Ice and Snow Fairy Tales | Travels Around Northern Xinjiang in Winter

Northern Xinjiang in winter is an ice fairy tale

What is your impression of Northern Xinjiang in winter? It is the extreme cold of minus 30 degrees. In the vast and uninhabited land, it is covered with thick down jackets and frozen with frost. It is also the snow-covered spire hut in Hemu Village, the curling fog on Kanas Freezing Lake, the blue ice bubbles on Sailimu Lake, the rime and white swans of Yining Swan Spring, and the long and wide powder snow snow snow trail of General Mountain. This is a fairy tale world of ice and snow, which is beautiful and arrogant, quiet and colorful. The scenery of Xinjiang gives it its own unique charm in the distinct four seasons. I once walked through the northern border in autumn, and this winter I feel that it has completely changed, which makes people fascinated.

[travel itinerary]

Day1 Northern Xinjiang - Urumqi (aircraft)

Day2 Urumqi-Altai (aircraft) - General Mountain Ski Resort

Day3 General Mountain Ski Resort

Day4 Altai-Hemu

Day5 Hemu-Kanas

Day6 Kanas-Burqin

Day7 Burqin-Urhe Devil City-Urhe Poplar Forest-Kuitun

Day8 Kuitun-Sailimu Lake

Day9 Sailimu Lake-Yining

Day10 Yining Swan Spring - Yining - Beijing (Airplane)

[Travel Mode]

In northern Xinjiang in winter, because of the thick ice and snow, especially in Kanas Hemu, where the snow is several meters thick, it is easy to have accidents if you are not careful. It is more common to close mountains and roads in case of heavy snow. It is best to have driving experience on ice and snow roads. With my driving skills, I will never dare. However, the temperature of Lake Sailimu and Yining is much higher than that of Altai, and there is no snow on the road (unless it encounters extreme weather), so it is relatively easy to drive there.

The best way to travel is to charter a car with a few friends and find a local experienced driver, which is safe and worry-free. But I can't make an appointment with friends who want to go (either the time is not good or it is too cold to go), so I can only travel freely or with a group.

I checked a lot of strategies for free travel: the airport, railway station, urban area, and ski resort in Altai City are all very close, and the transportation is convenient. Free travel is completely no problem; there are buses or chartered buses from Altai to Hemu every day, and it is also very convenient to buy a ticket to Hemu Village; Saihu and Yining have less snow and good road conditions. You can rent a car or report for a day trip. But the inconvenience of free travel is that 1. There is no car to Kanas; 2. If you want to go to Altai Kanas and Saihu Yining, the traffic in the middle is more troublesome.

Combining various reasons, I finally chose to join a group. Joining a group can satisfy my greed of punching a card at all scenic spots, and it is more convenient. But because of the heavy snow in mid-January, the Kanas scenic spot was closed, which caused me to be hesitant. When I finally made up my mind to sign up, the photography group I was optimistic about was already full, sorry! I had to sign up for an ordinary tour group. Facts have proved that for photography enthusiasts, it is very wrong to sign up for an ordinary tour group. All scenic spots are fleeting, and many of the best light time is either sleeping or rushing. The distance between the scenic spots in Xinjiang is very long, and the snow in winter is even more severe. It takes a day to get to a place, and the mobile phone pats and leaves... And because it is the second day of junior high school, the itinerary is very unreasonable to go to Altai first and then to Yili. Whether it is General Mountain or Hemu during the Chinese New Year in Altai, it is the peak with the most people, but there are many fewer tourists in Saihu Yining. It would be much better if you went in reverse. However, the travel friends in the group are very good, and they met friends who can play together~

[Baggage List]

Clothes: down pants, down jackets, fleece jackets, sweaters, scarves, hats, gloves, wool socks, underwear, waterproof snow boots. The winter in northern Xinjiang is very cold. I go at the end of January. The daytime temperature is about Hemu\ Kanas - 20 °, General Mountain - 15 °, Saihu - 15 °, Yining - 5 °. I am long johns + down pants + fleece pants, autumn coat + sweater + Bosideng extreme cold down jacket, stick 2-3 heating pads, take off the down jacket when shooting portraits, and put it on quickly. I don't feel very cold. But it will be colder in the morning and evening. If you want to shoot sunrises, sunsets or even starry skies, you have to add more clothes.

