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Friend, have you ever explored the culture of the Western Region along
the ancient Silk Road?
Have you ever seen the spectacular and mysterious Flaming Mountain as
recorded in the Chinese classic"Journey to the West"? Or experienced
the colorful ethnic lifestyles and customs of the northwestern border
of China? Or enjoyed the richness and beauty of the "Grape Kingdom"?
This magical and fertile, ancient and yet young Treasure Land is the world-famous
western region city of Turpan.When we say Turpan is magical it is because
it has the 'high' of snow-covered peaks of the Tianshan Mountains that
are over 4,000 meters above sea level, and the 'low' of the Aydingkol
Lake which is 154 meters below sea level, -- the second lowest point on
earth; it also has the Flaming Mountain which is full of fairytale wonder,
and the scenic Grape Valley which is permeated with the fragrance of fruit
and melon; then there is the desolately barren Gobi Desert where no birds
fly over but dotted with oases;under the surface there are the karez,
a man-made wonder of irrigation system in which water flows all
the year around. This place is a pleasant blend of 'land of fire', 'land
of wind','land of sand', and 'land of oases'. It is a museum of natural
georgaphy and landforms, created by nature, but perfected by man.When
we say Turpan is rich, it is because it has grape,Hami melon, and long
staple cotton which are well-known native products sold throughout the
world, and are the three treasures of the land. The salt, coal, and mirabillite
deposits are plentiful, and their future development prospects are awesome.The
Treasure Land is true to name. The residents of Turpan have not only created
a glorious history with their wisdom, talent, and diligence,but they are
also building a thriving, affluent and beautiful
Turpan today.We say Turpan is ancient it is because like Dunhuang, it
was another glistening pearl on the Silk Road. There are the ruins of
Gaochang and Jiaohe of the Han and Tang dynasties, the Thousand Buddha
Caves dug since the Jin and Tang dynasties, and the thousand-year old
dried corpses of the Astana tombs; and unique Islamic architectural wonder
of the Sugong Minaret, and the unearthed relics. Turpan is a land that
has the best of historical relics and ruins of an ancient culture. The
rise of the Chinese Dunhuang - Turpan Studies has opened up a brand new
path for the development and application of this precious source of historical
relics.When we say Turpan is young, it is because as a city for modern
tourism, it has only just taken its initial step, much, much more needs
doing and to be done, but the future is bright. Today, the people of Turpan
are in the midst of an opening-up environment, and they are striving for
the prosperity of the land and contributing their all to its four modernizations.
The Turpan people are ready in a new way, and their arms are open to welcome
from near and far, friends who come to tour, to do business, to participate
in cultural and scholarly exchanges and research, and together with them,
write a new page of praise on the cultural traditions of the Silk Road.Prepared
by the Editorial Board of the XINJIANG, CHINA - Turpan Album.
Tourists visiting Turpan -- without exception -- have the desire
to penetrate through the mysterious veil of this ancient basin and to
have a taste of its enchanting ,unique, and exotic scenery and customs.
When one climbs a top the lonely yet magnificent Jiaohe with the sunset
glow still offsetting the background, or when one enters the ancient city
of Gaochang imbued with a solemn and stirring atmosphere, or when one
walks into the Bezkilik Thousand-Buddha Caves riddled with gaping wounds,
or when one admires the superb craftsmanship manifested in the Emin Minaret,
he will suddenly realize that what are being unfolded before his eyes
is none the less than a brilliant picture scroll of Turpan history.
