Ürümqi: Farthest from the Oceans

The Red Hill
The Red Hill is the most defining landmark of Urumqi. The aubergine reddish rocks forming the hill are best illuminated and appreciated on the afternoon’s late hours, when light reflections create a magical effect. A beautiful pagoda and a park welcome the visitors.

The Tartar Mosque
Also known as the Yanghang Mosque, the mosque is located at the southern end of Jiefang Nan Lu and offers a look into Tartar architecture. It features geometric carvings in wood and brick and an octagonal dome adorned with a crescent.

The Southern Mosque
One of the most interesting aspects of this mosque is the displayed syncretism with Eastern-Asian beliefs represented in twenty-two dragons carved on the building’s ridge.

The People's Park
The park occupies a big patch on downtown’s Urumqi, on the west bank of the Urumqi River and is also called the Park of Shared Happiness and provides the perfect background for watching the local life.

Xinjiang Regional Museum
Located in Xibei Lu, the museum dates back to 1953 and displays treasures related to the Silk Road and the ethnic groups of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The Tianchi Lake
Called also the Heavenly Lake and the Pearl of the Heavenly Mountain, the lake successfully breaks the desert dullness of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It covers only above five square kilometers, but its unspoiled look and semi-circular shape created by melted mountain snow is unforgettable.

The Southern Pasture
Seventy-five kilometers south of Urumqi is the Southern Pasture at the northern side of the Karawuquntag Mountain. Visitors are usually taken to West White Poplar Gully which offers sights of snowcapped peaks, waterfalls, dragon-spruce trees, and wild flowers.

The Kanasi Nature Reserve
The reserve is located in the Burqin County, nearby Altay City; near the borders with Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. The reserve encompasses the Altay Mountain, the Kanasi Glacier, the accompanying river and a lake at its end.

The Silk Road
One of the main attractions in Western China is the Silk Road. Beyond the predicted tours arranged by travel agencies across China, it is possible to travel along the road independently and stopping at some of its main stops: Lanzhou, Urumqi, and the semi-mythical Kashgar. The regional markets in these cities offer unique sights which transfer the traveler a few centuries back in time. Nowadays, old magical flying carpets are used to cover the seats of decrepit motorcycles.

Quick Tips:

Internet
In China international news websites are restricted in certain areas. In Urumqi’s Internet kiosks I didn’t have access to neither the BBC nor the CNN. The solution was to rent an executive office at the Xinjiang Grand Hotel Urumqi (former Holiday Inn, 168 North Xinhua Road) for a couple of dollars per hour. Beyond the very fast and unrestricted Internet, I got a secretary.

Climate
The temperature in Urumqi fluctuates greatly between day and night. Urumqi is extremely dry due to its geographical location and continental climate. Spring and autumn are short while winter and summer are long. Warm clothes are recommended during all seasons. The best period for visiting Urumqi is from May to October since the temperature of the long winter in Urumqi is around -15C (about 5F). However, if visiting during the winter, the awesome, out-worldly scenery makes up for the cold.

Food
Urumqi is the place to experience the sweet-garlicky Central Asian food. Beyond the ubiquitous mutton kebabs and the solid blocks of nuts and raisins, the area is known for its fruits. Pomegranates and kiwis are native to the area, but a myriad of fruits and nuts are available and usually sold sugared and skewed on sticks. The best place for tasting them is the Bei Yuan Chun Market (7, Kelamayi Xi Lu).

Silk Road Markets
The most distinctive merchandise available along the Silk Road is carpets. In Urumwi they are woven manually by Uygur women and are a priceless souvenir. Another distinctive fabric of the area is the Atlas Silk, which displays complex patterns in vivid colors. Other ethnic handicrafts include Uygur-style hats, knitted sweaters, ethnic costumes, hand-made embroideries, and jade carvings. The main shopping centers in town are the Century Ginwa Shopping Center (35, Youhao Bei Lu), the Parkson Shopping Center (30, Youhao Nan Lu), the Tianshan Department Building (70, Heping Bei Lu), the Friendly Emporium (14, Youhao Bei Lu) and the Urumqi Shopping Center (21, Beijing Nan Lu).

Best Way To Get Around:

By Air
Urumqi International Airport is 17 km northwest of the city center and serves all the main destinations in China as well as some Central Asian cities including Tashkent, Novosibirsk, Moscow, Islamabad, Almaty, and Bishkek. From the Red Hill Park gate there is a shuttle service to the airport (10 yuan, thirty minutes). A taxi would cost fifty yuan and a bus (number 51) costs one yuan.

