I didn't know how big China was until I arrived in Xinjiang, and I didn't know the beauty of Xinjiang until I arrived in Yili. Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture is located in the northwest of Xinjiang, bordering Kazakhstan. Yining, the state capital, has a border of more than 2,000 kilometers. Yili was the hub of the ancient Silk Road in history, but now it is the gateway to the west, and it is known as the south of the Great Wall and the hometown of fruits.

It occupies 3.4% of Xinjiang's land, nurtures nearly 12% of Xinjiang's population, and occupies an important position in Xinjiang and even the whole northwest region. Yili is located in vast grasslands and dense forests. 87% of its total area is suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry, and the coverage rate of grassland and forest vegetation reaches 67.7%. Yili is a frontier tourist resort with a long history and culture. The majestic Tianshan Mountains, vast grasslands, dense forests, deep lakes and canyons attract tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign guests every year.

There are the famous Gongnaisi grassland, Tamboura grassland, Nalati grassland and Zhaosu grassland. The tomb of Wusundun in the Bronze Age, the Mali site in Alari, a famous city in the western regions of Western Liao Dynasty, the Gongcheng site in the Tang Dynasty, the Godan Mountain Monument inscribed by Qianlong, the Ili General's Mansion, the Huiyuan Bell and Drum Tower, the Lin Zexu Memorial Hall and many other cultural landscapes. There is plenty of rain and a warm climate here, so it is called a wet island. Therefore, the Ili River is rich in grain, fertile land, vast grassland and fragrant fruit.