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Urumqi in Brief
Heaven Lake
Urumqi, formerly Dihua, is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country. With an urban population of over 2.5 million people, Urumqi, whose name means "beautiful pasture" in the Mongolian language of the Dzungar people, is the largest city in China's western interior. Since the 1990s Urumqi has developed economically and now serves as a regional transport node and commercial centre.
Geography and Climate
The largest city in the western half of the People's Republic of China,Urumqi has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. It is about 1,400 miles (2,500 km) from the nearest coastline as Urumqi is the closest major city to the Eurasian Pole of inaccessibility, although Karamay and Altay, both in Xinjiang, are closer. The city has an area of 10,989 km². The average elevation is 800 meters.
Nanshan Pasture
In Urumqi a semi-arid climate (Koppen climate classification BSk) prevails, with very large differences between summer and winter, hot summers, with a July daily average of 23.7 °C (74.7 °F), and cold winters, with a January daily average of −12.6 °C (9.3 °F). The annual average temperature is 6.9 °C (44.4 °F). Urumqi is semi-arid, with its summers slightly wetter than its winters. Yet sunny weather is more likely in the warmer months, and relative humidity is the lowest during summer. Its annual precipitation is about 290 millimetres (11.4 in). Extreme temperatures have ranged from −41.5 °C (−43 °F) to 42.1 °C (108 °F).
Silk Road and Urumqi
Because the northern route of the "Silk Road" passed through Urumqi, it became a heavily-guarded fort in the Han Dynasty, and remained so for centuries. But today, the city itself has few historical sites to offer tourists, except for the museum of the autonomous region that houses some valuable relics unearthed along the "Silk Road". An excursion to Tianchi, however, is worthwhile.
A 113-mile journey southeast from Urumqi will take you to the oasis of Turpan, which lies in one of the world's great land depressions, 505 feet below sea level. Known as a "Furnace Town", its summer temperature soars regularly into the 100s Fahrenheit, while the desert rocks are said to reach 170F. But it is well irrigated and produces much fruit such as seedless grapes and Hami melons.
Red Hill
Tianchi, or "Lake of Heaven", is about 30 miles southeast of Urumqi, at an elevation of 6,435 ft. above sea level. It is a beautiful highland lake, flanked by rugged pines and cypresses, and with clear waters that reflect the surrounding mountains. In winter, it provides an ideal alpine skating rink. In fact, China's winter skating games have been held there.
How to get there
By Air:UrUmqi is served by the Urumqi Diwopu International Airport 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the city center with regular domestic flights from Beijing, Shanghai (Hongqiao), Guangzhou, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Dunhuang, Hangzhou, Jilin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Sanya, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Xiamen, Xi'an, Xining, Yinchuan, and Zhengzhou.
Urumqi also offers flights from Almaty, Astana, Baku, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Islamabad, Kabul, Moscow (Sheremetyevo), Novosibirsk, Osh, Seoul (Incheon), Tashkent, and Tehran (Imam Khomeini).
Xinjiang destinations include Aksu, Aletai, Hotan, Kashgar, Kuche, Tacheng and Yining.
By Train: Urumqi is a rail hub of Xinjiang. It is the terminus of main line Lanxin railway. It is also the origin of the northern branch of the railway, which connects Alataw Shankou and Kazakhstan. There is also a high-speed rail line under construction, which will connect Urumqi with other major Chinese cities due for operation in 2014.
