewhat resembles a chicken salad, in Western terms.

Tips: Another way locals make noodles is by cutting them into small pieces after boiling, then frying them with fat, mutton, tomatoes and chilies.

Noodles in Xinjiang are protein-heavy (often including deep-fried mutton and stir-fried eggs) and laden with tomatoes and chilies.

Uyghur matang is a nut snack (walnuts, almonds, etc.) usually sold on the streets by Uyghur vendors. It’s extremely chewy but easy to transport, so it makes for a fun snack on the bus or train.

You usually buy matang by the slice and often you’ll have a number of different varieties to choose from.

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