Camera: Canon R5 + 24-240mm/14-35mm. Wide angle is used less, telephoto is used more. When Yining took swans, my lens didn't work (the aperture was too small), and the photos taken were high paste. It's not worth carrying 400 all the way for the last half day. If you have the opportunity to take pictures of swans in the future, you can make up for your regrets. I also brought DJI Royal 2, but when I was in Hemu, I don't know if it was too cold + the lifespan was up, and the battery of the remote control died, so it was equivalent to carrying two pieces of scrap iron. The tripod was used to take two sunrises, and the other was a portrait selfie.

Others: documents, heating pads, thermos cups, medicines, toiletries, folding kettles, power banks, crampons, etc.

[Time difference effect]

Xinjiang is two hours later than Beijing, but Beijing time is used. In winter, the sunshine time is short, it only shines at 9 o'clock, and the sunset is after 6 o'clock in the afternoon. This work and rest is very friendly to my generation. After two days of skiing on General Mountain, I felt it deeply. The ski resort opened at 10 o'clock, and most of the people just got up. At 12 o'clock in the evening, there were still people who didn't come back from the ski resort or ate at the restaurant. When you arrive here, the travel time and meal time will be adjusted accordingly.

After spending the New Year at home, go to Daxing Airport in the afternoon of the second day of junior high school and depart for Urumqi. There are no direct flights from Beijing to Altai, so I have to change to a plane or train to Altai in Urumqi. I arrived in Urumqi on the night of the second day of junior high school, slept in the hotel next to the airport for one night, and flew to Altai the next The flight time from Urumqi to Altai is 1 hour. After landing at 9:30 in the morning, you will leave the airport and rent to the hotel. Ninety percent of the ski enthusiasts who come to Altai this season see more snowboards than boxes when they wait for their luggage. When renting, each taxi is full of 4 people, and the trunk is tied with ropes to prevent the boards and boxes from slipping, and then the tourists are sent to the hotel one by one.

General Mountain Ski Resort: The best ski runs and the most beautiful sunsets

The Altai Mountains in Altai are located at 45 degrees of the golden latitude of skiing in the world, and are said to be the origin of human skiing. The snow season here is very long, and you can ski until May of the following year in November every year. The ski resort has 58 snow runs, a snow-making area of 1.85 million square meters, a height difference of 460 meters, and 8 cable cars.

There are many ski resorts in Xinjiang, but General Mountain is the only world-class ski resort located in the urban area. In simple terms, it is convenient! It is only 2 kilometers away from the urban area, and the farthest hotel in the urban area is more than ten minutes away by car. The accommodation and living conditions in the urban area are very rich, and there is everything to eat, drink and play.

General Mountain is still one of the few ski resorts where you can enjoy the beautiful sunset. Because there is a night course, it will not be cleared at the end of the day. At sunset, everyone will take a cable car to the highest mountain top to enjoy the sunset. The mountains here are all snow-capped in winter, and even the city is covered in a layer of snow clothes. Standing on the commanding heights of the snow-capped mountains overlooking the sunset is really amazing!

Admission to the snow resort: Daika

Local transportation: Snow is OK

[Altai Transportation]

Altai City is very close to the snow resort, and many hotels have free shuttle buses, and the snow resort also has shuttles to major hotels in the city. Didi is not easy to use here. The local transportation is called "Snow is OK", but it is not very easy when there are many people. When you arrive in the local area, you can ask the hotel front desk or snow friends, and add a local carpool group. There are taxi drivers in the group. If you send the number of locations and phone numbers, the driver will contact you. 10-30/person does not have a meter. Or remember the phone numbers of a few driver masters and contact the driver to pick it up. There is a bus schedule and a taxi driver phone list at the entrance of the snow resort. The way from the hotel to the airport/train station is similar, and there is a shuttle bus that can also be rented.

