Turpan, Shang Lu, Tongren, Huozhou, Xinjiang

Speaking of Turpan, many people first think of the sweet grapes and the Flame Mountain in Turpan, The Journey to the West. The last stop of the four-day and eight-day tour of Urumqi, Tianchi, Shihezi, Karamay, Kanas and Turpan in Dalian, Xinjiang is Turpan. Today, a trip to Bian Xiao will introduce Turpan to you.

Turpan is located in the central and eastern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at the southern foot of Bogda Peak, a branch of Tianshan Mountain, in the middle of Turpan Basin, adjacent to Urumqi, Qitai and Jimsar, with Uygur, Han and Hui nationalities. The main scenic spots in Turpan are Jiaohe Ancient Town, Gaochang Ancient Town, Astana Ancient Tomb, Huo Yan, Grape Valley, Sugong Pagoda, Aiding Lake, Karejing, Tuyugou Mazha Village, Kumutage Desert, Bai Zixi Thousand Buddha Cave, Lianmuqintang beacon tower site and so on.

The Flame Mountain in Turpan is the hottest place in China. The highest temperature in summer is 47.8 degrees Celsius, and the highest temperature on the surface is over 70 degrees Celsius. Eggs can be baked in the sand nest. Due to crustal movement and river cutting, there are many valleys on the mountainside. These valleys cover the sun, with beautiful scenery, flowing water and fragrant melons and fruits. The Flame Mountain has unique natural features, especially the story of China's four classical novels The Journey to the West, which describes the blocked Flame Mountain in Tang Sanzang and the banana fan in the Monkey King, endowing the Flame Mountain with rich magical colors and becoming a world-famous mountain. Entering the Flame Mountain, you can see the pegs tied to horses when Tang Yan passes by, and a row of volley rocks stand in the mouth of Shengjinkou. On the slope of Pingdingshan in the distance, there are stepping stones for Tang Priest to mount his horse. To the east of Mazhuang, opposite to the canyon, there is a mountain peak. On the top of the mountain, there is a huge stone like a long mouth, called Bajie Stone.

Looking at the Flame Mountain from Turpan, red sand is burning and the vegetation is barren. However, in Huo Yan Canyon, a city about15km away, there are unique caves and beautiful scenery. Grape valley is about 8 kilometers long and 0.5 kilometers wide from north to south. Goukou, densely packed grape fields are all over the ravine. Streams, canals and springs add infinite poetry to the valley. Mulberry, peach, apricot, apple, pomegranate, pear, fig, walnut, all kinds of watermelons, melons, elms, poplars, willows, Robinia pseudoacacia and other trees spread all over the valley, making the grape valley a "hundred gardens" and "hundred orchards" again. In spring, flowers bloom here; In summer, there are many fruits here. The vines in the ditch are winding, and the winding path is secluded, and a string of grapes is within reach.

Karez is a special irrigation system in desert area, which is widely used in Turpan, Xinjiang. Karez, Wan Li Great Wall and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are also called the three ancient projects in China. There are nearly a thousand karez wells in Turpan, with a total length of about 5000 kilometers. Karez consists of vertical shaft, underground passage, ground passage and "waterlogging dam" (small reservoir). In Bogda Mountain in the north of Turpan Basin and Karawu Mountain in the west, a lot of rain and snow flow down the valley in spring and summer and sneak into the Gobi Desert. People skillfully use the slope of the mountain to dig karez, which leads to the surge of underground flow and irrigation of farmland. The water in Karez will not evaporate in large quantities due to high temperature and strong wind, and the flow rate is relatively stable, which can ensure self-flow irrigation. Karez was recorded as early as in Historical Records and was called "well canal". Most of the existing Karez wells were built after the Qing Dynasty. Today it still plays the role of irrigation. You can go to Wudaolin Karez and Wuxing Karez in the suburbs of Turpan.

Travel Tips: There are many scenic spots worth visiting in Turpan, such as Jiaohe Ancient Town, which is the largest, oldest and most well-preserved primitive architectural city in the world and the most well-preserved urban relic in China for more than 2,000 years. In the Tang Dynasty, Anxi, the highest military and political institution in the western regions, was first established in Jiaohe Old City. There are also desert eco-tourism scenic spots, from zero altitude to the lowest point in China, Aiding Lake, at an altitude of 164m, and so on.