Nanshan Scenic Area (Banfanggou / Xibaiyanggou)
Urumqi's back garden, where snow peaks, spruces, and Kazakh grasslands unfold in layers through the folds of the Southern Mountains
Visitor info
- Opening hours
- 09:00-19:00
- Ticket
- approx. CNY 30-45 per gully
Price is indicative — final quote on inquiry.
Urumqi's back garden, where snow peaks, spruce forests, and Kazakh grasslands unfold in layers through the folds of the Southern Mountains. The Xibaiyanggou (West White Poplar Gully) waterfall tumbles from the cliffs; Juhuatai (Chrysanthemum Terrace) alpine meadows are carpeted with wildflowers in summer, and Muxutai offers wide open views. On a Kazakh yurt home visit you can hear the dombra and taste milk tea and hand-grabbed lamb, and horseback riding up the mountain is a classic experience. About 40km from downtown, doable as a day trip; autumn, with forests ablaze in color, is the most beautiful season.
Getting there: Self-drive from Urumqi / shuttle bus (approx. 40km)
Photos
More in Urumqi
- Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
Completed in 2003, the world's largest grand bazaar; its Islamic-style building complex and 80m observation tower form Urumqi's most striking landmark
- Erdaoqiao Folk Customs Street
An old Uyghur-inhabited shopping district contiguous with the Grand Bazaar, long known as 'Xinjiang's First Street'
- Hongshan Park
Urumqi's city emblem: the Red Hill Pagoda at the summit, a nine-story dragon-suppressing pagoda built in 1788 under Qing emperor Qianlong; the ochre hill set against green shade forms the famous 'Red Hill Sunset' scene
- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum
The grand repository of Xinjiang's history and culture: the 3,800-year-old 'Loulan Beauty' mummy and Xiaohe Cemetery artifacts lift the veil on the ancient kingdoms of Lop Nur
- Shaanxi Grand Mosque (Khan Tengri Mosque area)
A mosque funded by Shaanxi and Gansu Hui Muslims in the Qing dynasty and a representative of Chinese palace-style mosques — its upturned-eaved great hall resembles inland temples yet serves as a prayer hall, a testament to multiculturalism taking root in Urumqi
- Xinjiang People's Theater
A Soviet-style theater completed in 1955 whose facade blends Islamic decorative art — a performing-arts landmark of Urumqi