From Urumqi to the east, drive eastward through Wulabo, Chaiwobao and Dabancheng to Turpan. Over the flaming mountain and through the desolate Gobi desert, we gradually saw the oasis, and Shanshan County suddenly appeared in front of us.
Shanshan is called "a city with zero distance from the desert". At the southern end of Shanshan County, there is a beautiful and charming place, where the desert is connected with the city, the oasis is accompanied by yellow sand, and birds dance with camel bells. That is the famous Kumutage desert scenery. When you come to Shanshan, you can enjoy the magical scenery of Kumutage Desert without leaving the county seat. Shashan is closely connected with the city, and at the foot of Shashan are neatly arranged rice fields. On the one hand, it is desert scenery, and on the other hand, it is beautiful in the south of the Yangtze River.
The sand dunes in Kumutage Desert have clear outline and distinct layers, smooth ridge lines, windward sand slopes like water, and back sand slopes like drainage. Miraculously, it has never invaded the direction of the county, and it has been "friendly" with the people here after years of vicissitudes. Standing in the middle of the desert, you can watch the magnificent sunrise in the desert, witness the colorful sunset stained with sand, and enjoy the magnificent scenery of "lonely smoke in the desert, long river setting the yen". In midsummer, the temperature difference between day and night in Kumutage Desert is great, and the temperature difference in midsummer can be 30-40 degrees. The desert is full of heat waves, as if burning with flames. When you come here, you will feel like you are in a sauna. It is said that sand therapy can be used here to treat various rheumatic diseases and arthritis, which has miraculous effects. Closely connected with the Kumutage Desert is a dense oasis, with towering trees green and tall, and there is a crystal clear river flowing along the sand mountain, which is refreshing.
In addition to the mysterious desert and oasis, Shanshan also has the sacred Tuyugou Grand Canyon. This grand canyon consists of four parts: Thousand Buddha Cave, Huojiamu Mazha, Uygur residential scenery and Tuyugou Grand Canyon natural scenery. The rocks there are colorful and rugged, with various peaks and mountains, and sometimes, the mountains are magnificent; Sometimes, walls stand like screens; Sometimes, it is as abrupt as a column; Sometimes, the stone is as thin as a giant knife; Sometimes, fly like a dragon; Sometimes, it runs like a beast. Walking into Tuyugou is like walking into the initial period of mankind. Every landscape you see is full of ancient style and simplicity: the house is full of heavy loess culture; This road has only a winding path less than a foot wide; No matter on walls, mountains, doors or people's faces, Cang Sang and the desolation of years are engraved everywhere. The earth keeps its virginity silently. For thousands of years, it has stood upright for so long, experienced the baptism of wind, rain and sunshine, and revealed a long-awaited power all over the body. This power is shocking, and this power is also shocking. Legend has it that the goddess of mending the sky is from here to fill the sky with five-colored stones in the south, and Jingwei also fills the sea with five-colored stones in the east. This is the place where heaven and earth meet, and you can find the feeling of the horizon here. Old, the old man returned to tens of thousands of years ago; Dignified and heavy, people cannot recite this heavy history; Poverty, poverty makes you sad; Pure, pure is fascinating.
Hami melon enjoys a high reputation overseas and originated from Shanshan East Lake. It is said that during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Qianlong tasted the tribute melon and asked the ministers where they came from. The ministers didn't know what they were talking about, and told the gentry in circles that it was made in Hami, from which they got cantaloupe. East Lake is low-lying, where snow water from Tianshan Mountain undercurrents and is intercepted by sand mountain, forming a swamp. The special geographical location makes the cantaloupe here sweet and delicious.
From East Lake to the county seat, there is a unique open space called Qingdun. Surrounded by an oasis inlaid with Jinsha Mountains, the scenery beyond the Great Wall contrasts with the water in the south of the Yangtze River, and the vision is extremely broad. Not far from here is the "Damaying" film and television city, which has successively filmed a large film "Heroes of Heaven and Earth", a TV series "The Vast Tianshan Mountains" and "Seven Swords Down the Tianshan Mountains".
Besides Qingdun, Beautiful Valley is another masterpiece endowed by nature to Shanshan. The desert scenery and the ancient Silk Road are all in it, and the beautiful legends are fascinating. Leave the hustle and bustle of the city and go deep into the Gobi, where you can find a quiet and distant place.
About Beauty Valley, there is an old legend circulating here, which makes people very interested and has some feelings. In this narrow strip, the original water plants are sweet, the blue waves in the lake are rippling, and the water is clear to the bottom. One day in mid-April, a few fairies passed by in Shanshan County during the season of putting on fur early and tulle in the afternoon. I didn't expect such beautiful scenery on earth, so I couldn't help traveling around the world. At noon, the sunshine made them sweat. They took off their clothes and played in the lake without scruple until the sun went down. An overwhelming cold wind and frost roared in all directions, instantly freezing the lake, freezing all the flowers and trees, and freezing several little fairies who had just escaped from the lake. Twelve hours later, the frost melted and several fairies were taken back to heaven. Everything has returned to its original state, except for a high colored stone with several lines of gobbledygook on it, which records the cause and reason of the cold current. Over time, the colored petrified soil became smaller and smaller, and the rivers in the valley were washed and widened. Time has forgotten history, but a cold snap in mid-April every year has not changed, which seems to remind people that there are always rules in the game and everything is regular.
Out of the Beauty Valley, we continued to run along the straight road of Shanshan, and the endless fields of Tuha Oilfield flashed in front of us. On the vast Gobi desert, we looked up and saw a piece of steel forest. Orange kowtowing machines are scattered all over the Gobi desert, telephone poles are reticulated, and there are small white houses that control the power system. The torch stands in the sky, and the flame writes the declaration of people in the sky. There are many drilling rigs, stinging the nerves deep in the earth's crust and searching for the blood of the earth. Roads, large and small, galloped by, and patrol cars, oil tankers and tool carts were busy.
Walking south from the county seat, you see the ruins of Joan Asa Castle. Starting from here, there is an endless Gobi desert in front of you, and life is daunting. At present, it is an unscrupulous blue-black Gobi. In the endless sand sea, there is a mysterious and dreamy Lop Nur. Maybe you can meet a mirage here. If you have the courage to move on, you can see the Peng Monument, and you can also see the magical landforms, sand dunes and Gobi.
The ruthless desert Gobi has created Shanshan's fierce temperament and sad connotation. Shanshan has a long history and profound connotation. Since ancient times, people have cultivated in this hot land, pointing out splendid rivers and mountains, and inspiring words, creating a scene of prosperity and full moon. The camel bell of the ancient road seems to be on this vast land, calling for the great Zeguo and stirring the vicissitudes of life in the magnificent. The voice of Jinge Tiema is no longer sonorous, the bonfire smoke is extinguished, the silk road merchants are no longer lively, but the ancient Loulan civilization has been passed down. It is a new atmosphere of outstanding people, enriching the people and being peaceful.