Altay Prefecture lies in the northernmost part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, bordering on Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. The prefecture has four trading ports and nine roads, and the Ertix River runs through the prefecture.

Altay Mountain has been a producer of gold since ancient times, and 84 other ferrous and non-ferrous minerals have been found in Altay Prefecture. There are 56 rivers, large and small, that join to become the Ertix. The landscape around Hanas Lake can match that of Switzerland, and the lake area is now a national nature reserve.

Altay Prefecture is also known for its cultural relics. Pictures on the rock faces, color paintings on the walls of the caves, and carved figures form an art gallery in the six counties and one city under the jurisdiction of the prefecture.

Fuyun County, the first stop on National Highway 216 in Altay Prefecture, is the No. 1 gold producer in China. The county is also famous near and far for non-ferrous metals, some of them rare, and abundant gemstones.

As we drove southward in the Karamaili Nature Reserve, herds of Mongolian gazelles ran past us. In the distant desert were wild asses, an animal under first-class state protection. It is said that there are more than 10,000 wild asses in the nature reserve. Deep in the desert are the silicified wood of trees that lived 100 million years ago and Wucaiwan (Colorful Bay), a geological phenomenon formed by wind and water erosion.

The Hohotala Wild Duck Lake is more than 20 kilometers from the Fuyun county seat. The lake teems with reeds around the 20 isles that appear and disappear as the water level changes. When spring comes, wild ducks, moorhens, and other waterfowl throng to the lake. Further into the nature reserve is the Hohotuohai Mine Pit No. 3, known as a Natural Museum of Geology.

Evening was setting in when we reached Fuhai County. The lake was beautiful in the evening glow, and flocks of wild ducks were swimming toward the reeds. Early the next morning, we were surprised to see white swans playing leisurely in the water as we drove past the lake.

The road to Hanas Lake after Burqin County is lined with white birches. Hanas Lake is the most beautiful spot in northern Xinjiang. It was formed from melted snow and is tucked away among a vast expanse of trees 1,374 meters above sea level on Altay Mountain. The wild flowers that blossom in summer turn the land around the lake into a huge colored carpet. Hanas Lake is shrouded in mystery because of a legendary monster said to live in it.

Hanas Lake has become known to outsiders only in the last three decades, and there are many lakes in Xinjiang still undiscovered. Altay Prefecture also has manmade landscapes.

Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, told us that the seats of Hotan and Qira counties had been moved three times because of the encroaching sand, but today, the roads are lined with windbreaks and the desert has been transformed into fields of grapes and other crops. I was struck by the effort the local people have made in transforming nature.

The vast expanse of land in Xinjiang is waiting to be tapped. The drive to develop the western regions will bring unlimited business opportunities.

(China Pictorial October 20, 2003)