As we all know, Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, an important central city in Northwest China and an international trade center for Central Asia and West Asia. Urumqi is a Mongolian phonetic translation, meaning “graceful pasture”. It was originally a nomadic area of the Heshuote Ministry of Western Mongolia. In the last 20 years of Qianlong reign, the end of the Junggar Khanate was conquered, troops were built and the name was determined. So even if Xinjiang is an Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinjiang has many different nationalities because Uygur itself is a mixed race since ancient times, so the capital Urumqi is the Junggar Mongol language instead of the Uygur language.
Urumqi has a perfect transportation network. BRT Express Bus and ordinary bus run through the city. It also has modern high buildings and cleaner streets in summer (the snow in winter is dirty). Travel and shopping are more convenient. The vertical and horizontal viaducts, to some extent, reflect the modernization of Xinjiang, but at the same time expose the unreasonable traffic planning, the shortcoming is that they are so vertical and horizontal that sometimes people can not tell all directions. When you come to Urumqi, you don’t need to worry about the language barrier. Most of the ethnic minorities here can speak Chinese, and the Han nationality has a very high ratio. May-October is the best time to travel in Xinjiang every year, because the pressure of violent terrorism has brought many externalities. This pressure has greatly increased the number of police and reduced the proportion of other crimes, such as theft, robbery, abduction and so on. In front of the state machinery, small forces will have no place. For ordinary people, there is no need to worry about violent terrorism. Just be careful to prevent accidents.
Next, I’d like to introduce some view spots to Urumqi.
- International Big Bazaar
Xinjiang International Big Bazaar, which was completed on June 26, 2003, is the world’s largest Bazaar (Uygur, meaning market, agricultural market). It integrates Islamic culture, architecture, national commerce, entertainment and catering. It is the gathering place and exhibition center of tourism products in Xinjiang and the “window of Xinjiang“, “window of Central Asia” and “window of the world“.
Big Bazaar has a wide range of goods, but most of them are handicraft items for tourists to watch. If left as a souvenir, you can buy less, but most of them are more expensive than other places.
There’s a Carrefour supermarket downstairs in Big Bazaar. It’s very cheap. There’s a person from Hetian selling Uygur cream and ice-cream for five yuan each at the door. In addition, he will send you some tricks for a minute. It is interesting and deserves to try.
- Hongshan Park
Hongshan Park Scenic Area, located in the center of Urumqi City, is a comprehensive natural mountain park which integrates tourism, classical features, humanistic connotation, sports and fitness. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. Friends living near the city center can go there for a walk without tickets. It is easy to climb to the top of the mountain and overlook the whole view of Urumqi.
To the west of the overlooking building, there is a monument of Lin Zexu. In the nineteenth year of Qingdaoguang (1839), Lin Zexu, the national hero, destroyed cigarettes in Humen, Guangdong. In June of the second year (1840), after the beginning of the Opium War, the British army failed to attack Guangdong and Fujian, and then changed to attack Zhejiang, conquered Dinghai and invaded Dagu in the north. Emperor Daoguang panicked for peace and blamed Lin Zexu for his “poor management” in Guangdong. In September, Lin Zexu was dismissed. Daoguang 22 years (1842), he was demoted to serve in Ili. Daoguang 25 years (1845) on December 4, he climbed the Red Mountain, sighing with emotion, chanting a poem: “Free to sing, lying on the top of the Red Mountain drunk. The wind comes, the wine gets strong.” To commemorate his great achievements, a statue of him was erected at the side of the Red Mountain Pagoda.
- Museum of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Be careful! It’s the Museum of the Autonomous Region, not the Museum of Urumqi.
