Urumqi Travel Guide

 

 

 

As the furthest inland city in China, Urumqi gives you feelings of sunshine, flowers blossoming, beautiful Uygur girls with colorful clothing and a religious atmosphere from the mosques which dot all over the city. It is also a city of elegance, with much palace-like architecture, even for some supermarket buildings. Antique and musical instrument shops as well as exotic snack stalls are common sights.

The weather here is just like a child's temper, even in summertime: it will rain suddenly and stop a short while later, and the bright sunshine resumes. The air here is filled with romantic and melancholy local Uygur love songs, the male voice is full of longing and passion, and the female voice is permeated with an angelic loftiness, like the flowing sound of Tianshan Mountain's spring.

There are no high rise buildings on the way to the International Grand Bazaar in downtown Urumqi, you will only see the majestic green domes and white walls of the mosques, and in the bazaar, you may find many curious things that you have never seen before.

If you like quiet and tranquil places, you may decide to go to the Tianshan Tianchi Scenic Area. Virgin forest, snowy mountains and peaks, as well as waterfalls and the scenes of sunrise and sunset here are really magnificent.

Well, all the things above will make you love the place so much and perhaps you will want to live here forever! 

People

Urumqi is a cosmopolitan city. The total population in Urumqi is about 2 million according to recent statistics, among which mostly Han Chinese, with 47 ethnic minorities, notable like Uygur, Hui, Kazak, Mongol and Cossack. The gaily-dressed ethnic folks have made the city eye-catching and gorgeous to behold.

 

Transportation

As the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi is the main traffic hub for travelers at home and abroad, unless you come here from Tibet or Gansu by coach. Generally, tourists to travel Xinjiang by air, and the international airport is just in 17 km northwest of downtown of Urumqi, with expressways linked and there are bus routes start from Hongshan Park and Youhao Shopping Arcade to the airport.

 

Geography

Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the most inland city in the world. With a total land area of 12,000 sq. km, the city is likened to a piece of emerald embedded at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. The topography of the regions surrounding Urumqi is quite complex with a considerable area of mountainous terrain. The lowest areas are in the south, central, north and northeastern sides of the city. The highest elevation near Urumqi is Bogda Peak at a height of 5445 m above the sea level (located on the suburb), while the lowest level there is at Mengjin Reservoir, just about 490.6 m, and the average altitude of downtown Urumqi is about 800 m above the sea level. Flora and fauna, forest and mineral resources are rich.

 

Climate

The temperature in Urumqi ranges widely between day and night as it belongs to the semi-arid continental climate of the mid-temperate zone. The climate is extremely arid due to long periods of sunlight and scarce rainfall. It has a shorter springs and autumns together with longer winters and summers. So May to October is the golden season for traveling to Urumqi, when flowers are in full bloom and the fruits, particularly melons, are ripe and irresistible.

The mean daily temperature in Urumqi is 6 degrees Celsius with an average annual rainfall of 236 mm, these values vary between regions. In summer heat (the highest recorded temperature is around 40 degrees Celsius), the air is rather dry so you may not feel so hot when you are walking along the street, whilst in winter it is cold and sometimes very windy. Urumqi is a place that is highly suitable for agriculture, this is due to the great difference in day- and night-time temperatures (10 to 13 degrees Celsius by average). Wind power sources are very abundant in the area also.