Has it snowed in your hometown? Have you gone to play in the snow this Spring Festival? How to spend a fun winter New Year's? When the red lanterns are hung high, the gorgeous fireworks light up the starry sky, and the flavor of the Spring Festival is getting stronger, the author, my family and a group of friends set off on a journey to the northwest corner of the motherland to pursue poetry and distant places after a year of hard work. Kanas. In the ice and snow world under the Altai Mountains, I spent a warm, quiet and interesting Spring Festival. Here I share with netizens the live record and winter travel strategy in Kanas, hoping to help more friends who like self-guided travel and self-driving travel.
In winter, the temperature in Kanas is low, it often snows, and the airport runway is easy to freeze. For the sake of safe takeoff and landing, Kanas Airport is not open. We chose to fly to Urumqi, and then transfer to the sleeper night train to Beitun Railway Station. We contacted the chartered car in advance and picked up the car directly at Beitun Railway Station to the scenic spot.
Train frequency: K9749 time 20:01—06:09; K9791 time 23:18—06:40
Kind tips:
The roads entering Kanas scenic spot in winter are mostly mountain roads, and the snowy roads are slippery. To ensure personal safety, it is recommended to drive a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, use anti-ski tires, and equip self-rescue tools. If you drive in Kanas in winter, please add car tires Snow chains! ! !
It is more affordable to travel to Kanas in winter. As of April 30, the pass ticket is 100 yuan, and self-driving vehicles can also directly enter the scenic spot for sightseeing. If it is not a self-driving but a backpack self-guided tour, Kanas Scenic Area has also carefully prepared a through train at Beitun Railway Station for self-guided tour guests. Please book in advance. TEL: 4001819819 (see the picture below for details)
Self-guided tour reference
Starting from Beitun, we arrived at the fairy tale border town of Burqin in less than two hours, where we had breakfast and prepared enough fuel and self-help tools.
Fairy Tale Border Town Burqin (Graphic / Love Flu)
The buildings on both sides of Burqin Street are very exotic, like fairytale castles, where the Irtysh River flows directly to the Arctic Ocean.
After 9 o'clock in the morning, the sun here did not rise, bringing warmth to the street after the snow, we drove to Hemu——
Halfway stop: Chonghuer Town. Coming here is a bit like going to Russia and Kazakhstan. Just pretend to be traveling abroad, and you can experience the horse-drawn sleigh in advance, haha.
(Reminder) If you do not estimate the low temperature in winter in Kanas before departure, do not do your homework well, and do not have enough warm-keeping measures. Then Chonghuer is where you must add winter protection. Because it will get colder and colder inside, the temperature can reach minus 35°C at night. If you don’t take proper protection, be careful to freeze you, and your ears may turn into popsicles!
There will be more and more snow along the way, thicker and more beautiful.
Tourists in the south will be very excited when they see the snow scene. In some places, the snow is 3 to 5 meters thick. You must pay attention to safety when taking pictures and playing in the snow along the way. You should also pay attention to passing vehicles. Don’t run and play on the road. Safety is the first bits.
The snow scene on the roadside looks more beautiful under the light and shadow, and the low temperature and heavy snow have also frozen the river flowing to Burqin.
There are many bends on the road, with clear layers, and ink landscape paintings of natural carvings are displayed in front of you and on the side of the road from time to time. That sentence is right: the scenery is on the road. Of course, the most beautiful scenery is to go to the Hemu/Baihaba/Kanas scenic spots.
Look, most of the time on the road is driving on such snowy roads, so driving skills and concentration are particularly important. After all, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, safety comes first!
The road signs along the way are clear, as long as you don't drive to the fork, you will generally not get lost.
Playing and taking pictures all the way, we arrived at the pre-booked accommodation at almost 4 o'clock in the afternoon: Golden Lotus Hotel in Hemu.
(Reminder) In winter, especially during the Spring Festival, many inns are closed for holidays, so remember to book online accommodation in advance or contact scenic spots to make reservations.
