Sneak peek:
People say that going to Xinjiang will be addictive. Only 4 months have passed since the trip to Duku in Xinjiang in June. In a blink of an eye, they were attracted by the gradually yellowing Populus euphratica in southern Xinjiang. But a few days before departure, Xinjiang’s There was an epidemic in the Kashgar area. Although we did not enter Kashgar on this trip, we still felt uneasy, but in the end I still believe that our country and government will definitely control the epidemic and prevent it from spreading. Finally, on October 28, 2020, I set off without hesitation with a moving heart.
D1, 2020.10.28 Shanghai-Urumqi
Take Shanghai Airlines flight MU9219, take off from Hongqiao Airport at 13:40, arrive in Urumqi at around 19:15 in the evening, and stay at Xinjiang Kunlun Hotel.
Xinjiang Kunlun Hotel was opened in 1959. It was built by the Party Committee and Government of the Autonomous Region.
D2, 2020.10.29 Urumqi-Korla
Urumqi is full of traffic in the early morning, and the epidemic in Kashgar has not affected the daily life of people here. Today we will cross the Tianshan Mountains, from Urumqi in the northern Xinjiang to Korla in the southern Xinjiang, the journey takes about 7 hours
Tianshan Mountain, one of the seven largest mountain systems in the world, has a total length of about 2,500 kilometers and lies in the middle of Xinjiang in an east-west direction, dividing Xinjiang into two parts, the south and the north.
The vehicle is driving in the mountains, with towering peaks on both sides, imagining how hard it was to build this road back then.
This kind of large trucks come and go the most on this road. Relying on the main artery of the road, goods and various resources in the northern and southern borders can flow
scenery on both sides of the road
D3, Korla - Yiqi Creek - Luntai
Korla, Xinjiang is the capital of the prefecture-level administrative region of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. It is located in the central part of Xinjiang, at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, and on the northeastern edge of the Tarim Basin. It leans on the branch of the Tianshan Mountains in the north and borders the Taklamakan Desert, the second largest desert in the world in the south. It is the throat of the middle road of the ancient Silk Road and one of the birthplaces of Western Region culture. It is an important transportation hub and material distribution center in the northern and southern Xinjiang.
The Kongque River passes through the city, and it is extremely rare for a city in Xinjiang to have a river passing through the city. The Kongque River is also called the Yinma River. It is said that Banchao in the Eastern Han Dynasty once drank horses here. The Kongque River is a rare water system without tributaries. Its only source comes from Bosten Lake, passes through Korla and Yuli counties, and ends at Lop Nur.
There are many swans staying by the Peacock River. It is said that these swans all flew from Bayinbulak
Mr. Peng Jiamu's sculpture
Yiqi Creek, which means "the place where wild sheep haunt" in Uighur, is located at the foot of Tianshan Mountain, more than 120 kilometers northeast of Kuqa County in southern Xinjiang. The beauty of Yiqi Creek lies in the Danxia Canyon and the red-spotted Danxia Mountain, which is gorgeous and full of rigidity
In 1958, the first oil field discovered by New China in the Tarim Basin was built here, and then 29 years later, in 1987, Yiqi Creek became my country's first abandoned oil field due to the depletion of oil resources.
Populus euphratica, known as "Tokrak" in Uighur, means "the most beautiful tree".
Encountering a wild euphratica forest on the road, amazing~
Luntai Tarim Populus euphratica Forest Park is located 70 kilometers away from the South Desert Highway in Luntai County. It may be related to the epidemic. The traffic vehicles in the scenic spot stopped running, and our car was able to enter the park.
The little train we were looking forward to stopped running, so we could only take pictures on the rails
Populus euphratica, worthy of being a strong tree species, can live for a thousand years without dying, die for a thousand years without falling, and fall for a thousand years to be immortal
D4, Luntai-Caohu-Yili
The Tarim River is the mother river of southern Xinjiang. 90% of China's Populus euphratica is distributed in the northern end of the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang and the Tarim River Basin. Starting today, we officially started the exploration of the Yellow River along the Tarim River
62 kilometers southeast of Luntai Town, Luntai County, there is Caohu Township, the rarest preserved Populus euphratica water town so far in the Tarim River Basin. It covers an area of 1,900 square kilometers and is 40 kilometers wide from north to south.
Entering Caohu Lake, you can see the scenery of "Sunset clouds and lone ducks fly together, autumn waters are long and the sky is the same color", which is the classic of Populus euphratica culture in the desert.
