Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)

The Jiaohe Ruins is a Chinese archaeological site found in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The ancient city of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto) with a history of 2300 years lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30 meters (98.4feet). With an area of 220,000 square meters (2,368,168 square feet), it is the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world.. It was included in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.        

The ancient city was the capital of the former Cheshi State. An Indian proverb says, 'Intelligence is bound to exist where two rivers meet'. Jiaohe, meaning in Chinese where two rivers meet, is such a place. According to historical records it was home to 700 households, 6500 residents plus 865 soldiers.

It was an important site along the Silk Road trade route leading west, and was adjacent to the Korla and Karasahr kingdoms to the west. From 450 AD until 640 AD it became Jiao prefecture in the Tang Dynasty, and in 640 AD it was made the seat of the new Jiaohe County. From 640 AD until 658 AD it was also the seat of the Protector General of the Western Regions, the highest level military post of a Chinese military commander posted in the west. Since the beginning of the 9th century it had become Jiaohe prefecture of the Uyghur Khaganate, until their kingdom was conquered by the Kyrgyz soon after in the year 840.

The city was built on a large islet (1650 m in length, 300 m wide at its widest point) in the middle of a river which formed natural defenses, which would explain why the city lacked any sort of walls. Instead, steep cliffs more than 30 metres high on all sides of the river acted as natural walls. The layout of the city had eastern and western residential districts, while the northern district was reserved for Buddhist sites of temples and stupas. Along with this there are notable graveyards and the ruins of a large government office in the southern part of the eastern district. It had a population of 7,000 according to Tang dynasty records.

The relics we see today featured Tang Dynasty ( 618-907) architectural style. Houses were dug downward from the earth, and as no house gates faced the streets, military defense was apparently priority. At the end of the 8 Century, the city was tossed into the reigns of the Turpan, Hui, and Mongols. Residents fled from the destroyed city continuously until in the beginning of the 14 Century, the city was abandoned, as was its glory and prosperity of over 2000 years. Miraculously, owing to the arid climate and remote location, the ancient city of Jiaohe remains intact, leaving us a rare exemplar of an earthen castle.

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Bayanbulak Grassland------ the Second Largest Grassland in China

Bayanbulak is a vast highland prairie about 270 kilometers (167 miles) northwest of Korla. Bayanbulak’s considerable water supply supports the luxurious grasslands, numerous varieties of multihued flowers, and hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep. Bayanbulak Grassland is the second largest grassland in China encompassing an area of 23 thousand sq km.

Bayanbulak means 'abundant spring' in Mongolian. Being a far-flung and level prairie, it abounds in varieties of grass, and is studded with numerous lakes, large and small, and is surrounded by mountains. The prairie teems with Yanqi Tianshan horses, Bayabulak dawei (large tail) sheep, Chinese meilinu sheep and yak (otherwise known as the 'tableland tank'), known as its 'Four Treasures'.

The well-known Swan Lake is located in the prairie. In fact it is many small lakes and is the only nature reserve for swans in China. Every year, around April, swans and other rare birds return from the south to live and breed here. At that time, it is quite exciting to witness the splendid spectacle of the sky full of flying swans. In the sun, flying swans, glittering lakes, surrounding peaks and clouds altogether create a picturesque and breathtaking view.

There holds a big event called Nadam Fair on the prairie, which is from June 4th to 6th in the lunar calendar every year. At this time, locals and tourists are entertained by various activities such as horse racing, wrestling, dancing, singing and archery. It is a good opportunity to experience local customs. (PS: The temperature in the prairie is low, so you need to cover yourself with a thick quilt in the evening, even though it might be summer.)

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Shaanxi Great Mosque----- the Biggest Islamic Mosque in Urumqi

Located in the northern end of Jianzhong Road in Urumqi, Shaanxi Great Mosque is the biggest Islamic mosque in the city. Unlike other Islamic mosque in Urumqi, it was built in Chinese traditional brick and wooden architecture style. The mosque can hold a thousand people to pray. The main hall is supported by 40 red wooden pillars. On the archway, there are exquisitely carved the words excerpted from Quran. The architectural style and the delicate carvings here are rare and wonderful.

