Fuhai, Desert Oasis

By XU JING & XIA MINGQUN

Large tracts of western China’s Xinjiang Uyugur Autonomous Region are smothered in dusty sand. Set against this barren landscape is Fuhai County, a lush green area that extends to the Altai Mountains in the north and the plains and deserts of the south. Two rivers - the Ulungur and the Ertix - run through this fertile region, together creating miles of verdant pasture. Fuhai is also home to the Alashan Nature Reserve, famed for its hot springs, Butterfly Valley, and the expansive Ulungur Lake.

Covering an area of 1,035 square kilometers, Ulungur Lake is one of China’s ten largest freshwater lakes. It is divided into two sections, the larger Buluntuo Lake and the smaller Jili Lake. Seen from the sky, the Ulungur resembles a gourd, a 10-kilometer-long silver beach running along its southeast banks. It has become a tourist hotspot, offering all kinds of water sports, including, swimming sailing and boating, a rare spectacle to behold in an otherwise arid region.

Jili Lake lies 14 kilometers south of the county. Dense patches of reeds stretch all the way to the lake’s horizon. On the eastern side, where the Ulungur River enters the lake, are the nine Yardang valleys. Wild forces of nature have spent millennia carving these into spectacular shapes.

A big seasonal event on Ulungur Lake is the winter fishing day. On one particular day of the year, locals gather on the frozen lake and cut a massive hole in the ice, which can be up to a meter thick. Nets are then lowered into the freezing abyss. When the men feel it’s time to land their loot, up to thirty of them seize the netting, and aided by winch-like machines, heave their haul above the ice. Locals say the record catch amounted to 83 tons, and that dozens of men worked through the night to land it. The lake abounds with some 23 different types of fish. When the day’s work is over, the entire community prepares a lavish fish feast.

Locally bred sheep are another specialty. Mild and tender, mutton from this region was offered to emperors of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Historical records note “The Xinjiang sheep is big as a cow.” Locals attribute the excellence of Fuhai mutton to the rich grasses on which their sheep graze and the pure mineral water they drink.

The Alashan Valley is another must-see part of Fuhai. Its name, derived from Mongolian, means “valley of hot springs.” To see this serene place, visitors set out from the county seat, walk past the Sarbulak grassland and follow the Zhuoerte River across the Jinshan Valley. The surrounding landscape is studded with breathtaking rocks. The Alashan Valley possesses a total of 24 hot springs, with temperatures ranging between 30 and 60 degrees centigrade. Locals have christened these springs with intriguing names inspired by their different characteristics. Fountain Spring gushes a stream of hot water every few seconds, bathing in the Stomach Spring is said to cure digestive ailments, and Heart Spring bubbles like a beating heart. Blood Spring gets its name from the crimson tinted water that flushes through it. Locals believe the springs to be divine. They tie white ribbons on nearby trees and scatter coins around them, in honor of Buddha. During the months of June and July, a nearby area is inhabited by tens of thousands of beautifully colored butterflies. Where these delicate creatures come from, or why they congregate in this particular area, remains a mystery.

Just north of Alashan Valley is the Hongshanzui border post. Perched high among the mountains, some 2,418 meters above sea level, the station has been dubbed “lonely island in a sea of snow.” At this altitude, visitors can look down on the borders of China and Mongolia.

Fuhai County, with its stunning natural scenery made up of mountains, waters both bubbling and still, woods, grasslands and tiny creatures, seems a million miles from the noisy hustle and bustle that city folk accept as normality. This frontier town clearly demonstrates how easily humankind can live in harmony with the untainted beauty of nature.