By Train
Within China, Urumqi is linked by rail to Xian, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Zhengzhou, and Lanzhou. During the Chinese New Year season it is almost impossible to buy long distance trips; advancing through adjacent cities is then the best stratagem. The first or second class tickets are the best options; see the entry about Chinese trains in my Beijing journal for more details. The train terminus is in the southern part of the city, but tickets can be purchased at the offices placed in Huanghe Lu and in Jianshe Lu.

By Bus
Buses are not a recommended way of traveling in China. However, it is possible to do that, and Urumqi features several terminals. The Northern Suburb Passenger Transport Station (Dongba Jiahu Lu) serves destinations in eastern Xinjiang. The Southern Suburb Passenger Transport Station (1, Yan'erwo Lu, Santunbei) serves destinations in southern Xinjiang Province and the Nianzigou Passenger Transport Station (Heilongjiang Lu) serves destinations in southern and northern Xinjiang Province. Special tourist lines reach the Heavenly Lake (120 km), the Southern Pastures (75km), Turpan (200km), and Shihezi (150km).

Taxis
Taxis are relatively cheap; more destinations within downtown can be reached for ten yuan or less. However, it is recommended to agree on the price before boarding the vehicle.

The Background

One of my visits to China was done during the winter; I intended to reach the far north – Manchuria – but temperatures of minus ten degrees Celsius in Beijing deflected me toward the west.

I have lived most of my life in regions where the temperatures crossed the thirty degrees line on an almost daily base; Manchuria’s minus forty was too frightening. Thus, I took a train to Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, hoping to stay at Beijing’s temperatures level while enjoying one of the most remote areas in China.

Nonetheless, up-to-date Ürümqi is my meteorological antipode; never – in all my travels – have I experienced such a bitter cold. I had learned there to treasure the tropics.

The Climate

Ürümqi geographical location invites extremes: nearby is the oasis-town of Turpan, where a temperature of 58°C was measured (one of the highest ever measured on earth), while the city winters are Siberian in nature.

The distance from the oceans dictates a dry continental climate with huge fluctuations of temperature between day and night. It is not only dry, but semi-arid also due to the low level of precipitations; despite that, in a archetypal Chinese linguistic structure, Ürümqi means "Graceful Pasture."

The average temperatures criteria is a misleading parameter in a place suffering of wild daily temperature changes; however, the summer average is a comfortable twenty-three Celsius, while in the winter the average drops to minus fifteen Celsius.

The spring and the autumn are short while the winter and the summer are long; that means that the best time to visit the area is between May to October. Even in the summer the evenings are cold; warm clothes are imperative while traveling in the area.

The Experience

I visited Ürümqi twice; the first time was the one in which I experienced the lower temperatures. Being February, the temperatures dropped to minus twenty-three Celsius; roughly fifty degrees below what I consider normal. Before reaching the area I let my beard grow; I thought that would be enough insulation, but lacking experience with cold climates, I couldn’t imagine what I was to experience.

It was so cold that the scarce moisture in the air crystallized immediately; the tiny crystals floating in the air beautifully reflected the sunlight – it felt like a natural Christmas. It was beautiful, but whenever I expelled air, the water vapors crystallized immediately on my moustaches; the crystals made crunchy sounds whenever I moved my face and broke apart.

The cars had pressed snow on the roads into slippery black ice; the denizens had a peculiar way to skid sideways on it while keeping their balance, but I was barely able to stand on it.

Needless to say, the food got cold almost immediately; most food stalls were insulated from the street by thick plastic covers and had huge heating stoves inside. Regardless the protection and heating, my last shish-kebab was always cold – soon I learned to order them one by one. The houses used double-glass windows to insulate themselves and that turned out to be very effective. Another striking characteristic of the city were the exercising apparatus regularly attached to the sidewalks; the denizens – from kids to grandpas – used them to heat themselves while outside.

Our planet is big and varied; experiencing its extremes – at least once in our lifetime – is a way to learn how to love it and value our favorite parts of it.

In Central Asia all the rules regarding food applying to most of the Asian continent go awry. The spicing is different, the rice is a secondary ingredient, chilies are almost unknown; mutton and skewed, sugared fruits take the lead. Pickled garlic and sugar create new spicing harmonies that easily captivate the casual traveler.