[Ski resort gameplay]

The General Mountain ski resort is very large, with 58 trails and 8 cable cars. As an intermediate road Xiaobai player who has only brushed a few times in Beijing's small snow resort, I was confused when I went to the ski resort. I didn't know which cable car to take and which road to slide. Later, I made an appointment with a coach to take me on a few trips before I could roughly figure it out. The highest point of the ski resort is also the center point. The top of the mountain is the meeting point and starting point of several major ski runs. From the top of the mountain to the mountain, there will be various forking roads leading to different routes or terrain.In case of a wrong slip, such as from Yinguangcha to the steepest "Fo Guang Avenue" in the country, it is necessary to face the life thinking point. Fortunately, the road signs here are painted with large characters, and they are also very friendly to people who have bad eyes.

For veneer blade changers like me, it is good to slide golden or silver. It is long and wide, and it is not steep. It is super cool to go down 3km in one trip. Even during the peak of tourists during the Chinese New Year, it is not very crowded, and you can change the blade smoothly.

[Ski Hall and Ski Equipment Rental]

The ski hall is divided into two halls, A/B, and there is a magic carpet and ski trail connection between Area A and B. Hall B is the old hall. It is very small and does not provide rental equipment. They all come directly to Hall B with their own equipment. There are cabinets and snow locks (but many people leave the boards everywhere). The snow shop, high-end snow equipment rental and snow shuttle bus are all in front of Hall B, and the taxi also stops at the entrance of Area B by default.

Hall A is relatively new. If you buy a package with snow equipment, you need to rent snow equipment in Hall A. Many snow friends who come to General Mountain to play bring their own snow equipment. Although the snow field is very large, I feel that the rental equipment prepared is less than the small snow field in front of my house. There are many people during the New Year's holiday, and there are long queues at almost every rental window. There are many snowboards here. When I arrived at the snow resort at noon on the first day, all the snowboards were rented out, but there were still a lot of double boards left, and the little turtles with protective gear were all heroic. There are no new ones to rent. So if you catch up with a lot of people, it is best to rent outside the snow resort in advance and bring equipment to snow directly.

[Ski Instructor]

There are coaches in the snow resort, and the charges for different levels are different. Holidays will be more expensive, but much cheaper than those in Beijing. It is said that there are about 100 coaches now, but the supply is also in short supply on holidays, and many people will make appointments in advance. I entered at the top door at 10 o'clock, and I made an appointment with the snow coach after renting the snow equipment. It mainly took me to familiarize myself with the snow field and correct the movements, and also helped me record. There are also many people who will make an appointment with the coach on Skating/GO SKI/Xiaohongshu, which will be cheaper than the snow resort.

There are many delicacies in the General Mountain Snow Resort! And it's not expensive! There is a large restaurant upstairs in Hall B covering a variety of flavors. The coffee house on the top of the mountain also has local specialties such as skewers and naan. I brought boxed instant noodles but didn't open them at all.

[General Mountain Sunset] General Mountain Sunset is really absolute! Absolutely! sub! I was on General Mountain for two days. The first day was cloudy and snowy, and the next morning was cloudy, but the sun came out in the afternoon, which made me lucky to catch the beautiful sunset, and I was moved to death.

The best place to watch the sunset is at the top of the mountain. The coffee shop on the top of the mountain in the evening is crowded with people waiting to watch the sunset. At sunset, the snow slopes will be temporarily blocked at the end of the day field, and the night field will reopen after sunset. Many snow friends watch the sunset and slide down after the night show opens. If they don't slide down, they queue up to take the cable car down the mountain. Because I carried my camera up the mountain, I asked myself that I didn't have the ability to slide down with my camera, so I lined up for the cable car, and I really regretted it - because there were so many people in the queue, it took me more than an hour to get down the mountain.

[Snowfield Appointment]

There are many photographers in the General Mountain Snowfield, and you can single-date photographers on Skiben/GO SKI/Xiaohongshu, or you can arrive at Photographers who see random shots in the snow resort can also make temporary appointments. I made an appointment with a photographer in advance because I wanted to shoot the sunset. I took a few sunsets during the day and a few sunsets at sunset. I am very satisfied~

Hemu: a fairy tale world of white snow, cabins, and cooking smoke

I came here in autumn, when the whole village was surrounded by golden birch and larch forests, interspersed with evergreen vegetation, and the colors were intense under the blue sky. And in winter, the snowy Hemu Village seemed to be quiet, becoming more pure and simple, like a paradise.

