Duku Highway - the most beautiful and dangerous highway in China! I have heard its name many times before traveling around China by car. This time I finally have the opportunity to experience its magic in Xinjiang! With great anticipation, I set off from Kuitun City in the afternoon to Dushanzi District, which is the starting point of Duku!
Although I was anxious to see the style of Duku Highway quickly, I couldn’t help but get out of the car and take a photo when I saw the starting point road monument to record this exciting moment! Then it's a whole new journey. The Duku Highway is only open from June to October every year. Because of the special region, the road is covered with deep snow in winter, and avalanches may occur at any time, especially when crossing two Dabans. Therefore, it must be implemented every November and next May. Winter traffic control. The opening season is the most beautiful time for Duku!
As a traveler, I have no reason to miss Duku in summer! With a total length of 561 kilometers, it is a highway connecting the northern and southern Xinjiang, and it takes about 9 hours to walk. At the first moment of driving on this road, it is like slowly entering a dream painting. The mountains and mountains in the field of vision are rolling and undulating, with staggered depths and beautiful layers.
I said, the mountain on the Duku Highway smells like matcha! A touch of fresh green is my favorite color, very healing. The light blue sky, the white clouds and the matcha-flavored mountains blended together. I felt the comfort I had never had before, and I sighed from the heart. Starting from Hainan, no matter how hard it is to drive here, it is worth it!
Across the high mountains, through the deep mountains and canyons, and winding on the Tianshan Mountains, I have different angles to see the beauty of the roadside. Looking up, looking up, looking down, changing the angle of view every second, looking at this multi-faceted Tien Shan mountains. While admiring the scenery, I can't help but admire the difficulty of building the road. Only by walking by yourself can you understand its significance!
On the Duku Highway, there is a stone tablet engraved with five characters "Guard the Soul of Tianshan Mountain". The completion of the Duku Highway has shortened the distance from the original 1,000 kilometers to the south and north by nearly half, which can be regarded as a monument in the history of China's highway construction.
And it is a heroic path. The road-building officers and soldiers back then, defying difficulties and obstacles, dug tunnels on the "impenetrable" Daban, built a road on the Daban where the yellow sheep are daunting, and crossed the insurmountable mountain peaks. During the construction of the Duku Highway, 168 people were sacrificed. The oldest of them was 31 years old, and the youngest was only 16 years old!
Duku Highway has a lot of curves, the slope has been slowed down to a certain extent, and it looks relatively gentle. In addition, it is basically an asphalt road with only a few gravel sections. Some people may think that it is not difficult to walk now. However, the risk factor and driving difficulty are not the same concept. Especially when passing through the "tiger's mouth", the string in everyone's heart will instantly become tense!
Because, the extremely dangerous road section is coming! One-third of the Duku Highway is a cliff, and the experience here is particularly profound! The car passed by the cliff. Although part of it is blocked by nets, the protruding wall stones may fall at any time. The name "Tiger's Mouth" reminds passers-by that this is an extremely dangerous section of road, so don't take it lightly. ! It is conceivable how difficult it was for the officers and soldiers who built the road back then.
When you're in danger and just want to get through quickly, you might come across them - a slow stroll or a herd of cows and sheep sleeping on the road! Once they appear, even if we are helpless, we will let them pass first, so in this case the speed may be very slow, or even stop. The longer the stay, the greater the possibility of encountering geological disasters such as falling rocks.
Thanks to the efforts of countless officers and soldiers and the dedication of the Duku Highway, this road of heroes has brought great convenience to the locals, and it also allows us travelers to see the rare scenery in this world. But this is only the first section of the 500-odd kilometers, and more exciting things are waiting for us to meet. Let's look forward to more scenery on the Duku Highway in the future, and share it in the next article!