Despite the vicissitudes of life, the attitude is still strong and powerful
Vehicles are driving in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, where the populus euphratica in the desert is so lonely and tall. It is resistant to cold, drought, salt and alkali, and wind and sand. For thousands of years, it has survived tenaciously and multiplied in the desert. , it deserves the title of "Desert Hero Tree"
Our vehicles stop and take pictures at any time, because we are taking unconventional tourist routes, so there are basically no tourists, there are few people and many trees, so we can shoot as much as we want
Fortunately, I came across a great migration of sheep in the desert. The owner of the sheep carried bedding and other daily necessities and drove the sheep to the winter pasture. The mighty sheep raised waves of dust, and the scene was spectacular.
This wave just passed, and it came again from afar. This formation is majestic enough, right?
When the truck meets them, it can only obediently wait for them to pass
Let's go all the way and stay in Yuli at night
D5, 2020.11.01 Yuli - Huludao
In the morning, as the off-road vehicle entered the hinterland of the Tarim River, on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, we searched for 33 groups of Populus euphratica forests unknown to the outside world. The Populus euphratica here is primitive and wild
Some snail shells are scattered on the surface of the desert, indicating that there was once a vast ocean hundreds of millions of years ago
Huludao in Yuli County, Xinjiang, is a bend in the lower reaches of the Tarim River across the desert. From a bird's-eye view, it gets its name because its waters look like a gourd.
The transportation to Huludao is very inconvenient. We have to cross the Tarim River by boat first, and then take a small boat to the island. Because it is the dry season of the Tarim River, our car can directly cross the river. To go to the ferry crossing by boat, you have to jump over 2 sandbags. When you climb up and look far away, your body will instantly fall into the beauty
Take a boat and sail slowly to Huludao, surrounded by rippling blue waves, the distant desert and Populus euphratica are reflected on the clear mirror-like water, forming beautiful pictures.
Ten minutes later, the boat arrived at Huludao. The condition of Huludao is limited. Tonight, we 8 ladies collectively stayed in a yurt.
After putting down the simple luggage, we started to climb the sand dunes, and went to a high place to enjoy the sunset in the desert. Climbing the sand mountain was really tiring. We took a step and a half back, and finally we really climbed to the top of the mountain with both hands and feet.
This beautiful scenery makes all the efforts worthwhile.
With good physical strength, we continued to climb another sand dune, while we sat on the mountain and watched the sun go down quietly...
D6, 2020.11.02 Huludao - Taitema Lake - Kanglak Lake - Ruoqiang
In the morning, after a simple wash, climb up the hill again to meet the first ray of sunshine in the morning
The yurt I stayed in last night is also bathed in the sun at the moment
After going down the mountain, I hurriedly ate a bowl of noodles and took pictures around the yurt
It’s time to leave Huludao, we boarded the boat again, the scenery along the way made me raise my camera again
Huludao is a magical place where desert, water and Populus euphratica coexist. We reluctantly left this golden pearl-like place hidden deep in the desert.
we keep going
longest brick road in the world
In 1966, more than 2,000 construction workers of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps creatively fired bricks to build the road under the conditions of extremely difficult transportation capacity and raw materials. It took 7 years to build a road with a length of more than 100 kilometers and a width of 7 meters with 60 million bricks. Highway with a speed of more than 80 kilometers. In 2001, National Highway No. 218 was reconstructed, and the Korla Highway General Section applied to retain 2.2 kilometers of brick roads, and successfully applied for the Guinness World Record-the world's longest brick national highway in the following year.
Desert Fox
Not too scared to see people despite being vigilant
Deep in the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, there are two very beautiful lakes.
Taitema Lake is the tail lake of Tarim River and Cheerchen River. It is about a hundred miles north of Ruoqiang County. In the 1950s, it covered an area of about 80 square kilometers. In the 1970s, due to the cut-off of the lower reaches of the Tarim River, Taitema Lake once dried up. After years of unremitting efforts, the water of Taitema Lake began to recover. The nearly 25-kilometer Taitema Lake Bridge is the longest railway bridge in Xinjiang.
Lake Konlak is located between the Taklamakan Desert, the Kumtag Desert and Lop Nur. The Konlakwi language means "swamp land". There are more than 500 square kilometers of wetlands in the area, consisting of 11 large and small lakes. In the distance are sand hills surrounded by dense plants such as red willows and reeds.
