Traveling to Xinjiang: China’s Wild West

Xinjiang is one of China’s most unique regions and one truly worth exploring if you have time. Xinjiang is far from what most would imagine China to be. Uyghurs, the majority group living in Xinjiang, are culturally distinct from most Han Chinese. Aside from their physical features, they mostly practice Islam, speak Uyghur, and have their own cultural traditions. Although a part of China, traveling to Xinjiang almost feels as if one is in an entirely new country. One can describe it as China’s Wild West.

Sayram Lake

I had limited time in Xinjiang, so I tried to visit the most accessible places from Urumqi. One place was Sayram Lake, one of Xinjiang’s four great lakes.The journey to Sayram was a long one as Sayram Lake is located in the far west near Kazakhstan. I took an overnight train from the capital city of Urumqi to the closest city Yining, which took about 9 hours. From Yining, I took a taxi to Sayram Lake, which was an additional hour or so. To my surprise, the lake was still completely frozen in the beginning of April, but still beautiful in its own way.

Kazakhs make up a large portion of the population in this area. Many maintain a nomadic lifestyle, similar to many Central Asians living in the countryside.

The Historical Turpan

After a few days, I set out east to visit the city of Turpan, an hour from Urumqi. Turpan is great for a day or two and has a decent amount of spots to visit. Turpan can easily be reached by one of the many trains or buses leaving daily from Urumqi.

Jiaohe Ruins: an archaeological site found in the Yarnaz Valley 10 km west of Turpan, is probably the most popular spot in the area. To think this was an entire ancient city is pretty cool!

Bezeklik Caves: a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century.

The Flaming Mountains: Red sandstone hills, which gets extremely hot in the summer time, hence the name. Props to anyone that visits July-August!

Xinjiang is massive, you could theoretically fit France, Germany, Spain and the U.K inside of it. Ideally, you’d want to spend at least a week or more here to explore it all, but if you’re limited on time, Turpan is probably the ideal place to visit as it is close to Urumqi.

Urumqi, the capital, is also a decent place to visit in Xinjiang. While it’s the most similar city to other places in China and the least interesting, there are some parts which are distinctly different. The international market downtown is one place I enjoyed. There, you can purchase anything from rugs to dried fruit. In addition, you can find the most authentic local foods here. Definitely the highlight of the city!

Traveling to Xinjiang

Next to Tibet (TAR), Xinjiang is probably the most restrictive region in China. Unlike other cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Xian, your movements will monitored, especially if you’re a foreigner. I traveled from Sayram to Turpan by taxi and went through several security check points. These check points required me to exit the taxi and enter a small room where they asked about my background and reasons for traveling.

If you do not have proper identification, you will NOT be able to travel in Xinjiang. Even in places like the train station, foreigners will be questioned. Given the political climate of Xinjiang, I could understand the reason for the heightened security, but traveling here is a bit scary.

You’ll need to take extra precautions (behavior wise) when traveling in Xinjiang. Be careful what you take photos of, what you wear, and how you speak. Use common sense and you’ll be fine!