[Push away the century-old house and experience the home in the distance]
At five o'clock in the afternoon, we went to visit Hemu's century-old house. The wooden house of Hemu is one of the most representative features of Hemu Village. The wooden houses are scattered in the river valley, forming the most beautiful village together with fences and courtyards.
The century-old house is built of logs. It was originally slotted at both ends, with moss sandwiched in the middle to keep it warm and breathable.
A century-old house (graphic/love flow)
The century-old house is a century-old wooden house built by Russians who lived here at the beginning of the last century. It used to be three classrooms. The century-old house is now used to tell the story of Hemu, remember the past of Hemu, and witness the new development of Hemu.
The century-old house presents the mysterious village of Hemu to the public and tourists through the display of living utensils and other physical objects, as well as the introduction of pictures, texts, audio and video, shows the life course of harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and preserves and spreads the uniqueness of Hemu. Unique folk culture.
Push open the wooden door of the century-old house, this is a world of ice and snow, this is a pure land adjacent to the four countries, here is Hemu!
In the home of the local enthusiastic Tuva people, we also came into contact with some local intangible cultural heritage Chuwuer and Humai, as well as some special experience items.
The local Tuwa people use a grass flute instrument called "Chuwuer" and are good at singing songs in the Humai way, which is also a direct reflection of their ancient and primitive hunting life.
[Tips] Chuwuer is hollowed out from the stem of a herbaceous plant called "Mangda Lexi". There are only three sound holes on it. The way it is played is a bit like the flute of the Han people. And mysterious, it was originally used for hunting, using it to imitate the sound of deer, attracting other deer, and then capturing them. Later, it developed to be able to play musical instruments and express human emotions. Most of the more than a dozen Chuwuer music handed down now mainly reflect hunting life, such as "The Cry of the Black Grouse", "The Lame Brown Bear", and "The Black Walking Horse with Legs Bound".
Looking at the snow scene outside the window, listening to Tuva people singing Hoomei. The Tuva people believe that Humai is a singing method they invented. This method mobilizes the human throat, mouth, nasal cavity, and chest cavity to make sounds together, and is used to simulate wind, frost, rain, snow, forests, rivers, birds, animals, cattle, horses, sheep and dogs. The mixed chorus of all things in nature is the symphony of nature. We also participated in learning Chuwuer and Humai from Tuva teachers, but it was difficult, and we didn’t learn it, haha, otherwise, how could it be an intangible cultural heritage? I heard that there are only more than 20 people in the country who know it!
After dinner, we came to Hemu Yuanfang's house as guests, chatting and playing games here.
The home in the distance is a family tavern in Hemu Mountain Villa, which is very warm. Starting at 9:30 in the evening, there will be local song and dance performances in the distant home, you can participate in it.
Looking at the snowy scenery outside the window, you can order a cocktail and enjoy a leisurely slow time.
Eating authentic mutton kebabs in a warm room, listening to the melodious original music of the Tuva people, and beautiful women stroking cats 🐱, I immediately felt the infinite warmth brought by my distant home.
Come on, big Wusu, drink up and welcome the New Year happily!
At 11:30 in the evening, we came to the Hemu Bridge at minus 35°C to experience the fun of splashing water into ice.
[Tips] Conditions for the effect of splashing water into ice: the ambient temperature is at least minus 30°C, the lower the effect, the better; the water temperature is higher than 90°C (pay attention to safety). Most of the "splashing water into ice" effects that you see on the Internet are not actually hot water freezing instantly. The white patch in the pictures and videos is the effect of water mist, which is the same as the white mist produced by our breath in winter. It's the same reason.
Come to a small video of splashing water into ice, and experience the dancing life——
0:10/0:10
This is Hemu, the first day we came to Kanas: we came here to open the door of Kanas’s original year - there are century-old houses built by Russians, and there are original Chuwuer and Humai, here is the splashing water under the Hemu Bridge that turns into ice, and here is a distant home that warms our bodies and minds. (Good night)
【Watch the Ink and Hemu, Celebrate the Primitive New Year】
At 9 o'clock the next morning, we finished our breakfast and took a horse-drawn sledge up to the Phoenix Observation Deck to watch the smoke, ink, and wood.
