Top 10 attractions in Xinjiang, China
- By Xu Lin
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 29, 2011
Turpan Scenic Spot (Grape Valley and Flaming Mountain) （吐鲁番景区（葡萄沟、火焰山））
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Turpan Scenic Spot |
Turpan has long been the center of a fertile oasis at a basin of the central Xinjiang. The extreme heat and dryness of the summer allow the land to produce great amounts of high-quality fruit. There is a well-known folk song: "Turpan's grapes are ripe; Anarhan's heart is ecstatic…" Turpan is famous for its fruits, especially grapes, and the best place to enjoy the grapes is the Grape Valley.
Located in the western part of Flaming Mountain, the Grape Valley is a zone of vineyards of 8 kilometers long and 0.5 kilometers wide. The grapes here are crystal and watery: some as green as emeralds; some as red as agates, some as small as pearls, while others look like olives. Its annual production of a dozen types of fresh grapes surpasses 6,000 tons. Creeks, small rivers, springs and various plants and fruits, including peaches, apricots, apples, pears and melons, make the valley even more beautiful and productive. Visitors can take a rest under the grape trees, taste the juicy grapes, or have a stroll in the valley. The best season to visit the valley is summer, when it is cool and ideal to escape from the heat. It has long been a tourist destination attracting visitors from home and abroad.
The Flaming Mountain, the most famous attraction of Turpan, is a barren, eroded, red granite mountain in the north of the Turpan Basin. Nicknamed the "red mountain", it extends over 1,000 km long and is about 500 meters high, with its main peak at an altitude of 831.7 meters. The mountain is the hottest place in China. In the strong summer sun, the sandstones shine and the scorching air flows up, creating a flaming appearance at the mountain at certain times of the day. Because of the unique features of the mountain, there are gullies and trenches growing with green plants, small rivers and fruit trees. The mountain was mentioned in the classic novel Journey to the West, making it even more attractive to visitors.
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