The ancient city of Jiaohe is located on a lonely island shaped like a
willow leaf about 10 kms to the west of the city of Turpan. It is 1,650
meters long and 300 meters wide. Steep cliffs surrounding the city renders
it a strategic point easy to defend and difficult to attack. A thoroughfare
traversing the city from north to south naturally divides the city into
two main parts: the East and the West. The northern part of the city are
chiefly temples and mosques. Thanks to little rainfall, the ancient official
residence, living quarters, pottery kilns, temples' stupas,wells and streets
can still be seen. According to historical records, from 108 B.C. to 450
A.D. Jiaohe served as the capital city of the former
Cheshi (a kindom there). In the first years of the Tang Dynasty (640-658
A.D.), the Commanding Office of Anxi, the highest military and administrative
authority of the Western Region, was stationed there. It was in the latter
half of the fourteenth century that this thousand-year-old city was destroyed
by fire.
The ancient city of Gaochang lies in Halahezhuo, a rural township about
40 kms to the east of the city of Turpan. Tourists today can still see
the towering city wall reflecting the magnificence of its heyday. The
layout of the ancient city is roughly an irregular sqaure in three levels:
the outer city, the inner city and the palace. At the foundation the wall
is 12 meters thick, 11.5 meters high with a circumference of 5 kms. In
the first century B.C., the garrisoned troops of the West Han Dynasty
were stationed there to open up wasteland, and Gaochang gained the status
of a prefecture. In 450 A.D. the remaining force of North Liang wiped
out the former Kingdom of Cheshi, Gaochang was set up as a temporary town.
In 327 A.D. Gaochang was promoted to the position of being the political,
economic and cultural center of the Turpan Basin,and in 460 A.D. became
the capital of the Gaochang Kingdom. In 640 A.D. Gaochang was included
into the map of the Tang Dynasty which set up the Xizhou Prefecture; under
the Prefecture were five counties: Gaochang, Jiaohe, Liuzhong, Tianshan
and Puchang. From the middle of the 9th century, it was the capital city
of Gaochang Kingdom set up by a people called the Huihe. In 1275 A.D.
the nomadic noble named Duwa rose in rebellion and laid siege to Huozhou
(Gaochang) with a force of 120,000 strong. The siege lasted for six months
and Barshu Alte,the Huihe king of Gaochang died heroically in battle.
Consequently the city of Gaochang was totally ruined.To the north of Gaochang
is the famous Astana-Halahezhuo Burial Ground, where archaeologists have
unearthed tens of thousands of cultural relics from over 400 ancient graves.
Among the relics the most treasured ones are ancient documents and superb
quality silk fabrics.The burial ground was in use around the 3rd to the
8th century. Those who were buried there include: Juqufengdai, Mayor of
the Gaochang Prefecture during the Dynasty of Northern Liang, Zhang Xiong,
a famous general of Gaochang Kingdom, and Gaoyao, Vice Commander of the
Belting Military Region during the Tang Dynasty. The corpses of Zhang
Xiong and others have dried up but their hair and beards can still be
seen and their facial countenance still show their awe-inspring majestic
bearing.The Bezkilik Thousand-Buddha Caves are situated in the middle
part of the Flaming Mountian's Wood Valley. 83 grottoes are extant,among
which more than 40 have mural paintings inside them. The total area of
mural paintings exceeds 1,200 square meters. The mural paintings of the
earlier period of Huihe Gaochang are highly recommended for their strict
composition, bold and vigorous lines, and plump figures. They represent
a continuation of the painting style of the Mogao Grottoes typical of
the Tang Dynasty. The representative subject is predestined relationship
as in such stories as "The Child-Manjue's transformation". It
is widely acknowledged that this is the most important,best-preserved
and most representative art treasure in Huihe's Buddhist art.The Emin
Minaret (also named Sugong Minaret) stands to the north of the ancient
city of Anle. It is the most magnificent and majestic minaret of Xinjiang
Islamic architecture. It is 37 meters high, built of bricks and timber.
