URUMQI
|
Urumqi, the
capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and situated
at the northern foothill of the snow-capped Tianshan
Mountains, was originally inhabited by a mixture of
ethnic groups about 3,000 years ago. Since the northern
route of the Silk Road passed through the city, it was
a heavily guarded fort in the Han Dynasty, and remained
so for many centuries. The city museum of the autonomous
region houses some valuable relics unearthed along the
Silk Road. During the Han and Tang dynasties, silk products
and other goods were shipped to the capital city of
Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), where the Silk Road started,
and then .
|
|
they were transported
by a constant flow of foreign caravans along the northwest
Corridor to west Asia and Europe by way of  Xinjiang,
where three routes were divided on the Silk Road. A journey
along the Silk Road has now become the most enchanting tourist
program. Tianchi, the "Heavenly Lake," is about
60 miles southeast of Urumqi, at an elevation of 6,435 feet
above sea level. It is a beautiful highland lake, flanked
by rugged pines and cypresses, and with clear waters that
reflect the surrounding mountains.
The Heavenly Lake
 Sprawling
on the waist of Mount Bogda of Tianshan Mountains and over
90 km southeast of Urumqi, the Heavenly Lake runs 4.9 square
km wide and 90 meters
deep, a natural lake filled by thawing snow
water. Together with snow-mantled peaks and sky-soaring spruce,
the Heavenly Lake makes the highland as the most beautiful
scenic place with prismatic splendor. All of the visitors
who come to Urumqi must take an enjoyable excursion to this
area.
Taklamakan Desert
|
Taklamakan
in Tarim Basin of south Xinjiang Autonomous Rigion,
is the world's second largest desert that used to be
dubbed "Death Sea". Today, a 522-km-long highway
has been paved across it from south to north, turning
the "Death Sea" into a tourist hot cake. A
"golden
travel route" mapped out by local tourist authorities
runs from Urumqi to Kashigar by way of Turpa, Korla,
Kuqa, Niya, and Hotan, which bring
the visitors with an itinerary of discovery on the landscape,
the local people's customs and the places of historical
interest.
|
|