First built in the reign of Emperor Guangxu in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the mosque is a quadrangle complex facing east. Its most prominent feature is the brick-timber construction with the glazed tile roof, in line with the style of construction in central China which is in fact rarely seen in Xinjiang. As a result it enjoys a high reputation with the Muslims of Urumqi and is of great historic and architectural value.

Differ from other mosques in Xinjiang, the main construction style is the Zhongyuan Han Style prevailed in Han and Qing Dynasty in the main land China. Surrounding the Mosque, houses are almost all belong to the Islamic people. So it is the place second to none to feel the local life of the Islamic people.

The core view is the symbol tower of the geographical center. The tower is 18 meters high constituted by four up right posts, the four sides of the post are all in the shape of "A", referring to the English word "Asia", which means the center of Asia. Now there are several rural highways run to the geographical center. The gate is in spatial grid structure and is about 20 meters high. Further, there is the Asian Center Square, which gathers totems of the stone statues.

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Xinjiang Regional Museum

Locted in Urumqi Xibei Road, the Xinjiang Regional Museum is a large integrated museum and centre for the collection and study of cultural relics in Xinjiang. First built in 1953 and with featured Uighur ethnic internal decor style, it has an exhibition hall covering an area of about 7,800 square meters (approx. 9,328 square yards), which in total display over 50,000 items in the collection. These not only represent the ethnic lifestyle and humanity of the region but also illustrate its revolutionary spirit.

With such an abundance of items on display, the exhibition is widely acknowledged for its comprehensive and informative nature both at home and abroad. The exhibition relating to folk customs includes costumes, tools and every day necessities. Together they vividly illustrate for us the dress, lifestyle, religion, marriage customs, festivals and other aspects of the colorful life of the 12 minorities that live in Xinjiang.

The historical relics include carpentries, ironwares, bronze wares, bright and beautiful brocades, tomb figures, pottery, coins, rubbings from stone inscriptions, and writings as well as weapons and so on. These give an insight into the past and show how the society of Xinjiang developed. There is even the fossil of a human head that dates back some 10,000 years.

The display of ancient corpses is fantastic, for it was in this region that a great number of ancient and well preserved remains were discovered. These are quite different from the mummies in Egypt that were created by skilled embalming procedures; the corpses here were dried by the particular natural environment. In all there are twenty-one specimens in the collection and include men, women, lovers, and generals. The 'Loulan beauty' is among the best preserved and famous ones. The 'Loulan beauty' has a reddish brown skin, thick eyelashes, charming large eyes, and long hair. This particular 'charming' corpse has survived for an estimated 4,000 years.

Xinjiang Regional Museum's many regional and national treasures are a testimony to the province's broad cultural diversity, to its ancient prehistory and to its subsequent glorious history as a thriving and indispensable part of China's ancient Silk Road culture. Of course, visiting the ruins of these ancient cities is an interesting if not requisite undertaking for any Silk Road aficionado; it's just that such a trip should naturally include a lengthy visit to Xinjiang Regional Museum in order to complete the picture, as it were.

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Silk Road

The Silk Road, or Silk Route, is a series of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by linking traders, merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time.

Extending 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometres), the Silk Road derives its name from the lucrative trade in Chinese silk carried out along its length, beginning during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). The Central Asian sections of the trade routes were expanded around 114 BC by the Han dynasty, largely through the missions and explorations of Chinese imperial envoy, Zhang Qian. The Chinese took great interest in the safety of their trade products and extended the Great Wall of China to ensure the protection of the trade route.[

Trade on the Silk Road was a significant factor in the development of the civilizations of China, the Indian subcontinent, Persia, Europe, and Arabia, opening long-distance, political and economic interactions between the civilizations. Though silk was certainly the major trade item from China, many other goods were traded, and religions, syncretic philosophies, and various technologies, as well as diseases, also travelled along the Silk Routes. In addition to economic trade, the Silk Road served as a means of carrying out cultural trade among the civilizations along its network.

It is now included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO. 33 historical sites are along the road in total and 22 of them distribute in Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu and Xinjiang of China. The road is not only an ancient international trade route, but also a splendid cultural bridge liking the cultures of China, India, Persia, Arabia, Greek and Rome. The Four Great Inventions of China and religions of the West were introduced into their counterparts.