Maybe the desert lake can only interpret its incomparable beauty from the perspective of God
Photography Leader Drone Shooting
D7, 2020 11.03 Ruoqiang - Huatugou Town, Manya, Qinghai
Originally visited the ancient city of Milan today, but it was temporarily closed due to the epidemic, and instead visited the Loulan Museum
Loulan Museum is located in Ruoqiang County and officially opened on May 3, 2011. The entire building of the museum has strong ancient Loulan architectural features. One side of the building imitates the Milan pagoda, and the other side is a modern architectural style. On the wall of the modern building, there is a beautiful image of a fairy-like beauty restored from the ancient Loulan female corpse. Under the imitation of the Milan pagoda, there are three statues of Buddha.
In front of the museum, there is a huge rock covered with a glass cover. This is the rock painting of Ruoqiang
Ruoqiang petroglyphs were discovered on the Altun Mountains, about 200 kilometers southeast of Ruoqiang County. The rocks are irregular oval and weigh about 4 tons. The rock paintings use rough lines to simply outline the shapes of wild animals such as wild yaks, Tibetan antelopes, and wild camels. After thousands of years of sun, rain, and wind and sand erosion, the pictures are still clearly visible and vivid, showing the ancient ancestors. The aesthetics and painting skills reflect the beautiful picture of the production and life of the early residents.
When was this rock painting created? Who left it? Why did it appear in such a high altitude and such a harsh natural environment? It is still an unsolved mystery.
Due to the tight time, as soon as I entered the museum, I rushed to the treasure of the town hall. The treasures of the Loulan Museum include the mummies of adults and children unearthed from the Loulan Ruins and the Xiaohe Cemetery.
The ancient corpse of Loulan beauty, unearthed in 2004, is about 1.65 meters tall and about 25 years old. After thousands of years, her eyelashes are still clearly visible. The complexion is bronze, and the abdomen is slightly raised. It is preliminarily judged that the woman died of dystocia, and there is still a fetus in the attached middle school. A large number of blood stains that had coagulated on the clothes in the early stage were found under her body
child mummy
The Xiaohe cemetery is located in the Lop Desert in the lower reaches of the Kongque River in the Lop Nur area. It is composed of several layers of tombs and other remains. According to the preliminary judgment of archaeologists, this place is "the tomb of thousands of coffins", but it is a pity that the original body of Princess Xiaohe is not here
The museum also exhibits various cultural relics unearthed from the ancient city of Loulan, the ancient tomb of Loulan, and the ruins of Milan. Due to the rush of time, we can only skim over it in a hurry.
Every day in Xinjiang, accompanied by the beautiful scenery of the desert and Populus euphratica, the eyes are full and the soul is nourished. Every day is a feeling of happiness. Today we will leave Xinjiang and go to Mangya, Qinghai.
Today's day is completely a road trip, we will cross the Altun Mountains, from Xinjiang to Qinghai, the spectacular scenery has been deeply engraved in my mind, unforgettable
After passing through Lop Nur, I look forward to one day being able to enter
Crossing the Altun Mountains, not missing every parking spot, I can't help but sigh how beautiful the magnificent rivers and mountains of the motherland are!
Just walking around and patting like this, it was already dark when we arrived at Huatugou Town, Mangya, Qinghai.
D8, 2020.11.04 Huatugou Town - Devil's Eye - Emerald Lake - Huatugou Town
Depart early in the morning to Devil's Eye - Aiken Springs
Aiken Spring is located in Moharbrook Village, Huatugou Town, Mangya City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is 27 kilometers away from Huatugou Town and 270 kilometers away from Mars Town. The oval-shaped Aiken Spring has a diameter of more than 10 meters, like boiling water, gurgling upwards, rushing continuously, overlooking from the air, it looks like a medical section diagram of an eye, with clear veins and lifelike.
You can't see the devil's eye without a drone in this scenic spot. The last two photos were taken by our photography team with a drone.
"Aiken" means "source" in Mongolian. Because of the high sulfur content in this hot spring, birds and wild animals dare not approach the spring, and no grass grows where the spring flows. Due to long-term evaporation, the minerals in the spring water precipitated a dark red ring-shaped "sky eye boundary" on the land.
It has become a new landmark of Mangya.
After the filming, I went back to the hotel to rest. For a few days, I spent noon with dry food. It is rare that I have time today. I planned to have a good meal at noon. I went to a hot pot restaurant in the town under the introduction of the team leader, and looked at the small The facade, in fact, has a big world inside, the decoration is grand, and the beef and lamb are first-class
Depart for Emerald Lake in the afternoon
Compared with Chaka Salt Lake, Emerald Lake may not be so well-known, but it is precisely because of the late development and the off-season of tourism that it maintains the most natural and beautiful appearance.
