The Duku Highway winds through the Tianshan meadow. Photo by Min Yong (data map)
In China, there is a highway that crosses the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang and is closed for most of the year. The charm of the highway is that you can "see the four seasons along the way", which is beautiful and precarious. It is worth visiting once in a lifetime.
This is the Duku Highway.
Why Duku Highway is closed for half a year
The high-altitude area on the Duku Highway is not covered with snow all the year round. This is a miraculous dangerous road over the mountains. One third of the road along the road is surrounded by cliffs, and one fifth of the road is underground with permafrost.
The Duku Highway has a special terrain and has many steep bends and steep slopes. There are more than 280 kilometers of roads above 2000 meters above sea level. The "Winter" of the Duku Highway is very long. It is only open for one year due to natural factors such as snowfall and icing in the Tianshan Mountains in winter. Five months. The steep slope of the mountain is the characteristic of the Duku Highway, so every other period, there will be a prompt of "20 kilometers of continuous steep slope ahead".
The Duku Highway is generally open in June. As of now, the opening time of the highway in 2020 has not yet been determined, and relevant departments are still discussing.
Sky blue grass green water to raise people. Photo by Yuzhong Zhong
The steep section of Duku Highway. China News Service reporter Liu Xinshe
Du (Shanzi) Ku (vehicle) highway, namely Dushanzi to Kuche section of National Highway 217. The Duku Highway starts from the Dushanzi District of Karamay City in the north, runs through the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and connects the Kuche City in Aksu Region with a total length of 563 kilometers. Its continuity has shortened the distance between north and south Xinjiang by more than 1,000 kilometers from the original one thousand kilometers.
It covers Karamay City, Bayinguoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Aksu Prefecture and other prefectures. It includes snow mountains, canyons, grasslands, lakes, rivers and other unique natural scenery along the way. It is praised by tourists as "the most beautiful road in Xinjiang" .
The Duku Highway has also become a paradise for self-driving travel. Because more than half of its section traverses the mountains and gorges and crosses the Shenchuan Canyon, it was selected as the "Landscape Avenue running through the ridge of the Tianshan Mountain" by China National Geographic.
Martyrs. (Data map)
The eternal monument on the Duku Highway
Completed and opened to traffic in September 1983, the distance between north and south Xinjiang has been shortened by nearly half from the original 1,000 kilometers. It is a monument in the history of highway construction in China. In order to build this highway, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers fought for 10 years, and 168 road-building officers and soldiers gave their precious lives.
The Duku Highway is going to cross the snowy mountains. Photo by Min Yong
Chen Jungui, the 61-year-old janitor of the People's Liberation Army Commander and Martyr Cemetery of Qorma, Nileke County, Xinjiang, is stationed in the Qorma Martyr's Cemetery all year round. "I am a veteran, not a hero. Those sacrificed comrades are heroes. It is particularly uncomfortable to hear others call me a hero." Chen Jungui said that as long as he had a breath, he would stay here, and said that after a hundred years, the couple would stay in Joelma. , Forever with class leader Zheng Linshu.
In 2013, the "moving China" figure Tian Jun, the tomb keeper of the mountain, told the tourists about the martyrs. Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of Nilek County Committee
It is understood that in 1979, Chen Jungui accompanied his troops to Xinjiang to participate in the general battle to build the Duku Highway deep in the Tianshan Mountains. On April 6, 1980, the troops were trapped in the depths of the Tianshan Mountains by the snowstorm and faced the danger of losing their cooking. The four soldiers were ordered to go out for help with the last dry food. At the juncture of life and death, the squad leader Zheng Linshu gave the last bun to the youngest Chen Jungui.
Tianshan Mountains. Photo by Wang Xiaojun
The squad leader and his comrades died one after another. Chen Jungui finally found the crowd and the troops were saved. After receiving 4 years of frostbite treatment, he was demobilized and returned to his hometown in Liaoning. In the winter of 1985, Chen Jungui made a decision to bring his wife and his newly born son to the foot of Xinjiang Tianshan, where the squad leader and his comrades sacrificed, to guard the tombs of his comrades.