The scenery and sights along the Silk Road are spectacular and intriguing. There are well-known Mogao Caves (Mogao Grottoes) in Dunhuang, the bustling Sunday Bazaar in Kashgar and exotic customs in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and more …There are all kinds of tour plans for traveling the world-famous road. TravelChinaGuide provides many tour lines for visitors to experience the adventures of this ancient trade road.

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Southern Mosque

Located in the downtown of Urumqi in Xinjiang Province, the Southern Mosque is an important historic heritage site. The Islamic mosque is well-preserved and is the gathering place for the Muslim to worship. Covering an area of about one acre, it was first built in 1919 and subsequently renovated on three different occasions.  There is a Prayer Hall can accommodate around 1,000 people to worship in total.

The most eye-catching architectural features on the property are found in the minaret; the bathing pool; the guest reception hall and most impressive and exquisite of all, the prayer hall. The roof the prayer hall is covered with a variety of glazed tiles and the ceiling is decorated with colorful patterns of flowers and plants. There are also 22 flying dragons carved on the ridge that add to the building's magnificence. The prayer hall has an inside section that can accommodate about 300 worshippers and an outside with a capacity of 500. The corridor walls separating the two sections are festooned with vividly painted screens of orchids, bamboos and water lilies.

There are various local delicacies around the mosque such as roasted sheep, Nang (a kind of baked bread), grilled mutton, lamb kebab, SHou Zhua Fan (rice eaten with hands). These delicacies are tasty and aromatic. Visitors can buy them from the vendors. By the way, it is great difference in temperature during day and night. Thus it is advisable for visitors to take coats or sweaters by themselves. (Things to remember: do not touch the paintings, keep quiet; and do not wear shorts, sandals and short skirts. These are considered rude in their culture)

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Red Hill Park (Hong Shan Park)

Red Hill Park is situated at the intersection of Hongshan Road and Hetan Road in the heart of the city of Urumqi. The hill is called Red Hill because it is made up of aubergine rock with a reddish brown color. The Hill is 1.5 km (.93 mile) long and 1 km (.62 mile) wide from east to west, and stands 910.8 meters (996 yards) high. If you have the energy to make it to the peak of Red Hill, you will be rewarded with fantastic, bird's eye views of Urumqi.

Less than 1km away, Yamalike Hill stands facing Red Hill. Legend has it that in ancient times a red dragon fled from Heavenly Lake and the Heavenly Empress caught him and sliced him in two with her sword. Later on, the western part of the dragon turned into Yamalike Hill and the eastern turned into Red Hill. The sword turned into the Urumqi River. Oddly enough, topographic pictures tell us the two hills were once one and were separated into two parts due to stratum rupture.

Eventually, ancient legend affected real life. In 1785 and 1786, floods hit Urumqi causing much destruction. Rumors arose that Red Hill and Yamalike Hill were growing closer and closer together. Once they met, the Urumqi River between them would be blocked and the city would become flooded as the water rose. Therefore, in 1788 Shang An, the highest military officer, ordered the Zhen Long (in Chinese, to subdue the dragon) Pagodas built on both hills. These two pagodas were made of gray brick, 10.5- meter (34.4-foot)-high with six sides, nine stories, and an octagonal roof.

The restored Pagoda, named Dragon-Supression Pagoda, consists of nine tapered sections, forming a 26-foot, hexagonal, carrot-shaped structure typical of most pagodas and around which a garden - Red Hill Garden - has been planted. The small "dome" atop Dragon-Supression Pagoda is octagonal. Elsewhere on Red Hill are numerous smaller structures and pavilions nested among the trees that provide shade and thus relief from the fierceness of the sun in this rather hot part of Xinjiang.

Red Hill Park is a popular, refreshing and easily accessible getaway in the heart of Urumqi. Both the local residents as well as tourists from home and abroad flock to the park during the summer especially. Here, one will see people of all ages sitting about chatting, playing cards and other games, or strolling about enjoying the breeze and the shade of the tree-lined walkways. The round pedal boats on the lake are said to be bumper cars on water (it is hard to navigate them without bumping into other pedal boats) and therefore provide lots of fun for "children of all ages", as the saying goes, while a panoramic view of all of Urumqi can be had atop Red Hill.

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