[Tips] Horse-drawn sledges: It is the main means of transportation for local residents in winter. Made of flexible birch wood. The part where the sledge touches the ground is planed as smooth as a mirror. As long as the snow is 10 centimeters deep, the sledge will not wear much no matter how it slides.
The road up the mountain is full of snow, horses and people are very hard, and special attention must be paid to safety protection. It is best not to use a camera to take pictures along the way, sit and support. If you dare not take a horse-drawn sledge, you can also climb the wooden plank escalator on the Phoenix Platform. Different heights have different perspective effects. Pay attention to the snow on the plank road. If it is frozen, don’t take the plank road.
The Fenghuang Platform, located on the bank of the Hemu River on the west side of Hemu Village, offers a panoramic view of the whole Hemu Village. Here borders Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Every tourist who comes to Hemu will definitely board the Phoenix Platform to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Hemu. This time we came in the winter snow season, of course, what nature offered was Hemu's beautiful ink landscape paintings.
Although we didn't meet the sunrise because of the snow in the sky, we still felt the "fairy mood" and the original shocking beauty of Bingxuehemu!
This is the pure land of Kanas, the snow capital of Altay. This Chinese New Year, I am in Hemu, where are you? !
Let us unfurl the national flag and shout together: I wish the motherland prosperity! May Xinjiang become more and more beautiful!
From the viewing platform to the vicinity of the Hemu Bridge, the village is already filled with smoke and fog.
We came to a coffee bar in the village to rest, a bowl of ginger soup to keep out the cold, and a cup of mellow coffee. Sitting in a warm room looking at the snow scene outside the window, the Hemu Bridge seems to be completely wrapped in ice and snow, and the Hemu River also presents a solid wave beauty.
At 11:30 noon, we came to Hemu Hongbas Ice and Snow Jiayuan in Hemu, a very beautiful snow town, to join in the fun and participate in the opening ceremony of "Kanas invites you to spend a primitive year together". I heard that today there are folk competitions such as snow horse racing, wrestling, girl chasing, archery, snow football, etc. We are looking forward to it with great interest.
The houses here are built with ice and snow. The real snow houses are hung with red lanterns, which is festive and very snowy.
Let’s take a picture first: come, let’s spend a primitive year in Kanas together!
People happily come from all over the world to participate in this New Year's event. Some came on horseback, and some came on a horse-drawn sledge. Happiness and joy were beyond words.
Introduce several folklore items: Picking sheep is not only an exciting horse game played by local residents, but also a contest of strength and courage, equestrian and riding competitions. Usually held during festivals. Therefore, the Spring Festival is approaching, and the residents of Hemu Village sent representatives to various yurts to discuss the matter of carrying sheep, and confirmed that there will be a competition at the opening ceremony today. Designate a place, habitually and consciously stand in a big circle and watch.
Horse racing: It is one of the favorite sports of the local residents. In order to make the horses perform better, the participating herdsmen will ride the horses for a few kilometers before the competition. Prevent strenuous running in the game from straining the tendon. Regarding the horses of Tuva men, the local people say that Tuva men ride two horses in their lifetime. When he was 20 years old, his family prepared a horse for him, and he rode this horse back and forth in the Altai mountains beside Kanas Lake. The age of 20 is a symbol of a man. Once you have your own horse, you must do what a man should do. At the age of 40, the first horse has been ridden old, and the man begins to ride the second horse in his life until he is old.
Girl chasing: It is also a traditional event at the grand event. A man and a woman form a team. The young man gallops on the horse, while the young girl chases after him. After catching up, she swipes the whip around the young man's head frequently to express her admiration It means that it is now a sports and entertainment activity for local residents.
After the opening ceremony, there were also activities such as archery/snow football/snowmobile, and we happily participated in them.