An unmelted snow near the Hakulegen Daban Tunnel on the Duku Highway attracted a large number of tourists to play in the snow in thin blouses. China News Service reporter Liu Xinshe
Xinjiang's most beautiful highway has a "marketing alliance"
On August 5, 2017, under the guidance of the Xinjiang Tourism Development Commission, the Karamay City Tourism Bureau, the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture Tourism Bureau, the Bayinguoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture Tourism Bureau, the Aksu Region Tourism Bureau, the Karashan City Dushanzi District People’s Government and Xinjiang Tourism Shanghai Promotion Service Center and Shanghai Tourism Network Travel Service Co., Ltd. jointly initiated the "Xinjiang Duku Highway Tourism Marketing Alliance" was formally established, and the first meeting of the alliance was held in Dushanzi District, Karamay City.
The opening ceremony of the traffic opening was held in Dushanzi District, Karamay City, located at zero kilometers north of Duku Highway. (Data map)-Zhong Yuzhong
Wild lilies blooming at the foot of snowy mountains in Nalati grassland. Photo by Yang Xiaoqian
The members of the alliance jointly signed the strategic agreement of Duku Highway Tourism Marketing Alliance. It is understood that 2020 is the fourth year of the establishment of the "Duku Highway Marketing Alliance". Before the opening of the most beautiful highway in Xinjiang, each prefecture took turns to promote the most beautiful highway. This year, the Aksu region will rotate, and this year's rotation handover ceremony will be held in Kuqa City on June 13.
Vehicles are driving on the steep section of Duku Highway. China News Service reporter Liu Xinshe
Zhu Peng, Party Secretary of the Kuche City Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau, said that the "Duku Highway Marketing Alliance" has mainly promoted the natural landscape of the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountain in Xinjiang through brand promotion, product development, event holding, and overall marketing. Golden channel for tourism.
Rest stop in the picture. Photo by Yuzhong Zhong
The gravel is full of ice and snow and the summer is not cool. Photo by Yuzhong Zhong
Along the way, there are well-known domestic and foreign scenic spots (spots) represented by scenic spots such as Nalati grassland, Bayanbulak grassland and Qorma, as well as the Kuqa and Longlong ponds called "Southern Tianchi" and the mysterious Grand Canyon of Tianshan. And other unique natural landscapes.
How beautiful and beautiful the scenery along the Duku Highway is
are you ready! The editor first takes you in advance to see how the value of the most beautiful scenic spots along the road in Xinjiang is!
Talk with pictures, please enjoy!
Photograph by Wang Xiaojun, the mysterious Grand Canyon of Kuqa Tianshan
The mysterious Grand Canyon of Kuqa Tianshan is also called Kizilia Grand Canyon, which means “red mountain cliff” in Uighur language in Kizilia.
Ochre-shaped muddy sandstones make up the mountains, and the canyon lies between these mountains.
Entering from the valley entrance, the ridges and grooves formed by hundreds of millions of years of wind and rain erosion and scouring of torrents are on the way. The lines are like waves, and they are layered in an orderly way, which has to surprise the nature. .
Yunfei Sky Prairie Nalati (data map). Photo by Guo Yiling
Wild lilies blooming at the foot of snowy mountains in Nalati grassland. Yang Xiaoqian
The Nalati grassland is also known as the (western) Gongnais grassland. Waqai Mongolian means "green valley" (in the Ming, Qing and Qing Dynasties, this is Waqiehuite pastoral area), Kazakh means "Baiyangpo", in Xinyuan County, Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang The eastern part of Nalati Town, about 110 kilometers away from Xinyuan County, is located on the northern slope of Nalati Mountain.
The Nalati grassland is a subalpine meadow plant area, one of the four major grasslands in the world, and has been a famous pasture since ancient times.
The beautiful grassland scenery combined with the local Kazakh folk customs has become a famous tourist resort in Xinjiang.
The Tangbula Prairie is located in Nileke County in the west of the Tianshan Mountains. It is one of the four most beautiful grasslands in Asia. It is known as the "Bai Li Picture Scroll, Natural Gallery". Photo by Chen Hualin
The Tangbula grassland is one of the famous grasslands in the Yili area with beautiful scenery.
Only after entering the Tangbula ditch did we begin to see the dense spruce forest. The turbulent Kashgar River is endless, the grass on the south bank of the Kashi River, the water flowing in the Tangbula Valley, and the spruce forest are green and upright.
