Many things in Xinjiang can be described with superlatives.
- As well as boasting the largest area of all the municipalities. provinces and autonomous regions in China, it also has the longest border line, the largest prefecture, the largest county and the largest village.
2,250 kilometers away from the sea as the crow flies, Urumqi is the
city furthest away from the ocean.
Ayding Lake lies 154 meters lower than sea level. It’s the lowest point in China’s land area and the second lowest spot in the world.
With an area of 980 square kilometers, Bostan Lake is China’s largest inland freshwater lake.
The longest inland river in China. Tarim River has a total length of 2.179 kilometers.
A total eleven of peaks are open to tourists in Xinjiang, which is more than any other administrative regions in China.
Taklamakan Desert,with a size of 330 thousand square kilometers, is Asia’s largest moving desert.
Xinjiang has the most resources of diversiform leaved poplar. dog bane, snow lotus, liquorice, asafetida, armeniaca and bizarre willow.
The 560-thousand-square-kilometer Tarim Basin is China’s biggest interior basin
.Xiniiang also has peerless wild orchards resources such as wild apples, wild apricots, wild hawthorns, wild walnuts, wild cherries, wild raspberries and wild seabuckthorns.
The over five thousand kilometers long karez is the best underground irrigating system ever.
There in Xinjiang are also the largest aerosiderite, the best jade, the finest long-staple cotton, the sweetest fruits, the biggest wind power station,the longest road in the desert,the most excellent horse,the oldest grotto,the grandest mosque,and the most majestic glacier. So,such a unique and resourceful environment is bound to bring to visitors extraordinary satisfaction.
Hugeness in Xinjiang
Many people couldn’t help but admiring this land repeatedly on their first trip here:"You have no idea how large China is until you see Xinjiang.”Hugeness is another uniqueness of Xinjiang. It’s huge not only because its area accounts for one sixth of China’s whole area, but it has a huge amount of huge things. There are huge peaks looming in the snow-capped mountains, huge spruce trees growing in the dense forests, huge horses galloping across the grasslands, huge camels trekking into the deserts, huge red fish swimming in the lakes, and huge fruits produced in every oasis. Even the people in Xinjiang are larger in size ,and they implement the spirit of hugeness in their daily lives-eating meat prepared in large pieces,drinking wines from giant cups,and very hospitable toward visiting guests because they have bigger hearts.
However, those who understand Xinjiang very well know that its hugeness is not just in size, but in its people’s minds. They have broader visions, opener hearts and greater ambitions. Its hugeness is not necessarily clumsiness. Its hugeness is yet to be discovered.
All in all, Xinjiang is blessed with a full set of tourism resources and can provide a variety of characteristic travel routes. Some of the recommendable themes of a tour in Xinjiang is the Silk Road, Exploration in the Desert, Grassland Charms, a Deep Look into Cultures, Historical Remains, Waterside Fun,Grotesque Scenery, Plateau Appeal, Life in a Farm, Scientific Trip, Ice and Snow, Mountain Climbing, Hiking, Self-driving, River Drifting, Photography Lovers, Hunting, and Shopping.
For desert lovers, Shanshan can be a convenient choice, where the sand land is right there by the streets. The hinterland near Kunlun Mountain is an option for those who want to go afar, as they can see the rare“desert on a plateau”. If you prefer hugeness, please go to the
Taklimakan. There you can drive along the road across the desert for a whole day seeing nothing but sand. If you have a thing with delicacy, the“Resonating Dune”in Hami can be exactly what you need.
For prairie lovers, quite a few scenic areas are available, But the most exciting is that you buy two horses, take your sweetheart and spend a year together in the grasslands deep into Altay Mountain and Tianshan Mountain.
Lake lovers have a bunch of choices -sailing on a boat in Tianchi Lake, viewing the fish in Kanas Lake, watching the birds at Swan Lake, appreciating the reeds at Wulungu Lake, tasting the fish at Burqin. You should not call yourself a professional traveler without having a tour in Xinjiang. Xinjiang is a must-go destination for everyone who understands the ultimate meaning of traveling.
Sayram Lake, swimming in Bostan Lake, taking a peaceful break a top Alun Mountain by side of the plateau lake, researching whether the Ake is moving in Lop Nur, feeling what it’s like to be below sea level at Ayding Lake, checking out how the environment has been improved at Ipnur Lake(Aibi Lake), or trying how great the buoyancy force is in “Salt Lake”.
For mountain climbers, the snow-capped peaks of Kunlun Mountain, Tianshan Mountain and Altay Mountain are tempting challenges.
If your hobby is hiking, there are not only ancient passages at Xiate, Wusun, Cheshi, Wugu and Huagu, but also modern paths at Langta. Bogda, Keketuohai(Koktokay)and Baerluke. They are all classic hiking routes.
Animal lovers can greet the swans in Bayanbulak Nature Reserve, or visit the wild horses in Karamay Nature Reserve, or help protect the high-land animals in Altun Mountain Nature Reserve against the threats of poachers.
Silk Road buffs can get what they want in those ancient towns of Turpan, Loulan,Hotan, Kuche and Kashgar.
If you just want to touch old cities, Jiaohe, Gaochang, Luntai, Milan, Niya, Dandanwulike and the"stone city"on the Pamirs are where you will be satisfied. And there is also the old county seat of Tekesi. The structure of the town looks exactly like a map of the Ba Gua,or“Eight Diagrams”. This miraculous place has been enlisted by the Guinness.
When the frescoes in Dunhuang are not contenting enough, you can go to Turpan and Kizil. Turpan is where the Western Culture met the Eastern Culture. Kizil boasts plenty of grottoes whose cultural value is no inferior to those in more famous Dunhuang.
Looking for ethnic minority features, you are given multiple options: dancing with the Uyghur people, listening to Kazak music, joining the Mongolians’Nadam Fair, screaming at Darwaz tightrop walking, letting the flute music by the Tajiks touching the botton of your heart, or being a guest on a wedding when a Tartar man married into his bride’s family.
You should not call yourself a professional traveler without having a tour in Xinjiang. Xinjiang is a must-go destination for everyone who understands the ultimate meaning of traveling.