Urumqi sits on the northern slope of the Tianshan mountains with the Turpan-Shanshan-Tokson Basin to the east, the Junggar Basin to the north, and the Changji plains to the west, covering an area of 11,440 sq.km. It has 6 districts and a county under its jurisdiction, and a total population of 1.7 million with 38 ethnic groups.
Urumqi is the political, economic, and cultural center of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, and the most inland city in the world. Since ancient times, Urumqi has been an excellent grazing and hunting ground for ethnic nomadic tribes. In Mongolian, Urumqi means an excellent “pastureland”, also “wrestling”, “Fenced hunting” and “rich and populous”.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty, Urumqi was called “Beiting” (northern court) and “Jie Guo”. It was under the Jurisdiction of ” Beiting” of the Tang Dynasty when the famous Luntai city was built.
After the Qing Dynasty quenched the Junggar revolt, an earthen wall was built around the city, and it was officially named Urumqi. Later on, it became a thriving city with troops and commercial caravans.
In 1884, the tenth year of the reign of Guang Xu Emperor, Xinjiang became a province. Urumqi was chosen as its provincial seat. Right now, Urumqi is more important in West China because there is so much land around it and it’s good position. The Urumqi Airport is very close to the city. It will only take less than half an hour to get to the center of the city by bus or taxi.
History of Xinjiang
The forefathers of the Chinese nation have lived in Xinjiang since ancient times. Unearthed cultural relics showed that during the Paleolithic age, man began to make a living here. In various parts of Xinjiang, archeologists have found tin blade tools made by man during the Neolithic age more than 6000 years ago. They were unearthed in ancient ruins on the banks of rivers, around lakes, and in oases at the foot of snowcapped mountains.
About 300 years ago, the economy of Xinjiang underwent remarkable changes and during its long evolution, Xinjiang maintained close and extensive ties with the Central plains and made many economic and cultural exchanges. As a result, Central plain’s silk, bronze and lacquerwares were brought to Xinjiang, which reciprocated by selling jade.
In the times of Qin and Han Dynasty (221BC – AD220), Xinjiang was known as the “West region” and was inhabited by different nationalities. There were 36 walled states in Xinjiang, a number which later increased to 50.
During the early years of the Han Dynasty, the Huns in northern China grew strong, and conquered all the states in Xinjiang. The chief of Huns set up the Tongpu Prefectral General’s office of Yanqi. Then, in 138BC, the government of the Western Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Western Region, presaging economic and cultural exchanges between Xinjiang and Han, and paving the way for the silk road, which linked China to the West Asia and Europe.
On October 1, 1995, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was founded.
Climate
Xinjiang is situated far from any ocean. High mountains bar the approach of monsoons and wet winds from the Pacific and Indian ocean. Only a smattering of the wet cold winds from the Arctic and Atlantic come through mountain glens and reach northern Xinjiang.
Xinjiang’s dry region has cold winters and a typical continental climate. Its average annual rainfall is 150mm (southern Xinjiang only has an average annual rainfall of 50mm and northern Xinjiang, 200mm). The driest place in Xinjiang is Toksun county, which has a rainfall of less than 10mm per year. Some part of Ili Prefecture, however, enjoy an annual rainfall of 1,000mm.
In southern Xinjiang, the average temperature is 14.5 centigrade. In northern Xinjiang it is 8 C. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Qinghe County was -49.7 centigrade, whereas Turpan once registered a high of 47.6 centigrade. Annual sunshine in Xinjiang amounts to 108-125 days. Southern Xinjiang has an annual frost-free period of 200-220 days and northern Xinjiang about 150 days.
Art & Music
Xinjiang also has other name, “the home of singing and dancing”, because the Uygur Kazak people like music a lot and one can see Uygur dancing and singing in Turpan’s Karez well. The famous Uygur Classic collection, called 12 Mukam, is the cultural heritage of Uygur people and contains many modes and sound just like Jazz music has.
