Korla Travel Guide

 

 

 

Qinghai's dark clouds cover the snowy mountains,
An isolated town sees the view of Yumen Pass.
Armatures wear out after numerous battles,
Not to return home without capturing Loulan.  
 
       By Wang Changling, a Chinese poet in the Tang Dynasty

 

The poem depicts Loulan, a beautiful name for a lost ancient empire, once it flourished, but in later times, its inhabitants destroyed most of surrounding forests because their misguided notions of development. In the absence of the protective barrier of trees, the area was then engulfed by sandstorms. Although the people tried to restore the empire their efforts were in vain. The Loulan people had lost their hope, they were in exile and could not go back to their homeland at all. This dry land later became an essential part of the northwestern frontier in Chinese history. The people were frequently harassed by ethnic invaders who used the area as a gateway on their way south. A deserted zone nowadays, with deep yellowish withered tree trunks all around, some of the relics here are still testifying to its past prosperity and glory. 

 

Known as the "West Sea" in old times, the Bosten Lake lies on the outskirts of Korla City, which is the largest inland freshwater lake in China. "Bosten" in Mongol means "standing", because there are three stone pillars erect in the middle of the lake. It is a place of natural beauty and harmony, tranquility of the vast landscape with dense vegetation and swarms of birds flying. Apart from the picturesque lake scene, its surrounding area includes the views of snowy mountain, desert and oasis. 

 

In downtown Korla, like other cities in the Xinjiang region, fruit specialties and local snacks are very mouth-watering, but, be prepared for the ever-changing weather conditions.

 

People

 

The population in Korla still maintains a multinational composition now like other places in the Xinjiang, among the 330,000 people here, Mongolian, Uyghur and Han are the majority of the folks in town with some other ethnic minorities.

 

Transportation

 

Air - domestic flights are available from Chengdu, Jinan and Beijing, with more frequent scheduled services to Korla from Urumqi, which only takes half an hour flight to get there.

Railway - various trains that stop over at Korla station from Urumqi, Lanzhou and Chengdu.

Bus - frequent long distance buses start at Urumqi that go to Korla, some of the routes passing tourist spots like Tianshan. But some sightseeing areas have no regular bus routes to reach, so it is necessary to hire a vehicle, there is a company providing such service.

 

Geography

 

Korla lies in the heartland of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, covering an area of 7117 sq. km, with higher altitude in the north and lower in the south, forming an oasis like a fan, the Kongquehe River flows its way through the whole area of Korla, while a branch of Tarim River flows through the south of the city.

Situated at the northeastern rim of the life-forbidden Taklamakan Desert and neighboring Lop Nor, the Loulan relic site lies on 350 km southeast of Korla. It is shaped like a square with a total land area of 120,000 sq. m. Relics like pagodas and tombs are distributed throughout the Yadan Spectacle Zone.

 

Climate

 

Dominated by the arid continental climate, the area is dry with very low rainfall and high evaporation. In Loulan, conditions are much harsher than Korla that the temperature difference within a day may be over 30 degrees Celsius.