The most interesting, highly competitive and attracting foreign friends to participate is the fur skiing competition: the Altay region where Hemu is located is known as the "origin of human skiing", and human beings were found on rock paintings about 12,000 years ago. The pattern of skiing posture, the fur skis used in the local area are considered to be one of the oldest snowboards, and the local herdsmen still retain the habit of skiing. In the end, the local Tuva people won the championship. We are very interested in fur skis, and in the afternoon we went to Hemu Old Village to learn how to make fur skis from Tuva people.
According to the introduction of the Tuva people: Fur skis use hard pine wood as the board, and the horse’s fur is wrapped at the bottom of the snowboard. People use the principle that the friction force of the horse hair decreases when the stubble is smooth, and the friction increases when the stubble is reversed. Get stronger grip for more comfortable snow travel. There are about 10 processes to make a pair of standard and complete fur skis, and it takes 15 to 30 days.
Many experts believe that the history of fur skis in Xinjiang can even be traced back to the late Paleolithic age, but its design principles are still in use today.
After learning the production process and craftsmanship of fur skis, we continued to visit Hemu Old Village until the sunset.
There are also buses running in Hemu Old Village. In summer and autumn, there are also shuttle buses and bonfire buses to the ticket station.
Smashing bones and sucking marrow
After dinner, we continued to Hemu Hongbas Bingxue Jiayuan to watch the ceremony of smashing the bones and sucking the marrow: the local residents of Hemu cooked the big bones of the beef hind legs, and the neighbors visited each other to join in the ceremony of "smashing the bones and sucking the marrow". Passing on New Year's blessings symbolizes the blessings of the coming year like being smashed to overflowing bone marrow. Originally, this ceremony was held on the night of the New Year’s Eve every year, but this time the opening ceremony of the Primordial Year was on the 29th of the New Year’s Eve, so we also felt this ancient ceremony in advance.
After that, there is a bonfire party: on the open snow field, people use wooden poles to build brackets and pile them up one by one. First, guests from afar are invited to light the bonfire with torches, and then girls and boys in gorgeous local costumes join the tourists Singing and dancing around the campfire. Pull up the melodious matouqin, sing intoxicating songs, and dance cheerfully. Tonight, let's dance together happily!
【Ice and Snow Kanas, Warm New Year's Eve】
February 4th is New Year's Eve, we left Hemu Village with the sunrise and set off for Kanas Scenic Area. Self-guided tourists without self-driving can refer to the picture below to take the through train of the scenic spot from Hemu to Kanas scenic spot, and then return to Beitun. 380 yuan includes fare/ticket/one meal, which is very worthwhile.
Through train reference
Accompanied by ice and snow all the way and rainbow all the way, we came to Kanas from Hemu. Tour the three ice and snow bays (Wolong Bay, Moon Bay, and Shenxian Bay are all covered with snow and frozen, presenting a completely different ice and snow spectacle), and then come to the scheduled residence for lunch.
The weather in the afternoon was very good, with blue sky and white clouds. We learned from the scenic spot that the fish viewing platform is normally open in winter. We decided to seize the good weather and go to a high place to see the panorama of Kanas Lake in winter.
Going to the Yuguantai by snowmobile, remember to hold on to the handrails on both sides of the back, and wear a hat and mask. The wind is very strong, but it is very exciting.
Originally, it was necessary to climb 1068 steps on foot to go to Guanyutai, but the snow on the plank road in winter was too thick, and the snowmobile directly pulled us to the bottom of Guanyutai, so we only needed to walk more than 100 steps to get to Guanyutai. Greatly save energy. We also saw the rare Japanese meat in Guanyutai, and we were lucky.
(Reminder) Snowmobile round trip costs 260 yuan, which is also the only means of transportation in Shangguan Yutai in winter, and walking is impossible.
What needs to be hiked is this section of more than 100 steps, pay attention to the slippery snow road.
In summer and autumn, the plank road on Guanyutai has been completely covered by thick snow, so you should pay attention to safety when taking pictures on the viewing platform.
Look at the on-site introduction: the fish viewing platform is about 19 meters high, weighs 777 tons, and has a semi-spherical top. The shape of four symmetrical wings implies the Kanas Lake monster tail and eagle wings.