Bits and Bites:

Nang

Unrelated to the Indian nan, nang is the generic name for a wide variety of breads consumed by the Uygur people in Central Asia. Usually, the golden brown nang are wide, flat circles with a heightened rim surrounding them; the central area is full of dots designed to ensure an even degree of readiness. Sometimes it is covered with tasty sesame seeds, or filled with molasses. While traveling around Urumqi, the nang is a tasty and convenient snack.

Stuffed Buns

These buns are somewhat hard to find; the roasted buns are filled with meat, onions and spices and make a delicious, non-spicy snack.

Sausages

Rice-filled sausages are one of the strangest snacks available in Urumqi streets; as the name implies, they are quite tasteless.

Main Dishes

The spices used for the main dishes in the area are peculiar; most foods are slightly sweet. A small bowl of un-spicy - but pickled - garlic is placed next to the dishes, giving a sweet-garlicky taste to everything. Cumin and paprika are other common spices used. Due to the low temperatures during the long winter, eating fast is imperative if wishing to enjoy hot dishes.

Chicken

A worldwide hit, chicken is served here sweet and accompanied with rice and pickled carrots.

Zhua Fan

The main rice dish in the area is the Zhua Fan; it includes mutton meat and carrots and has a slightly sweet flavor.

Mutton Kebabs

Kebabs are by far the most popular snack in Urumqi; the mutton meat is put on skewers and roasted over charcoal. The expert treatment of the meat is evident in the final result; no signs of the smelly mutton fat can be detected in the pleasantly crunchy kebabs and their tender interior is juicy and tasty.

Lamian

Lamian is the local name for hand-pulled noodles; they are served with fried mutton, onions, cooked tomatoes and not spicy chili peppers.

Potato Dishes

Potatoes acclimatized well here, and became popular as a quick, hot snack. Chopped and fried, with a delicate seasoning, they are great for nibbling and are sold from shops with huge, wide frying pans in their exterior.

Yangrou Paomo

This soup is the flag dish of the Uygur people. It is made of thin rice noodles, mutton meat, oil, some vegetables and is served with a big pita-bread, which is added into the soup in small pieces. The tick layer of oil may look frightening at first, but the body needs those extra calories to fight the fierce cold. A variation is served when the bread is already added to the soup.

Desserts

Nuts and Raisins

A very distinctive snack of Centraland Western China is the glued nuts and raisins, which can be spotted in every plaza and street corner. They are glued together with the help of honey or molasses and form enormous blocks carried around the town on mobile stalls. The customer must specify the desired weight – or the amount of yuans he is ready to pay – and then the seller cuts a bit of the block.

Skewed Fruits

One of the strangest sights in Western China is the stalls selling skewed fruits; from far away they seemed to be huge porcupines with fruits skewed on their spikes. The most popular fruits are kiwis, strawberries, grapes and apples; by the way, kiwis are native to this area. The fruits are covered with sugar or chocolate and are a popular snack of the denizens while they shop around.

Drinks

Black tea and mare’s yoghurt are popular drinks in the area. The sweet tea is served even with main dishes like chicken or mutton and is a welcomed addition in the cold climate of Urumqi.

The Background

One of my visits to China was done during the winter; I intended to reach the far north – Manchuria – but temperatures of minus ten degrees Celsius in Beijing deflected me toward the west.

I have lived most of my life in regions where the temperatures crossed the thirty degrees line on an almost daily base; Manchuria’s minus forty was too frightening. Thus, I took a train to Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, hoping to stay at Beijing’s temperatures level while enjoying one of the most remote areas in China.

Nonetheless, up-to-date Ürümqi is my meteorological antipode; never – in all my travels – have I experienced such a bitter cold. I had learned there to treasure the tropics.

The Climate

Ürümqi geographical location invites extremes: nearby is the oasis-town of Turpan, where a temperature of 58°C was measured (one of the highest ever measured on earth), while the city winters are Siberian in nature.

The distance from the oceans dictates a dry continental climate with huge fluctuations of temperature between day and night. It is not only dry, but semi-arid also due to the low level of precipitations; despite that, in a archetypal Chinese linguistic structure, Ürümqi means "Graceful Pasture."

The average temperatures criteria is a misleading parameter in a place suffering of wild daily temperature changes; however, the summer average is a comfortable twenty-three Celsius, while in the winter the average drops to minus fifteen Celsius.