[Arrive in Hemu]

Altai City to Hemu Village is only more than 200 kilometers, normally half a day can be reached, but almost a day in winter. Baihaba, Kanas, and Hemu are all places with a lot of snowfall. In winter, the lowest temperature is -40 degrees, and the snow is difficult to melt. The snow can be several meters thick in places where you don't walk. It takes a few days for a heavy snow to close the mountains and clear the snow to open the road. The speed limit is all the way into the village, and there will be police cars in front of the car, which is not fast at all.

In summer and autumn, you can't drive your own car into the Kanas scenic spot. You have to park in the parking lot outside and take the view to deliver the car into the scenic spot, but in winter, the view is out of service, so you can drive a private car directly. There are many ways to get to Hemu in winter, including self-driving, chartered cars, carpooling, minibuses, and groups. Even free travel is very convenient. The village has a shuttle bus to the Jikeplin ski resort in Hemu every day. This is a ski resort full of powder snow. The snow cover can reach 3-5 meters, which belongs to the kind that cannot be found even if the board is thrown out.

Today's Hemu Village is already an Internet celebrity attraction. When I came to talk to the locals in the fall a few years ago, he also said that few people come in winter, joking that "you can come in with a truckload of cabbage in winter and live in my house for a month". So I always wanted to come back in winter, but was delayed by various reasons and epidemics. When I came back this year, I found that this place was no longer niche, and even more crowded than autumn - because in addition to tourists watching the scenery, there were also a considerable number of snow friends who came to Jikeplin. They stayed here for ten days and a half months, skiing and taking pictures.

On the way into the village, I saw one private car after another, and they could hardly drive in the village. After Hemu Internet celebrity, the village built a new village, 2-3 kilometers away from the old village, all two-story resorts, but the road is very narrow and steep, and driving requires quite high technology. We were arranged to live in the new village, and the beautiful scenery was in the old village, which was really inconvenient.

[Hemu Yupai]

After confirming that I wanted to come to Hemu, I made an appointment to shoot Hemu's ethnic costumes in advance according to the date of arrival, and the day before Okay, go to the studio around 5 o'clock for styling and shooting, just in time for the best light. We drove all day and arrived at Hemu Village at 4:30 pm. I arrived at the studio at 5:00, but there were still 4-5 people in front of us, many of whom were temporarily added. The boss refused to come in order to make more money, and I even pressed people behind me, so I didn't dare to leave, afraid of being cut in line again.

[Hemu Observation Deck]

The next morning, after breakfast at the accommodation, the group members went back to the house Boil water and splash water into ice in the yard. Splashing water into ice requires a low temperature, boiling water, and a large container (such as a kettle in the room is a good choice). At the end of January, the morning temperature of Hemu was about minus 30 degrees, which was still very effective. After playing enough, we set off, and the car took us under the observation deck of the old village. The old village is full of low wooden houses, and the Hemu River flows on the west side of the village. Crossing the Hemu Bridge over the river to the east bank is a large forest and a high hillside. On the hillside is a large gentle platform, which is the best viewing point for overlooking the whole village and enjoying the eastern sunrise.

The viewing platform is not high, and it takes 20 minutes to climb the stairs. In winter, there is a horse-drawn plow project, which is to pull the horse to climb the plow. There can be 2-3 people sitting on the plow, and the horse will pull it up and down the mountainside. The group arranged this project for everyone, and I followed it, but I regretted it after sitting. The snow on the hillside is 1-2 meters thick. The path taken by our herdsmen is very narrow in the middle for the horses. In the case of an up-and-down encounter, the carriage will struggle through the snow that is more than 1 meter thick next to it (people get off the bus). The snow has reached the chest of the horse. The herdsman whipped the horse to make it flutter forward in the snow. I was very uncomfortable. And people sitting in the car will get wet with snow, shoes and trousers are not tightly sealed, and there will be a lot of snow. We "met the car" several times on the way up the mountain, and the time was delayed on the road. When we reached the peak platform, we had missed the best viewing time, so it was better to climb up by ourselves.