Overlooking this snow-covered pod-shaped area is Kanas Lake. The lake originates from the Friendship Peak Glacier at the junction of China, Russia and Mongolia. The lake is 1,370 meters above sea level, with a total length of 24 kilometers, an average width of 1.87 kilometers, and an area of 45 kilometers. . 78 square kilometers, with an average water depth of 120 meters and a maximum depth of 197 meters. It is the deepest moraine barrier lake in China. Today we appreciate her different holy and frozen beauty. The beautiful Xinjiang, the pure land of Kanas!
After going through the rough and windy and snowy, we will finally see a different beauty. The snow-capped place in the distance is the Altai Mountains, which stretches for more than 2,000 kilometers and is 450 kilometers long in our country. Friendship Peak, the highest peak in my country, is 4374 meters above sea level, which is the highest point of the scenic spot.
On this New Year's Eve, a group of our friends had a reunion, and the restaurant prepared a sumptuous and exquisite dinner for us.
We tasted delicious Xinjiang cuisine: authentic kebabs, hand-caught lamb, cumin lamb chops, lamb soup pot, braised beef tendon...
I heard that we are from Chongqing and other places in southwest Sichuan, and they also prepared twice-cooked pork from our hometown for us! It's so rich, I can eat all the heart that warms my whole body, thank you so much!
On a fairy-tale night, a river of stars is flying all over the sky, and the stars seem to be within reach. Share a warm reunion night with your family and friends. This is a night you will never forget, and pray for prosperity and prosperity in the Year of the Pig!
【Light and Shadow Kanas, Welcome Jockey Club】
In the morning, wake up in the silence, with frosty snowflakes on the windows, and outside the window is a fairy-tale sleeping snow-roofed cabin in the forest.
We tasted authentic milk tea and Baoersak, as well as the first dumpling in the new year, and happily went out to take pictures.
The Spring Festival is a new beginning, we, like other tourists, went to pursue the first ray of sunshine in the Spring Festival in Kanas.
When the morning light slowly illuminates the top of the camel peak of Guanyutai, the mist dissipates, and this morning also feels warm. Just like the poet wrote: Only your brilliance can be like the mist over the mountains.
Under the holy and intimate Altai Mountains, the frozen Kanas Lake is quiet and peaceful, nestling in the snow-capped pine forest coquettishly, letting the clouds relax.
The warm and changing light and shadow has become the theme of the Spring Festival Kanas. In this cold and warm holiday, in this Spring Festival when we bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, we have found poetry and distant scenery.
On the banks of Kanas Lake, passing through the pine forest and lake surface with rising mist, pictures of ice and snow unfold like fairyland in fairyland.
Strolling along the lakeside, listening to the rhythm of stillness and movement in Kanas, the confluence of light and shadow, and the communication between mountains and water. Let us not disturb this artistic conception, quietly appreciate——
From time to time, a group of water chickens that are not afraid of the cold will swim out of the lake where the mist rises!
Look at how leisurely they swim, and the bold ones go straight to my feet to look for food, cute and fun.
Looking up, you can see birds singing on the treetops covered with snowflakes. This is really a fairyland of ice and snow.
The winter in Kanas is like this. Regardless of the tranquility and joy, no matter whether it is morning or evening, it is always inseparable from the company of light and shadow, playing the story of time in the ice and snow, and making people intoxicated by this shining ✨ movement!
On the day of the Spring Festival on February 5th, there will be a horse race to welcome the new year on the frozen lake in Kanas, and we are also eager to join in the fun!
The horses and owners of the New Year's Jockey Club are all dressed up, and there is a festive atmosphere.
Cars can drive on the lake, so there should be no problem with safety.
Many horses in Kanas are not tall. They are short horses with short legs, but they are very flexible and run very fast. I am a layman to horses and horse racing, I just go to watch the excitement, for the holidays, just have fun!
[Go to Kanas 123 in detail]
When going to Xinjiang, mainland residents must carry their ID cards with them, because checkpoints, hotels, entertainment venues and other populated places are subject to security checks and spot checks, and they must be uniformed, remember! ! !