This is actually a salt mine construction site, because the lake is rich in elements such as boron, lithium, salt, potassium fertilizer, and thenardite, which make the lake water appear green, royal blue and other colors. Jade has become a new "mirror of the sky"
The same drones show their talents here. Under the high-altitude overlooking, salt ponds of various shapes and colors are scattered everywhere, really like big beads and small beads falling on a jade plate.
We run and lie down in various ways, just to integrate ourselves with the most beautiful scenery
The sun is gradually setting, this is also the most beautiful moment of light, fleeting
As night fell and the weather suddenly became very cold, we hid in the car and waited to photograph the starry sky.
Today's weather is very good. When the sky is completely dark, the sky is full of stars, and a Milky Way is clearly visible high in the sky. It's a pity that my level is really limited, and Galaxy didn't take pictures
D9, 2020.11.05 Huatugou Town-Mars Camp-Eboliang Devil City Sunset-Lenghu
The Cucumber Liang Yadan landform is located in the Qaidam Basin, next to the G315 National Highway, with an altitude of 2980 meters. It has a unique shape. We will stop here for a while
The vehicle is driving in the vast Qaidam Basin to the Mars camp
Mars Camp is China's first Mars simulation base. The most important task is to carry out popular science education, so that young people in the motherland can come to Mars Camp after studying to stimulate children's interest and learning ability
The desolate and rugged landscape around the camp feels like being on Mars
At sunset, we drove to the core area of Eboliang Devil City, which is an uninhabited area with no signal, and entered Oboliang along the unnamed wild road
Located in the south of Lenghu Lake in Qinghai Province, the Yadan landform group has a total area of more than 20,000 square kilometers. It is the largest wind-eroded soil forest group discovered in China so far, and it is also one of the largest and most typical Yadan landforms in the world. The landform of Liang Yadan in Russia is the most spectacular, majestic and most ornamental.
If we compare nature to a craftsman with an ax and axe, the fierce northwest wind is the flexible carving knife in the hands of the craftsman, and the hills standing in front of us are the semi-finished products that have been carved, which look like the surface of an alien planet from a distance, and have different shapes when viewed up close. Various poses.
Climb to the top, the spectacular scenery is really exciting
After taking the last photo of the sunset, we quickly descended. We had to return to the main road before the sky completely darkened. Because there is no light at night, it is very easy to get lost inside. Most of the areas here have no mobile phone signal. If you get lost, then It's going to be a big trouble. We drove all the way in the off-road vehicle, and finally saw the light from a distance, and knew that we were not far from the main road. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, it felt so cool!
Overnight stay in Cold Lake Town.
D10, 2020.11.06 Cold Lake-Dangjin Pass-Dunhuang
In the early morning, we set off facing the rising sun, watching the sun gradually light up the mountains in the distance, and slowly illuminating the earth. The great rivers and mountains are so beautiful!
We went all the way, crossed the Dangjin Pass and arrived at Dunhuang, the Pearl City of Gansu Silk Road at noon
The itinerary will end after arriving in Dunhuang, and the rest of the time can be arranged by yourself. Because I have been to Dunhuang twice before, I have been to Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Mountain and other attractions, and the journey is exhausting, so I decided to rest in Dunhuang for one night, and booked Dunhuang Huaxia International near Mingsha Mountain on Ctrip. Big hotel, super cost-effective, breakfast is also very rich, the experience of staying is very good.
In the evening, I went to Dunhuang Mountain Villa, which is only separated by a road. The Zhaixing Pavilion in Dunhuang Mountain Villa is well-known, and it is a good place to watch the sunset of Mingsha Mountain.
In this way, we drank tea, quietly looked at the Mingsha Mountain in front of us, and watched the sun sinking slowly, covering the earth with a layer of gold.
The sky is getting darker, the lights are on, the sapphire blue sky is full of stars, and there is inexplicable happiness and emotion in my heart
D11, 2020.11.07 Dunhuang-Lanzhou-Shanghai
The hotel's breakfast is very rich, including Western-style bread and pastries, as well as Chinese-style Lanzhou ramen, mutton steamed buns
The ramen is pulled on the spot, the taste is quite good
Pita Bread In Mutton Soup
Take China Eastern Airlines flight MU9946 in the afternoon, take off on time at 13:00, and arrive at Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport at 14:40. Flight MU2127 took off from Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport at 18:05. Arrive at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 21:00, ending this pleasant and impressive trip.