Museums are essential to understand the history and culture of a place. Xinjiang is the hinterland of Eurasia. It can be said that a history of Xinjiang is the development history of the Silk Road, and the development history of the Silk Road is roughly the same as that of Eurasia. The new Museum of the Museum of the Autonomous Region was built in 2005 with a building area of 17288 square meters. At present, the permanent exhibitions include: 1. Xinjiang Ethnic Minority Folklore Exhibition – Systematically introducing the folk customs and customs of 12 indigenous minorities in Xinjiang in dress, living, festival entertainment, wedding and funeral, etiquette, diet, religion and other aspects. 2. Exhibitions of Xinjiang’s History and Unearthed Cultural Relics – More than 1,000 precious cultural relics, including Jinjuan, ceramics, clay figurines, coins, stele stickers, documents, classics, weapons and implements, were unearthed and collected from the Silk Road four or five thousand years ago to modern times. 3. The exhibition of ancient corpses in Xinjiang includes the female corpses of Loulan over 3,800 years ago, the female corpses of Hami over 3,200 years ago and the female corpses of QieMo 3,000 years ago. The Museum has also held special presentations on “primitive society of China”, “feudal society of Gaochang in Wei, Jin, Southern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties”, “silk weaving technology of great motherland”, “primitive society of Xinjiang”, “Xinjiang in Han and Tang Dynasties”, “Xinjiang grotto murals (copy),”unearthed cultural relics of Xinjiang“,”the beautiful motherland“,”ancient corpses of Xinjiang (and accompanied cultural relics), “library collection paintings” exhibition and so on. In addition, the museum also has free and beautiful Uygur tour guides, and you can linger in bilingual explanations and experience exotic customs.
- Shuimogou Park
It is 3 kilometers away from the municipal government and has an area of 36 square kilometers. It consists of “Six Mountains and One River” (Qingquan Mountain, Hongqiao Mountain, Hot Spring Mountain, Shuita Mountain, Xuelian Mountain, Red Mountain and Shuimo River). It is said that Comrade Mao Zemin once convalesced here. Before Xiangfei married Qianlong leaving the Kashgar palace, she soaked in hot springs here. The water here does not freeze in winter, but it is very cool in summer. It is a very good sanatorium for recuperation.
Here is the site of Urumqi Qiyi Cotton Mill. After the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, enterprises such as Bayi Iron and Steel Works and Qiyi Cotton Textile Mills were established. Many of the 8,000 Hunan women of that year can be found here.
The barbecued meat and steamed buns of Qifang are very good. There is a row of businessman selling barbecued meat in the small market. Sheep sausage and sheep kidney are very fresh, and the barbecue meat is very tender. Everyone thinks it is very good.
- Night Market in Urumqi
Night markets play an extremely important role in the memory of Xinjiang people. After all, Xinjiang’s barbecue is probably the best and most famous in the country. People from all over the world are sitting together, smoking and burning, sheep intestines, kidneys, tender sheep dolls, roasted quail, roasted eggs, all kinds of ice cream are dazzling. Every time I think of them, I can’t help swallowing.
But because of the situation in Xinjiang, night markets have been cancelled in many areas.
Now let’s talk about the night market in Urumqi. Yes, many of them have already opened.
Serial number
Name
address
Ⅰ.Dawan night market
In front of the Jinkun Real Estate on Dawan Road
Ⅱ.May Day Cinema Square Night Market
In front of the May Day Cinema on Huanghe Road
Ⅲ.Sunshine 100 Mall Starlight Night Market
In front of the Sunshine 100 Mall on Yellow River Road
Ⅳ.South Nanhu Road Food Street Night Market
Near Carrefour Supermarket on South Hunan Road
Ⅴ.Wenzhou Street Night Market
In the roadway connecting Beijing South Road and Altay Road
Ⅵ.Qifang District Night Market
In front of the Qifang District
Ⅶ.Jiaheyuan Night Market
In front of the Jiaheyuan Neighborhood on the Aletai Road
Ⅷ.Unite National Customs Night Market
Entrance of Unity Theatre of Jiefang South Road
Ⅸ.Binhai Square Night Market
In front of the Peace Metropolis on the Democracy Road
The night market is partly open. You’d better ask about it before you go.
Many sentimental friends come to Urumqi to eat seafood specially, because it is the farthest city from the sea in the world.
