The Kanas scenic area is located in the middle section of the Altai Mountains in northern Xinjiang, in the golden zone bordering Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. Its natural ecological landscape and human landscape have always maintained their primitive appearance and are praised as "a pure land on earth".
According to the "Master Plan for the Greater Kanas Tourist Area (2005-2020)", the Kanas tourist area has a southern boundary at 48.3°N, bordered by Hemu Township in the east and reaching the national border in the northwest. The planned area is 10,030 square kilometers, including the Kanas National Nature Reserve, Kanas National Geological Park, Baihaba National Forest Park, Jiadengyu National Forest Park, Burqin Valley, Hemu Valley, Hemu Grassland, Hemu Village, Baihaba Village, Kanas Village, and three primitive Tuvan villages renowned domestically and internationally. These constitute seven natural landscape areas and three human landscape areas. Among them, Kanas Lake is praised as "a beautiful lake in the world".
The Kanas tourist area has extremely high scientific research value, ecological environmental benefits, and industrial economic development potential in terms of geology, landforms, biological resources, and ecological environment. It has high tourism development value in terms of landscape aesthetics and national culture. In terms of geographical advantages, the future development of the Kanas port will make it a potential international trade cooperation zone in China’s western international trade. Wang Lequan, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee, evaluated the resource quality and development value of Kanas as "unique in China and world-class".
Kanas boasts superior geographical location and natural conditions, with peculiar biological combinations and the distribution of cold temperate taiga forests. It is a representative area for the concentrated distribution of Siberian flora and fauna in China. It has received unanimous praise and high evaluations from domestic and foreign experts and tourists due to its unique location, exclusive ecology, biodiversity, and the purity and tranquility of its glacial lakes. The forest and grassland alternate within the area, and the community remains in good condition. The natural vertical zonal spectrum is evident, the modern glaciers are well-preserved, the ecosystem is unique, and the natural scenery is beautiful. In particular, Xinjiang five-needle pine and Xinjiang fir are only distributed here in China, possessing high natural protection and scientific research value. It has both the scenery of the north and the charm of the south. It is a scenic area embodying beauty in demeanor, rarity, moral, originality, and scent. There are a total of 319 large and small lakes within the scenic area, all formed by glacial erosion. There are 210 well-preserved Quaternary glaciers, 798 species of plants, and 99 species of fungi growing here. There are Cordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma applanatum, Ganoderma tsugae, and so on. There are 39 species of mammals, 4 species of amphibians and reptiles, 117 species of birds, and 7 species of fish. Among them, 7 wild animals such as snow leopards, brown bears, and snow hares are listed as national key protected species, 8 species are listed as internationally endangered animals, and 5 species are endemic to Kanas.
Kanas is the only extension of the Siberian taiga in China, the only distribution area of the Euro-Siberian flora and fauna in the Palearctic realm in China, the birthplace of the Burqin River, a major tributary of the Irtysh River in the Arctic Ocean watershed in China, the only inhabited area of the Mongolian Tuvans in China, the only continental tundra zone in China, the only nature reserve bordering four countries in China, and an important ecological barrier preventing the northward expansion of the Gurbantunggut Desert. It is also a living museum of nomadic culture before human agricultural civilization. The entire area remains in its primitive state, with vast, flat grasslands covering the land like huge green blankets, wooden huts scattered about, smoke curling up from chimneys, and the aroma of fermented mare’s milk wafting through the air.
Kanas Lake originated about 200,000 years ago. It is crescent-shaped, about 24.5 kilometers long and an average of 2 kilometers wide. With an average depth of 90 meters and a maximum depth of 188.4 meters, it is one of China’s deepest alpine freshwater lakes, renowned both domestically and internationally for its unsolved mysteries of ‘lake monsters,’ ‘sea of clouds and Buddha’s light,’ and ‘color-changing lake.’ During his expedition,耶律楚材, the military commander of Genghis Khan in the Yuan Dynasty, was deeply moved by the magnificent scenery of Kanas Lake and recited: ‘Who knew that the Western Regions held such a beautiful scene, convincing me that the East’s love is not of this world. Three hundred circular and square ponds, with clear spring water filling one level pond.’
Kanas Airport is the second civil airport in Xinjiang specifically built for a tourist attraction, located about 50 kilometers from Kanas Lake. In May 2006, construction officially began, with a total investment of 250 million yuan for infrastructure. On August 10, 2007, the runway, navaid lighting, communication and navigation systems, drainage, fencing, patrol roads, and other ancillary projects, as well as the terminal building and supporting facilities, site works, and landscaping were completed successively. On August 15, Kanas Airport officially opened, capable of accommodating large aircraft such as Boeing 737. Currently, Kanas Airport plans to invest an additional 108 million yuan to complete the continuation project, aiming to achieve a passenger throughput of 220,000 by 2013, greatly meeting the travel needs of tourists and promoting the development of tourism in the Kanas scenic area through hardware upgrades.
In spring, Kanas is adorned with mountain flowers and lush grass; in summer, it is lush and green with rippling lakes; in autumn, the forests are ablaze with color and the water glistens like jade; in winter, Kanas is draped in silver and ice, with ever-changing scenery throughout the seasons as the climate shifts.
As a UN official said, ‘This is the last undeveloped place on Earth. Its existence proves that humans once had an incredibly beautiful habitat.’
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456