Continuous snowy mountains and beautiful grassland
Below the grassland are cities and villages
The azure lake water is like a gem, and the flower-blooming land resembles a brocade.
Xiao Guo: (same) 0991-8585456
Kanas
Kanas Lake is located in the north of Burqin County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. It is an inland freshwater lake, with water sources coming from glacial meltwater from mountains such as Friendship Peak and local precipitation. The lake is at an altitude of 1374 meters above sea level, covering an area of 45.73 square kilometers, with a maximum depth of about 188.5 meters and a water storage capacity of 5.38 billion cubic meters.
Kanas Lake is crescent-shaped, with lake areas including Camel Neck Bay, Color-Changing Lake, Wolong Bay, etc.; it is home to rare fish species such as Hucho taimen and Brachymystax lenok.
Urho Devil’s City
The Devil’s City stretches northwest-southeast and east-west, with a length and width of more than 5 kilometers and an area of about 10 square kilometers, at an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level. According to research, over 100 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, this was a huge freshwater lake with lush vegetation growing along the shore and ancient aquatic animals such as Urho sauropods, plesiosaurs, dinosaurs, and Pteranodon dzungaricus inhabiting the waters. It was a ‘heaven’ for aquatic life. Later, after two major tectonic shifts, the lake turned into a land of sandstone and siltstone, known geologically as the ‘Gobi Plateau’.
Sayram Lake
Sayram Lake, anciently known as the ‘Pure Sea’, is located in the Boertala Prefecture of Xinjiang, within the northern Tianshan Mountains, adjacent to Huocheng County in the Ili Prefecture. The lake is at an altitude of 2071 meters above sea level, stretching 30 kilometers east to west and 25 kilometers north to south, covering an area of 453 square kilometers with a water storage capacity of 21 billion cubic meters. The lake water is clear and transparent, with a visibility of 12 meters. It is the highest-altitude, largest, and most scenic alpine lake in Xinjiang, and it is also the last place favored by the Atlantic Ocean’s warm and moist air currents, hence the saying ‘the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean’.
Old Town of Yining
The old town of Yining is colorful. Riding in a horse-drawn carriage through the alleys, I couldn’t help but marvel at the scenery, wondering why we need Santorini to see such views! Blue and white-toned houses are everywhere. There are also red, green, yellow… We visited local houses, where Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other ethnic groups have lived together for generations in one alley. Each house has a neat and lush yard, and each has a large grape trellis.
Tekes Double Rainbow
The Eight Trigrams City has thus become a city without traffic lights. Legend has it that Tekes Eight Trigrams City was originally laid out by Qiu Chuji, one of the Seven Immortals of the Northern Quanzhen School of Taoism during the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, Qiu Chuji, the Immortal of Changchun, was invited by Genghis Khan to go to the Western Regions. When he passed through the Tekes River Valley, he was moved by the landscape of the mountains and rivers there, so he laid out this Eight Trigrams City. The Eight Trigrams City has a radial circular street layout, like a magical maze with interconnected streets and paths. It boasts rich historical and cultural heritage as well as beautiful natural scenery.
Kalajun
The birch forest was quite large, with bridges and streams in the central area.
Many aunties and moms were there displaying colorful scarves and posing for photos.
We decided to head into the depths of the birch forest where no one was.
The ground was thickly covered with soft, golden leaves. Stepping on them, I could hear the rustling sound of the crushed leaves,
The sun was shining, and the leaves were floating in the wind. I directly imagined the BMG in my mind.
Lying on the blanket of leaves and chatting, the tall birch forest encloses the sky into a blue disc,
The swing was also for exclusive use. I ran back and forth adjusting the camera settings after setting the timer, and almost fell off the swing,
We had a particularly enjoyable time playing for more than two hours. This day was the gentlest autumn I had encountered on this trip to Xinjiang;
Sunset at Colorful Beach
Colorful Beach is about 30 kilometers away from the urban area of Burqin.
The Irtysh River flows ceaselessly, and the scenery on both banks of the river is completely different,
The northern shore features cliff-like Yardang landforms carved by 150 million years of fierce winds and flowing water,
The diversifolia euphratica forest on the southern shore is a lush and vibrant green.
The northern shore has undulating hills and no vegetation. The mineral content of the rocks varies,
The weathering resistance of various rock formations is different. Most of them appear dark red during the day,
Waiting until sunset, the best part unfolds slowly, with the refraction of sunlight
It makes the gullies and hills transform into mysterious green, rich orange, charming purple,
Dotted with a little purity of white.
Under the blazing sunset, the Irtysh River resembles an irregular huge cat’s-eye stone,
Dark colors are embedded in peacock blue, like outlining curves or enriching levels,
The colors of the entire world are like a flowing, fading silk fabric,
Too beautiful to behold yet fleeting;
Starry night in Baihaba Village
In the Kanas Mountains, the villages we passed by all have white walls and red roofs,
It should be even more beautiful when green in summer
On the way, there are constantly sheep herders, and occasionally, a burst of white smoke can be seen in the distance,
It’s the young men riding horses with dogs, driving black, brown, cream, and white sheep bleating and rolling in,
The sheep bleat with gentle eyes, trotting with little steps, and their curly wool quivers, incredibly cute and foolish.
On an autumn afternoon, the daylight is still good, and the wind blows down many falling leaves,
The entire town seems to be coated with a layer of gold paint. There are farmers feeding horses in the courtyard,
Young men are chopping wood, truly idyllic
The lake surface is so beautiful, with peacock blue tranquility, and occasionally a yacht glides across, leaving a white ripple,
The undulating mountains along the shore are adorned with dark green pine trees and tawny birch trees, beautiful like an oil painting, so intense and mellow;
Morning fog and coffee in Hemu
The road from Jiadengyu to Hemu has a section of very beautiful mountain scenery, with layers upon layers of clouds in the sea of clouds, real and illusory,
Like solidified white ink splashes, it gives one the occasional feeling of swimming among the clouds;
From the transfer point in Hemu Village, you can take the village bus. Hemu Village is larger than Baihaba Village,
The birch forest by the Hemu River, after being ravaged by temperature drops and strong winds, is left with only white, withered branches. Well,
Over the past few days, we have followed the footsteps of autumn and witnessed the cycle of life with our own eyes;
Diversifolia euphratica: A resilient tree
Driving 400 kilometers south from Hemu,
In the outskirts of Karamay City, Wuerhe boasts a vast forest of diversifolia euphratica.
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456