Hemu and Kanas can be photographed from the air. Bai Haba prohibits aerial photography because of the outpost. When I put the drone on the platform, I saw that the battery of the remote control dropped at a visible speed in just two minutes. In order not to blow up the plane, I quickly sent the drone back. Before I came here, I thought that the cold here might affect the batteries of the camera and drone, but I didn't expect that the problem was the remote control. However, my remote control is indeed quite old. Maybe the battery is already aging, and it will be completely dead if it is frozen again. So this trip is equivalent to two pieces of scrap iron on my back.

Hemu is playing more and more tricks now, and there are actually air balls! The pure blue and white world is dotted with a colorful air ball, and the picture looks unexpectedly good~

Many people here bring dogs to play!! The dogs are completely unafraid of the cold and have a great time flapping and rolling in the snow. Ahhh, when can I take my big golden hair out to play with me? Xinjiang is really too far away T^T

The clothes I wore this time were very simple, a blue sweater, a white sweater, and then white pants, a white hat, and a blue and white wool scarf all the way through. In the northern Xinjiang wrapped in silver in winter, simple colors are good. White and blue are all colors that are integrated with the color of the scene. The blue sweater is filled with snow-white Hemu Kanas, and the white sweater is matched with the blue ice world Sailimu Lake. The whole picture looks very clean and natural. Our group wears the most big red, and the embellishment of red in the white snow is also very special. I chose a red dress the day before to shoot ethnic costumes (but mainly because that set is the thickest and warmest). I prefer to wear a smaller and fresher style for my clothes.

Although Hemu Village is crowded during the Spring Festival, it doesn't feel like there are many people looking down from the observation deck. I really like Hemu, which is snowy, and has the purest scenery without losing the fireworks. This trip is too rushed, and I will take a quick look at the flowers. If I have the opportunity to come to the northern border in winter in the future, I will probably choose to live directly in Hemu for a week, bring snowboards and go skiing in Jikeprin for a day of powder snow. When I don't go to the snow resort, I will play in the village and hang out in the snow, or stay by the fire in the log cabin and drink a cup of milk tea.

Kanas: Wonderland on Earth

Located in the middle of the Altai Mountains, Kanas Scenic Area covers more than 10,000 square kilometers, with snow-capped mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, forests, grasslands, and villages. It is known as "the back garden of the gods" for its beautiful and unique scenery. The generalized Kanas scenic spot includes 55 large and small scenic spots. Kanas Lake, Sanwan, Baihaba, Hemu Village, Jiadengyu, etc. are all included in the scope of Kanas scenic spots.

And the Kanas scenic spot we often talk about mainly refers to the small Kanas scenic spot including Kanas Village, Kanas Lake, Shenxianwan, Moon Bay, Wolong Bay, and Taigarin Corridor. There are shuttle buses between these scenic spots, but they are out of service in winter, and there is no fixed shuttle bus, so Kanas in winter is much less popular than Hemu.

Kanas Village is divided into new villages and old villages. It is also a pointed wooden house like Hemu and Bai Haba, which is covered with snow and is also very beautiful. But the most unique scenery here in winter is the constant fog on the frozen river and the rime on both sides of the river bank, as well as the river stones wrapped in snow into round "snow steamed buns", and the waterbirds and wild ducks swimming on the river.

[Kanas Three Bay]

After getting off the Hemu Observation Deck, I had lunch in Hemu Village and drove at one o'clock The son drove us out of Hemu Village to Kanas. After entering Kanas, we would pass through Sanwan (Wolong Bay, Moon Bay, and Fairy Bay in turn) all the way north before arriving at the old Kanas Village where we stayed. The old village is Kanas Lake further north.

