Grape Valley

The Grape Valley with beautiful and elegant scenery is widely known for its vast area of grape vineyards and as a river valley inside the mysterious Fire Mountain. Located in the Flaming Mountain 13 km (8 miles) of Turpan, the Grape Valley runs 8km (5miles) from north to south at a width of 0.5km (03.miles). This green paradise of 400 hektares (988 acres) is covered with layer upon layer of grapes. The Buyiluke River (also known as the Grape Valley River) flows through it. The vale of the grape valley is narrow and long surrounded by flowing streams and green trees and grass. On the two banks of the vale stands steep cliffs and piled up stones and on the hillside by the river of the vale are planted the most delicious grapes in the world.

The whole grape valley is just like a sweet river that makes people feel especially sweet and happy by its greenness and the delicious grapes. Nearly one hundred different varieties of grapes are grown in the valley including the seedless white grape, horse milk grape, white grape, red rose grape and Suosuo and so on, forming a natural museum of grapes. The vineyards of the valley cover a area of about 4266 mu and the annual production is about 14932 tons from which about 400 tons of raisins are produced. The Uighur people call the grape valley "Buyiluke" meaning a place with a lot of high quality grapes.

In addition to the plantation of grape vines, peach trees, apricot trees, pear trees, guava trees and mulberry tress are also planted in grape valley when all the orchards are in full bloom the visitors are overwhelmed and find themselves in a fairyland of perfumed blossoms and colors. And the Uighur people, Hui people and Han people who live in grape valley live a life representing the simple folk customs and telling of an ancient and rich culture.

The grape valley is a magical creation of the Flame Mountain of the forward exceeding belt on the south slope of Bogda on the eastern part of Tianshan Mountain during the creation of Himalaya Mountains. The breaking up of the Flame Mountain and the lasting erosion of the river lead to the formation of today’s grape valley. On Flame Mountain it was extremely hot and there was no life at all while inside the grape valley it is comfortably cool with an average temperature three to five degrees lower than that in the city in summer and is the cool kingdom in the fire state of Turpan thanks to the slow flowing streams and shade formed by the green trees.

If you travel along the grape valley road for another five kilometers, you will arrive at the second sightseeing zone of the grape tourist zone: the Grape Valley Amusement Park. It is an appreciation zone of the culture of the grapes and the culture of present day. After you enter Grape Valley Amusement Park, you will find buildings with all kinds of different styles hidden among the green woods and the ocean of grapes.

Located in the cavern of the grape valley, the Grape Valley Amusement Park was first built in March of 1981 and has developed into a national AAAA natural scenic spot with the combination of tourism, shopping, entertainment, drinking and dining and accommodation after twenty years of development. Here you can visit the Uighur Folk Custom Museum and the quiet and deep grape long corridor, and appreciate the beautiful singing and elegant dancing and the mysterious fall of the Thousand Tear Spring.

It seems that all the water in the desert of Turpan flows into the Karez systems in the Grape Valley. Every single grape is crystal and watery-some are as green as emerald; some as red as agate, some as small as pearls while others are like olives. Among dozens of kinds of grapes, Wuhebai (white seedless) is reputed as a green pearl with the sugar content as much as 22%. Escaping from the fiery Flaming Mountain, you may take a seat under the vintage frames, savor various grapes, enjoy the beautiful Uigar girls in their ornate costumes, and be fully intoxicated by this refreshing palace of grapes!

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