Having watched Road Home, I have subsequently found out that a number of the scenes in the series are filmed in Xinjiang, specifically in northern Xinjiang. When we decides to go to Xinjiang, the scenic northern part was unanimously chosen. Xinjiang is actually split into northern and southern part by the Tianshan mountain range. At the northern part is the Altay mountain range, while Kunlun mountain range divides the east and west. While flying in and out from Urumqi, the views from the window seat is precious & beautiful. Layers and layers of mountains, in shades of browns and white even in autumn. Make sure you select the window seat to get the best views!
Urumqi city
Most travellers embark on their Xinjiang’s adventure via Urumqi. The city itself is new & highly developed, with access to bullet train and subway lines connecting key places. The airport albeit small, serves a burgeoning tourist arrival and about half an hour away from city centre. The city is actually vibrant, but pretty jammed up with cars especially during peak hours. Xinjiang region as a whole aligns in terms of timing with China’s time ie GMT +8. However, as the locality is really further west, in November the sun rises only at 8 am. Working hours start at about 10 am, ending at 7 – 8 pm. It does need a little getting used to.
The city itself has a museum with great exhibitions. The Tarim mummies are awesome and most impressive, and really a surprise to me. Who would have thought the dry desert provides a natural mummification for the dead, preserving them so well that the hair, features and even some form of tattoos can be seen. There are some conflicting theories especially of the early settlers in Xinjiang, but the Tarim mummies provide a stark reminder to all that the desert mummifies all – be it a red-haired Loulan beauty (whom I read actually has a rough life and died in her early 40s, with hair lice), a practising shaman buried with his tools, a Qing dynasty general & his wife. The mummies are all naturally preserved, looks peaceful but I did not take any picture as it felt disrespectful to do so.
Shopaholic will be happy to visit the Xinjiang International City Grand Bazaar, whereby all sorts of goods can be purchased. There are indoor stores and outdoor ones as well. The region is famous for its dried fruits (raisins, dates, wolfberries), nuts (almonds, cashews), fruits (grapes, sweet Hami melon!), body and hand cream from horse, sheep & camel, bags with patterns specific to the region and even Hetian jade. The later will require a lot more expertise to find the real gems. Was informed, Hetian jade is so common that most of the gems are real, it is a matter of how valuable are these gems. Bazaar opens till late night, we went after 9 pm and walked in the rain until 11 pm +, lugging back souvenirs and wishing we had more time and money to spend.
Tianci Heavenly Lake
An hour plus away from the hustle & bustle of Urumqi, lies the heavenly lake of Tianci. During summer, the views are apparently green with grassland greeting visitors before ascending the cable car for the heavenly lake. But in autumn, the snow arrives early, enveloping part of the range in white. Beautiful views, but a little slippery for my liking especially climbing up the stairs with frozen snow.
There are various trails that tourists can take and spend a whole day at the lake. One longer flat trail leading to a temple, another trail up the cable car for a paranomic view of the lake and mountain range, and a few others leading to the mountains. There are boating activities at the lake as well, but in full winter the lake may be frozen with the boat in the middle.
Nanshan (Southern) Mountain Range
Southwest of Urumqi, lies the southern grassland (and mountain range). During summer, the area will be green with lots of pastures for herds. Summer is peak tourism for the range, but in autumn the snow comes early and envelopes the grassland in white. Taking a short trail up the stairs to the waterfall, everything is enveloped in white. Part of the flowing streams are also frozen, almost welcoming winter early.
Dushanzi Canyon & Start of Duku Highway
There is a famous highway, which takes decade to complete – Duku Highway, and is only open for 3 – 4 months in a year (June to September). The highway connects Dushanzi with Kuqa, a near 560 km travel. The beauty of the travel is you will be able to experience the 4 seasons along the highway. Unfortunately for us, we have missed the travel period, and will need to be content just visiting Dushanzi Canyon.
In a scene out of Road Home, the female lead visits the husband who brings her to see the natural sceneries. The scenes are actually filmed at the Dushanzi canyon, and the surprising thing – this is actually a privately owned theme park! The scenes from the film is beautiful with a glass bridge overlooking the canyon. And off we go to visit these places. We were very lucky as there were not many tourists during our visit and it was a pleasant day, albeit the sky was a little gloomy. The canyon view is fantastic, and activities are surprisingly entertaining.
More to come enroute to the real northern Xinjiang sceneries!
Cheng's Musings 