Inside, the minaret has a 72-step spiral stair that leads directly to
the top. Eminhoja was a Uygur leader of Turpan, and owing to his outstanding
contribution in upholding the unification of China,he was made a prince
by the Qing Court. In the 42nd year during the reign of Emperor Qianlong
(1777) of the Qing Dynasty this minaret was completed when Eminhoja was
83 years old. His official residence was where what is now the Lukeqing
Townghip of Shanshan County, i.e.,the famous Liuzhong of the Han and Tang
Dynasties.In the recent years several surveys of cultural relics and ruins
have indicated that in the Turpan Basin there are a total of 175 historical
ruins which can be divided into a number of categories such as: ruins
of the Neolithic Age, ruins of ancient cities, signal tower, ancient graves,grottoes
with Buddhist carvings, rock paintings, ancient mail posts, ancient ethnic
buildings, etc. Thanks to the uniquely favorable natural
conditions of sparse rainfall and dry weather, historical relics and ruins
both above and underground can be preserved for a very long time.Though
many centuries have elapsed, they are still intact and free from decay.
When unearthed, thc original colours were as good as new.That is why Turpan
is granted the title of a "natural museum".
A saying goes: "Anyone visiting Xinjiang without seeing Turpan
is bound to regret his incomplete tour of the Northwest."The Turpan
Basin is located in the eastern part of Xi~jiang. The Basin is 245 kms
long from east to west and 75 kms wide
from north to south. It covers a total area of 50,147 square kilometers
of which about 4,050 square kilometers are below sea level. The basin
slopes from the north toward the south, and the land has very strong irradiation
of sunlight. The surrounding high mountains make it difficult for the
heat to escape so this special geographic condition gives rise to a unique
climate environment which is dry and windy. In the summer, the temperature
at the center of the basin reaches 47.6 ~C with the highest record of
48.9 ~C . The ground temperature is around 70 ~C , which sometimes reaches
as high as 82.3 ~C . That is why in history Turpan Basin has been called
"the land of fire". A saying goes that "on sand mounds
eggs can be cooked, and on the rock, cakes can be baked." There is
a folktale about "a county magistrate who had to do his office work
with his body immersed in a tub of water to keep cool."
The hot weather in Turpan is reinforced by dryness, and its strong winds.
Statistics shows that the average rainfall is merely 16mm, while the evaporation
reaches 3,000mm. Spring is the basin's main windy season. Winds of force
8 or above is common.Even hurricanes of force 12 or over is not unrare.
Toksun County, located in the western part of the Basin, has long been
known as the "windy city".The Flaming Mountain known far and
wide resembles a fiery dragon winding from east to west. It extends for
100 kilometers with the maximum width of 10 kilometers. The Mountain is
851 meters above sea level and what is seen above the
ground mainly consists of arenaceous rock and red mudstone of the Jurassic
Period, the Cretaceous Period and the Permian Period. The colour of the
rocks is a brownish red and the mountain slopes are full of crevasses.
When the sunlight hits the mountain slope, the red is intercheckered with
blue resembling many fiery dragons. Wu Cheng'en, a Ming-Dynasty novelist,
wrote a number of very interesting stories around the subject of the Flaming
Mountain, thus making the Mountain famous all over the world, attracting
an endless flow of tourists from both China and abroad.The Grape Valley
is a small valley of the Flaming Mountain. The Valley is 8 kilometers
long with the maximum width of 2 kilometers, with a small stream winding
through it. On both sides of the valley are seen layer upon layer of grape
trellises
interspersed with flowers and fruit trees. Farmhouses dot the village,
and high on the mountain slopes are some "cooling houses". In
the summer the cooling houses are refuges from the suffocating heat. They
are the tourists' favorite retreafln ISPI
inclemently hot Turpan.The Aydingkol Lake represents the lowest point
of China. Its water surface is 154 meters below sea level, and the lake
bottom is flat with shallow water. The lake-bed is 40 kilometers long
from east to west and 8 kilometers wide from north to
south. The depth of water is only 1 meter at the deepest point. In the
western part there is still water which is bitterly salt. The rate of
mineralization of the water is as high as 200 grams per litre. As a result
of strong evaporation and condensation of the
years, there are in the lake bottom and nearby some nitre mines and salt
mines.