The forest area in Tangbulagou is beautiful, refreshing and pleasant, with picturesque picturesque mountains in summer.
Dalongchi, the depot section of Duku Highway. Photo by Wang Xiaojun
The waterfall in the depot of Duku Highway. Photo by Wang Xiaojun
Dalongchi is located in the depth of Tianshan Mountain 120 kilometers north of Kuqa. It is close to the national highway. It is an alpine lake with an area of 2 square kilometers. The lake is green, surrounded by mountains, green grass and spruce. Some peaks are covered with snow all year round. Capped, the scenery is charming. There is a special parking spot in Dalongchi, where you can park for a rest and stop to enjoy the scenery.
The first village of Duku-Kang Village. Lei Hailiang
Duku highway tour makes local people swell money bags
Kuche City, located in the southern section of Duku Highway, combines line 217 to increase tourism infrastructure, create a tourist atmosphere, and create online red punch points along the way. The city of Kuche builds the first village of Duku—Kang Village around folk customs. As an important supply place for self-driving tourists, homestay tourism has become an important source of income increase for local people and a highlight of National Highway 217. Kuche City has introduced relevant tourism support and incentive policies to attract tourists and retain tourists.
In 2020, while the village “two committees” and the task force are consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation, they will activate the driving effect of “independent tourism”, highlight the characteristic homestays in the village, promote the integrated development of the homestay industry and the villagers’ group industries, and provide one-stop tourism Services to achieve villagers get rich and village collective income.
Tourists are going to stay overnight in a special homestay. With the increase in self-driving tours, some full-length homestays have also emerged at the historic moment to attract self-driving owners. China News Service reporter Liu Xinshe
"With the help of the village committee, my neighbor and Heilibanmu Megiti joined forces to engage in tourism. Heilibanmu was responsible for providing courtyard accommodation. I was responsible for catering. The two of us collaborated with each other and both had good income." Villager Zuomutuohu Niaz said. Szemutuohu Niyazi family has 5 people, the main source of income of the family mainly depends on husband and son to go out to work. With the help of the village committee, she took advantage of the location advantage of developing tourist homestays to open a special home-made ramen noodle restaurant, and also helped 2 people in the village solve the employment problem.
The Duku Highway winding along the cliffs of the mountains. China News Service reporter Liu Xinshe
In recent years, Duku Highway has become a popular time-stamping place for domestic and foreign tourists. In order to further upgrade the development of tourist attractions and environmental protection along the line, Kuqa City, as the southern section of Duku Highway (Qorma to Kuqa Section), renovated and upgraded the scenic area facilities.
Currently, there are 10 parking lots, 6 tourist toilets, 2 tourist highways, and 2 communication base stations in the parking lot of Duku Highway, which has improved the service capacity of infrastructure along Duku Highway.
The self-driving car team traveled on the mountain road from Dushanzi to Qorma on the Duku Highway. Photo by Min Yong (data map)
At present, the Kuqa Depot of the most beautiful highway in Xinjiang, the traffic police and the highway department of the Kuqa city jointly, more than 100 kilometers in Kuqa territory, pre-checked and maintained the road conditions, safety hazards, parking facilities along the way, toilets and other infrastructure to ensure the safety of the road before opening Unblocked.
The Duku Highway is going to cross the snowy mountains. Photo by Min Yong
The flocks and yurts on the meadows along the Duku Highway are tourists who yearn for the beauty of the Tianshan Mountains. Photo by Min Yong (data map)
It is understood that the scenic spots along the Duku Highway also carry out various preferential activities, such as the 50% discount on tickets for the Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon scenic spot from Monday to Friday. The Depot Highway Depot, which provides charter flights, special reward and supplement policies and self-driving tour subsidies.
Special reminder: If you are a friend who has set foot on the most beautiful highway for the first time, always keep in mind the route where the magnificence and risk coexist, don't be excited to see the scene, safety first!
The most beautiful highway in Xinjiang is waiting for you. Are you ready for "Xinjiang"? ?
Editor's Tips:
1. Be sure to check the car, road and weather conditions before traveling.
2. The temperature on Duku Highway varies greatly, and pay attention to increase or decrease clothing.
Author: Wang Xiaojun
Drawing: Lu Yongsheng