The average temperature in Kanas Scenic Area is low in winter and the sunlight reflected by the snow is strong. Pay attention to keep warm. It is recommended to bring high-energy food and sunglasses and other UV protection equipment.
Kanas has deep snow, slippery roads and steep slopes in winter. Please do not cross forest areas, river valleys and ice surfaces privately to avoid danger. A little carelessness can easily cause personal injury. Please purchase personal accident insurance in time before entering the scenic spot. On the road, we saw a car accidentally stuck in the snow and couldn't get out of it. The police cars came to help.
Make a note of these numbers, they may come in handy in an emergency:
Kanas Scenic Area Tourism Bureau: 0906—6326004 (24 hours) 0906—6524464
Alarm telephone: 0906—6326110
Kanas original travel network: 4001819819
[Reminder] When foreign guests go to most places in the Kanas area, their mobile phones cannot receive 4G network. The relatively good network signal of the author is China Telecom 3G. The accommodation that can be called a hotel has free WiFi, but it lacks stability.
The outdoor temperature in the scenic area is low in winter, please keep warm for electronic products and equipment and reserve power. Especially for camera batteries, it is best to prepare two more, to capture wonderful pictures and videos in time, and minimize the regret of the journey.
We did a field test (this is not related to any brand advertisement, just a reference for netizens who need it): at a low temperature of 20-35°C outdoors, under full charge: the camera battery and performance are the most durable at low temperatures It was Nikon, from 9:00 am to 11:30 pm, it took a whole day to change the battery. The display of Sony's camera does not display after 20 minutes of use, and it has to be heated in the down jacket before taking it out for use. The mobile phone with the best performance and anti-freezing performance is Huawei. It takes photos, adds small videos online, and only charges at night. I heard from my companions that Apple and Samsung phones are turned off immediately after taking them out, or the power drops to 1% quickly, and they are basically unusable.
I don't use a Canon camera, so I don't know the power consumption at low temperatures, but I saw someone changing the battery in the afternoon under basically the same shooting conditions.
The outdoor temperature in Kanas is low, so those who are not resistant to cold had better prepare a few bags of warm babies to keep out the cold, and if necessary, you can also post a picture on your mobile phone or camera. Only in this way can we have a healthy body to see more scenery and take more beautiful scenery.
Beautiful ink and wash landscape paintings along the way (graphic/love flu)
Regarding self-driving: From Altay to Kanas, the speed limit for vehicles is 60 km/h for small cars, 40 km/h for large cars with more than 7 seats, and the speed will be reduced by 30% after 10 pm. Please master the time along the way. Car rental vehicles don’t need to have a lot of horsepower to run fast, as long as they are safe and comfortable, you don’t dare to run fast anyway, remember! ! !
On the way back, I was full of thoughts: this is a season of poetry and distance, and we are destined to come to the snow-capped mountains and lakes of Kanas to celebrate the Spring Festival with ice and snow. Morning mist by the lake, sunlight shining on golden mountains, embracing each other and making wishes, riding a horse-drawn sledge, watching spring horse races, living in a fairy tale wooden house... With the water and the wind, live a different new year of the original year.
As the old saying goes: Parents are not far away. But I think: with love in your eyes, celebrate the new year everywhere; with love in your heart, you are home on the road! Time flies, time flies, love captures life ~ walk around. In 2019, I will continue to walk and pursue my dreams.
The plane took off from Urumqi Airport, and we are about to leave Xinjiang for a while, overlooking the world that is still ice and snow.
This New Year's Ice and Snow Tour in Kanas brought me too many poems and distant memories. The warm and honest Tuva people, the white and lovely snow mushrooms, the charming changing light and shadow, and the delicious snacks... are worthy of my recollection in this life. Those memories of the sunshine and snow-capped mountains with family and friends seem to be accessible by closing your eyes.
Goodbye, my distant second hometown~ Kanas, a beautiful and mysterious city full of poems and fairy tales. Let us meet again in Kanas, which is full of spring flowers, in the near future!
——————Original BY Qinglu Weibo@正实情液—————