The Corban Festival
Xinjiang has more than 38 ethnic groups and most of these are Islamic, so the main festival is Corban, in addition to the Chinese Spring Festival. Corban is a traditional Islamic festival. It is also known as “Slaughter Day”.
It was celebrated on the seventieth day after the Rosi; the tenth day of the twelfth month of the Islamic Calendar was designated the Corban. There is a difference of 11 days between the Gregorian Calendar and the Islamic Calendar. Therefore, Corban is not on any set day on the Gregorian Calendar. During the festival, everyone is dressed in his or her holiday best; every family prepares delicious foods to entertain guests and visitors, paying festive calls on each other, and everyone is immersed in great rejoicing.
Special Minorities Sports
1. Goat-Tussle
Goat-Tussle is a game played on high days and holidays by shepherds of the Kazak and Kirgiz people. It is a competition of strength, bravery and horsemanship.
In the beginning of the game, a slaughtered young goat is left lying on the pasture and as the bell rings, horsemen whip their horses toward it, and a tussle occurs among the riders fighting for possession of the animal. The goat will be cooked after the game. The winner will eat the goat first and also invite other people to join.
2. Girl Chase
According to legend, long ago there were two Kazak tribal chiefs who were going to become related by marriage of their children. The groom’s father asked his son to ride a swift horse to welcome the bride, while the bride’s father also asked her to ride a fast horse to chase the groom. The bride’s father said that if the groom could not catch up his daughter, the wedding would be changed.
The Groom did overtake the bride, but she asked the groom to ride ahead of her so she could chase him. So, instead of the groom chasing the bride, he was being chased.
Today, most of the participants in the game express mutual admiration and love but also exhibit horsemanship. Now “Girl Chasing” has grown to be an interesting mass sport.
Geography of Xinjiang
Xinjiang is located in the northwestern part of China. It covers about 1.6 million square kilometers, and Xinjiang is the largest administrative division.
Xinjiang borders on Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, with total boundaries running to 5400 kilometers.
There are several huge mountain ranges running east and west across Xinjiang. On its northern border loom the Altay Mountains. The mammoth Tian Shan mountains divide Xinjiang into North and South. Two enormous basins, the Junggar Basin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south, each spread out from the Tian Shan foothills.
Xinjiang has the world second highest mountain peak, Qiaogeli Peak, at 8,611 metres elevation and the second lowest place, Turpan, at about 154.43 metres below sea level.
Transportation
The main transportation are buses, trains and airplanes. However, in some small and remote farming areas, the donkey bus is very popular, especially in Turpan.
Currency
Here we all use Chinese money (RMB), but the visitor may go to the bank to change their travellers checks or cash and the bank is just in the center of the Urumqi city.
Special Local Food
Xinjiang is a wonderful place to eat special ethnic food and fruit and watermelon, Hamimelon, etc…..Visitors can eat Home-made Shish-kebab, thin-wrapper dumplings and baked dumplings and hand-made noodles and pilaf on the Bazzar. Sometimes one can enjoy Barbecued whole lamb when the Uygur festival begins. The food is very cheap and delicious.
Accommodation
There are many hotels in Urumqi of differing standard and price. The most popular hotels for travellers are the Xinjiang Hotel, Hongshan Hotel and Holiday Inn.
Standard rooms in Hongshan Hotel are 150 RMB per night (approx US$18) and dorms are US$3-4 for foreigners. However, Holiday Inn is about US$100 per night.
Hongshan and Xinjiang Hotels have good position about transportation and the Holiday Inn is just opposite the Hongshan Hotel.
Internet
I have a small internet cafe in my home. Open 24 hours, with Jazz music. Also, check out
Wow! China
The Author
My Chinese name is He liang and my English name is Jim. I am 26 years old and I am single. I like travelling very much and I know my city inside and out.
I also like music and Chinese chess. I am studying Jazz and I play Guitar and E-Keyboard.
I like to talk about everything under the sun to practice my English with foreigners and I will surely make your trip on the silk road a success. I enjoy both the Chinese and Western cultures and I would like to meet and guide travellers in my area.
You can also visit my website at SilkRoadBusiness.com