Because of the serious lack of rain and snow, Turpan Basin has since very
ancient times been relying on underground water irrigation. Thus, karez,
a marvellous water irrigation system, becomes a unique scene in Turpan.
The Karez is a system of skillfully drawing water from underground by
digging a string of underground channels. The karez system consists of
wells,
hidden channels and open channels. Wells are linked to hidden channel
which in turn is linked to open channel. The underground water is channeled
to farmland by both the hidden and open channels. The earth from the dug
wells and channels is piled around the well, forming small mounds resembling
craters of volcanoes. A bird's-eye view reveals many wells forming a
straighttline which is a grand sight. What is more interesting is that
in the deep of winter the well's opening is warm with vapor,while in the
summer it is cool and breezy, and a traveler can cool off sitting by it.Shifting
sand of the years has formed deserts within the basin. The Kumtag Desert
lies to the south of Shanshan county with a total area of 2,500 square
kilometers. And the converging winds have brought about clusters of sand
hills in the shape of pyramids. The place has also been developed as a
tourist resort where visitors can have a full view of the magnificence
of the desert without actually venturing out into it.
Through long-time practice, people in Turpan have discovered the fact
that the sand in the desert heated by sunlight can be used for curing
various diseases including rheumatism and arthritis. Every year when the
hot summer approaches, patients from everywhere come to Turpan. They put
up simply-equipped tents as shelter against the hot sun and then bury
the diseased part of their body into the burning-hot sand as part of a
"fire oasis sand-therapy" which is a combination of thermotherapy,massage
and magnetic therapy. The scene is very much like sunbathing on a beach,
which is a unique marvel of Turpan.
The Turpan Basin boasts of a large variety of geological and topographical
features and it is also endowed with very rich natural resources. In "The
Book of Hun -- Record of the West Region", there is a description:
"The land of the Cheshi Kingdom is fertile and beautiful." In
"The Book of Northern Dynasty -- Record of the Western Region"
Turpan Basin is depicted as where "The climate is mildly warm, and
the land is fertile. Rice and wheat can be harvested twice a year, silkworm
breeding is suitable, fruit is abundant, and rich in paint, has is a kind
of grass called the sheep*thorn on which honey is grown,tasting good.
There is a highly developed irrigation system. Cheshi also produces red
salt which is very delicious, an white salt as clean as jade. People in
Gaochang use white salt to fill their pillows, which they even present
to the imperial court of China as tribute. Grape wine is abundant ......
In the kindom sheep and horses are herded to obscure places to prevent
them from being robbed, and where cannot find, outsiders." These
historical records indicate that ever since very ancient times the agriculture
in the Turpan Basin has been highly developed and the salt mines have
long been explored and utilized.The total area of arable land in Turpan
Basin amounts to 700,000 mu. Farm crops consist chiefly of wheat and sorghum.As
there is plenty of light and heat resources, great day*night temperature
difference and little rainfall, the grape, Hami-melon and long~staple
cotton produced here are highly recommended in the world for their excellent
quality. Grapes grown in Turpan fall into more than 10 varieties, such
as the Horse Udder, seedless White, Red Grape, Kashhar Grape, Suo-Suo
Grape, etc.
Since 1960s, 300 new strains of grapes have been introduced from abroad
for trial planting, thus substantially enriching the variety of grapes
in the Basin. Hami melon is another special local product of the Turpan
Basin, boasting of such fine-quality varieties as Crisp Red-Core, Black
Eyebrow, Honey Sweet, Paotai Red, Bag of Sugar and Golden Dragon. A large
amount of Hami melons are exported abroad and sold to other places in
China. It is reputed as the ~most precious fruit". Besides, this
famous land of melon and fruit also abounds with water-melon, pear, apricot,
peach, pomegranate, mulberry, fig, sand date,
etc. The bumper harvests of melons and fruits bring about a thriving processing
industry. The Turpan Melon and Fruit Company and Hongliuhe Fruit Farm,
the Shanshan County Fruit Winery, etc. have installed advanced equipment
from other places of China or from abroad by means of joint management.
