Food in Urumqi
The Granny An's
With 20 years' business behind it, this restaurant serves typical local dishes like steamed buns in mutton soup, and mutton dumplings. A popular place, diners often have to wait for tables.
Add: 19 Wenyi Rd, Tianshan District (opposite to the Hongyuan Mansion).
Tel: 0991-7885046
Bodun Fast Food
A restaurant in typical Uygur style, with strong Islamic-flavored decor. Recommended dishes include mutton with hand-picked rice, fried potatoes and meat, fried mushrooms, roast steak, and mutton soup. Alcohol and smoking are not permitted inside the restaurant. Koran music provides a pleasant aural backdrop. Business hours start at 14:00.
Add: 119 Yan'an Rd, Tianshan District (opposite to the Silk Road Hotel).
Tel: 0991-2557353
Hoi Tak Hotel is a five-star establishment located in downtown Urumqi, very close to the famous Erdaoqiao Market.
Add: 1 Dongfeng Rd, Urumqi
Tel: 0991-2322828
Standard room: RMB 760 per day
Xinjiang Grand Hotel
A four-star establishment, also in downtown Urumqi.
Add: 168 N. Xinhua Rd
Tel: 0991-2818788
Standard room: RMB 456 per day.
A forest of diversiform-leaved poplars, a tenacious ancient species, can be found in Mori County at the edge of a desert. The forest covers around 800 acres, and holds some 27,000 trees over 400 years old. The tallest trees are six meters high and their trunks are so thick it takes three people to embrace them. People say this forest is at least 65 million years old.
Flaming Mountain
Flaming Mountain got its name from the famous Chinese classic Journey to the West. It is in the Turpan Basin, running east-west, and is dark red in color. In summer, when seen against the scorching sun, the mountain seems to be on fire. This is the hottest place in China, with temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees centigrade. No life can survive here, but in nearby valleys luxuriant vegetation and fruit trees can be found.
Opening hours: 10:00 to 19:00
Entrance Fee: RMB 10
The Ruins of Jiaohe City
Lying 10 kilometers west of Turpan, Jiaohe sits just north of where two rivers meet, which gives the town its name. In ancient times this settlement used to be the capital city of a small state in central Asia. Most of its buildings date back more than 2,000 years. The town was abandoned in the 15th century. The remains are said to be the largest earthen town in the world, covering around 250,000 square meters. All of the buildings, including temples, government offices, pagodas and houses, are made from earth. The tallest is as high as a contemporary three-story building.
Opening hours: 9:00 to 18:00
Entrance fee: RMB 20
The Ruins of Gaochang City
Forty-five kilometers east of Turpan lies the former capital of an ancient kingdom damaged in warfare at the end of the 13th century. People inhabited this town for 1,500 years. Most of the buildings are gone, except for two ancient temples that still stand at the southwest and southeast corners. Inside the ruined city is a small irregularly shaped castle, known to local people as "Khan's Castle."
Opening hours: 8:00 to 17:00
Entrance fee: RMB 20