The spring and the autumn are short while the winter and the summer are long; that means that the best time to visit the area is between May to October. Even in the summer the evenings are cold; warm clothes are imperative while traveling in the area.

The Experience

I visited Ürümqi twice; the first time was the one in which I experienced the lower temperatures. Being February, the temperatures dropped to minus twenty-three Celsius; roughly fifty degrees below what I consider normal. Before reaching the area I let my beard grow; I thought that would be enough insulation, but lacking experience with cold climates, I couldn’t imagine what I was to experience.

It was so cold that the scarce moisture in the air crystallized immediately; the tiny crystals floating in the air beautifully reflected the sunlight – it felt like a natural Christmas. It was beautiful, but whenever I expelled air, the water vapors crystallized immediately on my moustaches; the crystals made crunchy sounds whenever I moved my face and broke apart.

The cars had pressed snow on the roads into slippery black ice; the denizens had a peculiar way to skid sideways on it while keeping their balance, but I was barely able to stand on it.

Needless to say, the food got cold almost immediately; most food stalls were insulated from the street by thick plastic covers and had huge heating stoves inside. Regardless the protection and heating, my last shish-kebab was always cold – soon I learned to order them one by one. The houses used double-glass windows to insulate themselves and that turned out to be very effective. Another striking characteristic of the city were the exercising apparatus regularly attached to the sidewalks; the denizens – from kids to grandpas – used them to heat themselves while outside.

Our planet is big and varied; experiencing its extremes – at least once in our lifetime – is a way to learn how to love it and value our favorite parts of it.

Traveling in or out from Ürümqi by train – especially during the long winters – offers unforgettable views. Despite the image most people have of China, the city is amidst a vast and desolated desert, with shallow, frozen rivers illuminated by a low, cold sun, breaking the monotonous views. Snowed dunes and wild camels are some of the surprises awaiting visitors to this intriguing spot.

More conventional sights around the city include:

The Tianchi Lake

Called also the Heavenly Lake and the Pearl of the Heavenly Mountain, the lake successfully breaks the desert dullness of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The lake is 110km east of Ürümqi and just west of the 3400m Bogda Mountain; it is 1980m above the sea level. It covers only above five square kilometers, but its unspoiled look and semi-circular shape created by melted mountain snow is unforgettable. The one-day tours to the lake arranged from Ürümqi include a walk along its shores or a boat ride; fishing there is an appealing option. Typical of such sites in China, the lake is surrounded by legends dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100BC -771BC).

The Southern Pasture

Seventy-five kilometers south of Ürümqi is the Southern Pasture at the northern side of the Karawuquntag Mountain. Visitors are usually taken to West White Poplar Gully, which offers sights of snowcapped peaks, waterfalls, dragon-spruce trees and wild flowers.

The Kanasi Nature Reserve

The reserve is located in the Burqin County, nearby Altay City, near the borders with Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. Its Mongolian name means the "Rich and Beauty," and accordingly offers sights of lakes, rivers, forests, glaciers and grasslands. The reserve encompasses the Altay Mountain, the Kanasi Glacier, the accompanying river and a lake at its end. 1375m above the sea level and with a surface of less than fifty square kilometers, the lake is too far away and too insignificant to attract polluting industries and was thus kept magically unspoiled. A big part of the tours to the area are spent listening to the apparently endless legends attached to the six bays surrounding the lake.

The lake is about 250 kilometers away from Altay on the border itself, thus a Frontier Permit for Burqin County (costing fifty yuan) is needed before approaching the area. The easiest way of reaching it is by plane from Ürümqi to Altay and then renting a car (or a horse for the most adventurous) to Kanasi. Once there, it is possible to live with local families.

The Silk Road

One of the main attractions in Western China is the Silk Road. For eons, the Silk Road was the main highway connecting the imperial courts in China (Luoyang and Xian) with the western world, until the discovery of the sea route through India transformed it into a secondary route. A big part of it crossed what today is called the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Beyond the predicted tours arranged by travel agencies across China, it is possible to travel along the road independently and stopping at some of its main stops: Lanzhou, Ürümqi and the semi-mythical Kashgar. The regional markets in these cities offer unique sights, which transfer the traveler a few centuries back in time. Nowadays, old magical flying carpets are used to cover the seats of decrepit motorcycles.