As a result, the pure grape juice wines they brew are highly
reputed for their superb quality and mellow taste. Other products they
offer, such as grape juice, Hami melon juice and mulberry juice as well
as various kinds of canned fruits are also priced products. The raisins
of Turpan have long been enjoying the fame of "green pearls of China"
for their colour, mellow taste and delicious sour/sweet flavour. Dried
Hami melon, dried apricot, and preserved peach also demonstrate their
outstanding tastiness. All these products are favorites of the tourists.Long-staple
cotton is an important raw material for the textile industry. The cotton
grown in Turpan is pure-white with excellent spinnability. 80% of the
cotton is up to the quality standards of Grade-1 and Grade-2 cotton, which
is exported to Japan, the USSR and Romania, enjoying an enthusiastic international
market. The Basin is also rich in vegetables. At the foot of the Flaming
Mountain, the spring season arrives earlier than anywhere else in Xinjiang
and, therefore, the spring vegetables
grown there are on the market earlier than those of any other places of
Xinjiang and are sold in Urumqi and other cities. The Basin is surrounded
by large tracts of grassland on which sheep, horses, cattle, donkeys,
and camels are fattened.Along with the development of modern science and
technology, the abundant resources of Turpan are being further explored
and utilized.On the southern slope of the Bogda Peak there is a glacier
with a total area of 120 square kilometers. In order to make full use
of the water sources, reservoirs have been built, such as the Kokya, Hongshan
and Shengjin reservoirs. The water is also used to develop fish farming.
Initial survey indicates that the reserve of mirabilite in the Aydingkol
Lake reaches 25 million tons and that of salt 60 million tons. These constitute
an advantageous condition for the development of the chemical industry.
The Seven-Spring Lake Chemical Plant which was set up in 1959 produces
50,000 tons of anhydrous sulphuric acid,
15,000 tons of sodium sulphate, 85,000 tons of refined salt; all the products
enjoy high quality and low cost, with an enthusiastic market both at home
and abroad. Salt pillow, which was used in the ancient times as a tribute
to the imperial court, is produced in the Salt Mountain. The salt mine-bed
is as thick as scores of meters, crystal clear and suitable for carving
artistic works and its artistic effect is similar to that of ice carving.
The Turpan Basin has considerable coal deposit, too. Other metal and non-metal
ores being dug include: iron, copper, gold, manganese, petroleum, gypsum,
limestone, expanded perlite, quartz,
marble, asbestos, boron, crude soda, and mineral water. Geological prospects
show that Turpan might be the third most promising basin for finding petroleum
next only to the Junggar Basin and the Tarim Basin. In the Turpan Basin
thermo-power stations, hydro-power stations and train power stations spread
all over. The inexhaustible light and thermal resources and wind
power resources have a bright future for further development.