In the icy and snowy Kanas in winter, the large Kanas Lake will not be completely frozen, forming an unfrozen river, but the Kanas River downstream will be completely frozen to death. Wolong Bay and Moon Bay are covered in white snow, and nothing can be seen, especially when we arrive after four o'clock, the light is at its worst, and the direction is greatly backlit, which reduces the scenery a lot. When I came out at noon the next day, it was not backlit, but because of the ramp in Moon Bay, we couldn't stop in the direction of the scenic spot, so we only glanced at it in the car.

We only stopped at the observation deck in Wolong Bay and Moon Bay, and we walked down to Fairy Bay. There is a part of the ice here that is not covered by snow, the crystal clear blue ice is covered with broken ice flowers, and there is a part of the river in the distance that is not frozen, and you can see the shallow fog and rime. It is still beautiful.

[Kanas River]

Staying in the old village at night, there are many fewer tourists in Kanas than Hemu. The old village is not big and not full, and many homestays and restaurants are not open. Finally, I felt the atmosphere of a small rural village in a clear and quiet way.

Next to the village is the Kanas River, which is very close to the lake. The area of the unfrozen river is larger. The local driver who took us there said that there will be fog in the morning, but it will dissipate before noon. So I and a few group members who like to take pictures walked to the river in the morning before dawn to take pictures of the morning fog - but it turned out that the fog would not dissipate for almost a day.

The village was still asleep in the early morning, and no one was met. Instead, I encountered a group of horses who lined up to drink water by the river, and then lined up to stroll back by themselves. It was so cute.

Perhaps because of the mountains and forests, it was almost 10 o'clock before it was polished. The scenery by the river was really beautiful. The curling morning fog, rime, and running water passed through the snowfield, and every breath was cold. The air froze and froze the hair into white hair, but I still wanted to hug the scenery hard.

Because I wanted to gather with the group and set off, I couldn't wait until the sun rose to illuminate the woods. Give me another half an hour, and I think I can wait until Tyndall Light! These are the inconveniences of joining a group, and the tour group will not consider the concept of the best shooting time at all.

[Kanas Lake]

11:30 We arrived at Kanas Lake. Although the sun has risen, it is still a wonderland! The fog lingering on the unfrozen river, the rime forest in the distance, and the "snow steamed buns" piled up on the river make my whole heart fall into this. Crazy press the shutter! Photos can't take pictures of the ethereal dynamic beauty of the fog, and I'm really not good at taking videos, and I don't have a stabilizer. The camera is too heavy to hold. The mobile phone recorded a few paragraphs, but maybe because the weather is too cold. Crazy card. I can only let this beauty stay in my memory!

And the little sisters in the group are crazy about taking a hundred photos of each other here! It's so suitable for taking portraits here~ and it's suitable for taking small environmental portraits of that kind of person. Personally, I feel that Kanas and Hemu are more suitable for playing in December when the snow is not so thick. When we came, the snow was too deep, which greatly restricted the scope of people's activities. Basically, we only played in the area stepped by the tourists at the front door, and it was very difficult to walk deeper. And even if we walked over to take portraits, it was ugly - the legs were gone. There is a wooden plank road by Kanas Lake, which extends along the banks of the Kanas River. It is a long outdoor hiking route. But now this wooden plank road is almost covered with snow. If you come earlier when the snow is not thick, you can explore more beautiful scenery along the lake.

Came all the way to Kanas, played by the lake for an hour and left, I really don't know why I have to rush. Arrive in Burqin at 4:00 pm - it's dark here at 7 or 8:00, so I can play in Kanas for a while longer.

[Burqin]

Burqin was bleak in winter, and the wind was blowing, and the temperature was colder than in Kanas. After checking in the hotel, I was free to move around. I and a few group members went to the Russian style street to hang out and found that it was empty and all the shops were closed. Then I turned to the snack street to eat barbecue. The food in Burqin is still great! Cheap and delicious!!!

Wuerhe: Ghost City and Poplar Forest in Winter

Ur He is located in the northwest of Xinjiang, under the Karamay City, the Western Han Dynasty under the Gu Shiguo. Urhe leads to Altay and Kanas Scenic Areas in the northeast, Urumqi in the southeast, and Tacheng, Bortala, Yili and other places in the west. Most of the itineraries in northern Xinjiang will pass through here. We also leave Altay through here and go to western Xinjiang.

