When does it get dark in Kashgar?

"When you go out to Xinjiang, you should bring three treasures: goggles, kettle and big fur coat." "Wear fur coat in the morning, wool in the afternoon and eat watermelon around the stove." These two Xinjiang slang words vividly show the geographical and climatic characteristics of Xinjiang and remind friends who come to Xinjiang to pay attention to the preparation of their trip. Xinjiang is located in the northwest corner of the motherland, deep in the hinterland of the Asian continent, far from the ocean, surrounded by high mountains, which blocks the warm and humid air flow from the ocean and forms a dry continental climate in Xinjiang. This climate is characterized by drought, little rain, heavy wind and sand, hot summer and cold winter, and large temperature difference between day and night. However, the climate in different regions of Xinjiang is not exactly the same. Xinjiang is mountainous, with Altai in the north, Kunlun Mountain in the south and Tianshan Mountain in the east-west direction in the middle, which forms two parts of Tianshan Mountain, commonly known as southern Xinjiang and northern Xinjiang, namely "three mountains and two basins" (two basins refer to Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang and Junggar Basin in northern Xinjiang). There are continuous ice peaks, snow ridges, forests and grasslands in mountainous areas, and deserts, Gobi, oases, rivers and towns in basins. Different geographical environments have also formed different climatic characteristics. Generally speaking, the temperature in northern Xinjiang is low and there is much rain and snow, while the temperature in southern Xinjiang is high and there is little rain and snow; The mountains are cold and the oases are warm; The grassland is beautiful and quiet, and the desert is vigorous and rough. Where to travel, you should know the geography and climate and make necessary preparations in advance. It is common sense to wear goggles when going out to protect your eyes from dust. Most of the ancient and modern roads in Xinjiang have to cross the desert Gobi. When the wind blows here, sand will fly to your face and you will be covered with dust. Without a hat (a woman's headscarf) and goggles, you will be miserable. Take a kettle with you when you go out. Think about it and you will understand this truth. Because Xinjiang has a vast territory (accounting for one-sixth of the national area), it is common to take a few hours by car and then walk hundreds of kilometers. Driving to Gobi is hot and thirsty. Where can I drink water? At this time, it depends on whether you have brought enough water-making drinks, and the kettle will become your "thirst-quenching benefactor". If you notice the hometown of Uighurs riding donkeys along the road, they always hang one or two heavy gourds with water on their backs, which is a necessary "pitcher" for them to go out. With it, they are not afraid of running out of water on the road. However, why do you have to bring a big leather coat when you go out in summer? This question really puzzles you! It turns out that this is because the climate in Xinjiang is directly affected by the climate change in Siberia, and sometimes the number of days will change, so people's clothes must change accordingly. Here, the morning is still sunny and the sky is blue. At noon, maybe the north wind is whistling, the sky is full of dark clouds and the rain and snow are flying. Especially in the mountainous areas of Xinjiang, the temperature is usually cooler than that in the plain, and it is only about 20 degrees Celsius in summer. As the saying goes, "the sky in the mountains is a child's face", and it changes as soon as it changes. Once the clouds are low and the rain is sudden, the temperature will drop by more than ten degrees. Therefore, local herders will plan ahead and bring sheepskin coats and large fur hats when grazing in the mountains. Even porters and traders in the Gobi desert usually put a leather coat or cotton robe on the donkey's saddle to protect it from the wind when it is windy. When it got dark, they wrapped up this fur coat and went to a low-lying place or among the red willows to rest for the night. There are many old drivers who have been driving long distances for many years. There is always a thick old sheepskin jacket and a bag of Nan cakes next to their seats. In case of a sandstorm, a cold wave on the Gobi desert, or a broken car in the wild, this sheepskin coat and the dry food that nobody cares about at ordinary times are enough to protect him from freezing to death. Guests visiting Xinjiang from the mainland for the first time don't have to worry about the weather changes in big cities such as Urumqi and Kashgar. However, if you go to famous mountain tourist attractions, such as Kanas Lake Nature Reserve in Altay, Bayinbuluke Prairie in the hinterland of the sky, Yuledus Swan Reserve, or go to Tianchi, Nanshan Scenic Area, No.1 Glacier and other mountainous areas around Urumqi, although July, August and September are still the golden tourist season, it is sunny and blue when you go out. The temperature is pleasant, but I still want to advise you, please learn the old way of going out for a long trip in "old Xinjiang", or take goggles, a kettle and a big leather coat. Of course, the kettle is not necessarily a gourd, and the down jacket and sweater are your big fur coat. This is called preparedness, and there is no need to panic in case of sudden climate change. A few years ago, there were several groups of young tourists from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao who only wore shirts and shorts to play in Bayinbuluke grassland. Just as they were having fun, they were suddenly caught in a rain and snow, and the temperature dropped to zero. Everyone was covered with chaff and almost froze in the car. Back in Urumqi, telling the story of "danger" is considered a joke. They don't know that Urumqi is only 600-800 meters above sea level, but those mountain tourist attractions are all above 2000 meters above sea level. Usually, the temperature will drop by 6-8 degrees Celsius every altitude 1000 meters. So the temperature difference between mountains is often one or twenty degrees. Similarly, in the plateau scenic spot near the snow line (about 3500 meters above sea level), it turns sunny to cloudy in one day, with rain and snow, and the four seasons are distinct. Many tourists drive there just to feel the wonder of all seasons. But when they went out, they really took all three treasures: goggles, kettle and "big leather coat", so they all left happily and had a good time.