"Wear fur in the morning, but gauze at noon; hug the stove while
enjoying melons" is a popular saying in Xinjiang. The first half
of the saying depicts the huge temperature difference within the same
day, while the latter half is a description of what
one sees in Turpan. Hami melons and watermelons in Turpan can be preserved
until the following spring. In the winter, on melon stalls, a fire is
built for warming while the hawker sells his watermelon. When visitors
see this unique scene they cannot
but be attracted to sit by the stove and enjoy the melon. The total area
of the Turpan Prefecture is 6,728 square kilometers consisting of Turpan
City, Shanshan County and Toksun County inhabited by a population of 460,000
composed of Uygurs,Hans and Huis. With the Uygurs making up 70% of the
population. Turpan City is the political, economic and cultural center
of the prefecture and historically it was an important strategic spot
on the Silk Road. Today, Turpan is well-known as a city of grapes, equipped
with complete tourist facilities. The population of the city proper is
60,000. And in the suburbs there are
grapevines, orchards, karezes, as well as ancient cities, ancient minarets,
ancient graveyards, thousand-buddha grottoes and ancient Islamic buildings,
spread all over. Turpan is a famous city with a long history, situated
in the northwest of China, Its
unique feature typical of the West Region and its colorful ethnic customs
are attracting an endless flow o[ both Chinese and foreign tourists.The
Uygurs and the Huis are believers of Islam, and they pray five times a
day. Each year they observe two important
festivals: the Lesser Bayram and the Corban, They strictly adhere to the
teachings of the Koran, and the convention of not eating pork. The Uygur
people are simple and honest, and they respect the old and care for the
young. The are hospitable and attach great importance to courtesy. When
guests arrive, the most senior person has priority of entrance. The guests
sit on carpets and young do not smoke or drink in front of the old. When
meeting their seniors, friends or relatives, they hold up the left hand
to touch the chest with the upper part of the body leanding slightly forward,
as a way of paying respect and regards.
Before and after the elderly people have had their meals as guests or
in their own house, they often stroke their cheeks with both hands to
make a "Duwa" (a religious ritual of blessing.) Sometimes even
after shaking hands with a friend, the old one
would also make a "Duwa". All the people irrespective sex and
age are fond of wearing small square hats bearing colourful patterns.
The patterns are embroidered bright and beautiful. Women are fond of wearing
long skirts. In winter they wear short coats over the skirts, and thick
underwear to keep off the cold. They love to wear ornaments such as earrings,
bracelets and necklaces. As they use vegetable dye on their eyebrows beginning
in childhood, so their brows are extraordinarily thick and black. Young
girls comb their hair into more than ten plaits, looking all the more
lovely. The Uygurs like milk-tea. "Nan", one of their staple
foods, is a bread made in their home-ovens. The bread is dry and,therefore,
can be preserved for a long time. Another staple food is pilaf prepared
with rice, lamb, carrots and raisins. It is colorful and delicious. It
is also a 'must' when entertaining guests or observing festivals. Daily
fare include hand-stretched noodles and piece noodles. Barbacued whole
lamb, shish kebab, baked stuffed bun, thin-wrapped steamed stuffed bun
and boiled lamb are famous foods of local ethnic flavour.The ethnic architecture
of Turpan has its own style. In particular, the mosques and mazars (graves
of saints), with their domed roofs, demonstrate distinct features of Islamic
architecture. Houses built with wood and mud or with sun-dried mud bricks
are the traditional buildings of the locality. Entering a farmer's courtyard,
once can generally see a grape trellis, The houses usually have quite
deep corridors. Inside the room is a raised dirt platform floor, On it
is laid a felt mattress for sitting
or lying down. The walls are usually half-covered with fabric, and the
Uygurs are especially fond of hanging expensive rugs on the walls as decoration.
Many adobes with ventilation holes on all sides can be seen everywhere.
These are the traditional drying rooms for air-drying grapes.The Uygurs
are highly respected for their excellent handicrafts. Traditional products
include: felt rugs and carpets, silk fabrics, printed cotton fabrics,
flower-patterned hats, knives and high boots. Their folk embroidery shows
a strong local style
and ethnic features. In summer, women love to wear dresses made of "Atlas"
silk fabric. This is a unique Uygur creation with bright patterns and
sharp contrast of colours. Wearing dresses made of this fabric, the women
seem to become colorful clouds moving gracefully in the sky. Turpan is
also a famous land of song and dances. All the Uygurs, men and women,
old and young, are unexceptionally fond of dancing. Especially on holidays,
festivals, wedding ceremonies or welcoming parties, they would organize
grand parties to sing and dance, A very popular mass singing and dancing
party is called the "Mexrep". It is a combination of singing,
dancing and other folk amusements. At a mexrep men and women would gather
to sing and dance to their heart's content to musical accompaniment.
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