Xinjiang Cities

Huyanghe, Xinjiang, is the newest XPCC city. Visit the water-populus wetland, river canyon, and 7th Division reclamation heritage on a northern stopover.

Manas County jade, the green bilberry nephrite of northern Xinjiang, has been mined here for over 2,000 years. Plan a real jade trip below the Tianshan.

Shufu (Konasheher), 7 km south of Kashgar, is home to Xinjiang’s instrument village, where local artisans still hand-build the rawap lute by the hundred.

Karamay Museum guide: the well that started the oil city, with what to see, how to get there and why it matters to Xinjiang’s energy story for visitors.

Baijiantan guide: Karamay’s living oilfield district, with what to see, how to get there and where to stay in this industrial Xinjiang city worth a visit.

Wujiaqu city is the XPCC’s reclamation town 30 km north of Urumqi, famous for its spring tulip festival and the soldier-built Qinggeli Lake reservoir.

Keping County Xinjiang sits where the Tianshan foot hills meet the desert: 56,000 camels, qarma turnips and a lamb that reaches Guangdong by cold chain.

Zhaosu in winter guide: the grassland county after the rapeseed fades, with snow scenery, how to get there, what to do and where to stay in the deep cold.

Wenquan hot springs are free at the wetland gate. The three named springs run 42-62C. A field note on the free pools, the pipes and the winter river here.

Kuqa market is not a Thursday thing. The old-town bazaar fills on Friday beside the Grand Mosque. Here is what the stall rows carry and how to reach them.