[Wuerhe Devil City]

Wuerhe has representative attractions such as Devil City, Lake Eric, and Poplar Euphrates. Devil City is a common Yadan wind-eroded landform in northwestern China. It is called "Shayi Tankerxi" in Uygur, which means "Devil City". It is magnificent and has been the location of many movies (such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). During a previous visit in autumn, I once enjoyed a magnificent sunset here, and I still remember it vividly. The scenic area is vast, and it needs to be visited by an internal sightseeing bus. There are audio explanations along the way, and it stops at several fixed attractions for tourists to take pictures. When visiting in autumn, there is an endless stream of tourists. The sightseeing bus is a long small train. After visiting each station, tourists can take the next bus to the next attraction. In winter, there are few tourists here, and a group of people will be accompanied by a minibus throughout the journey. The four scenic spots will stay for 10-15 minutes at each stop.

After leaving the Altay region, the temperature gradually rises and the area of snow is less and less, which gives me the illusion of driving into spring. I originally thought that Wuerhe would be like Altay, a large Yadan group completely covered in snow, but after arriving, I found that the snowfall here was much less than I had imagined. Yadan showed a sparse and semi-naked state, feeling a little ugly...

[Wuerhe Populus euphratica]

Populus euphratica is a tree species that grows in deserts. They are cold-resistant, drought-tolerant, saline-alkali-tolerant, wind and sand-resistant, and have strong vitality. Most of the world's Populus euphratica forests are in China, while 90% of China's Populus euphratica are in the Tarim Basin in southern Xinjiang, and relatively rare in northern Xinjiang. The Populus euphratica forests in Wuerhe are described by local people as" three thousand years old ":" One thousand years will not die, one thousand years will not fall, and one thousand years will be immortal. "

The poplar forest in autumn is beautiful, but being completely bald in winter is a completely different feeling. Tourists rarely come to see poplar in winter, but it is quite popular with photography enthusiasts. Fallen dead branches and fallen leaves on the ground can create some pictures full of dilapidated and decadent, but unexpectedly tense. It is recommended to use ultra-wide.

After leaving Wuerhe, we continued west to Kuitun to check in.

Dushanzi Grand Canyon: the first scenery at the beginning of the Duku Highway

Duku Highway, which is the 217 National Highway Dushanzi to Kuqa Duan, also known as the Tianshan Highway because it crosses the Tianshan Mountains. This highway was built by tens of thousands of soldiers who worked hard for ten years in a difficult and dangerous environment. Its connection has shortened the distance between the southern and northern borders from more than 1,000 kilometers to more than 560 kilometers. The starting point of this famous highway is Dushanzi, and the first beauty of the highway is the Dushanzi Grand Canyon. " The National Geographic of China describes the Dushanzi Grand Canyon as follows: "It is as if the earth suddenly broke, and a magnificent canyon sank vertically underground." The canyon is located on the southwest side of Dushanzi Mountain. The canyon is about 20 kilometers long, about 2 kilometers wide, and the valley is about 400 meters deep. The height from the bottom to the shoulder of the valley can reach 200 meters, extending from south to north. The river water of Kuitun River rushes in the canyon, and the valley wall is initialized due to the long-term water flow, eroded into a series of criss-crossing grooves, which is extremely spectacular.

Dushanzi Grand Canyon is obviously not as popular as Kanas and Saihu. Few people come all the way to see it, but it is definitely worth it. Although the river is frozen in winter and the land is covered with snow, it does not lose its imposing momentum. We stayed in Kuitun last night and set off to watch the sunrise before dawn. On a sunny day, we just happened to see the whole process of the canyon being slowly lit up by the sun.

The viewing platform after entering the gate is above the canyon, and the line of sight is blocked to a certain extent. You can walk down the plank road to the lower level, and even take the glass plank road to experience the thrill of the canyon up close. Drones can also be placed here, and it is also very exciting to follow the drone's perspective to walk through the canyon.

Leaving Dushanzi, we continue westbound to Sailimu Lake.

Sailimu Lake: The Last Tears of the Atlantic Ocean