The
Turpan Depression, 180
kilometers southeast of
Urumqi in the east part
of Xinjiang, is one of
the few places in the
world that are below sea
level.
The depression is a
long, narrow stretch of
land, fifty thousand
square kilometers in
area, with Bogda
Mountain on the north
and Kuruktag Mountain on
the south. There is a
salt lake in the
depression, Aydingkol
Lake, where the
crystallized salt
surface is 154 meters
below sea level. Another
memorable sight is Fiery
Mountain, which was
described in the
classical novel Journey
to the West as one of
the most dangerous
obstacles in the path of
Monk Xuan Zang and his
disciples as they
traveled west to obtain
the Buddhist sutra. This
mountain, which spreads
out for fifty
kilometers, is formed of
red sandstone that glows
red in the sun. Because
of the drastic
(five-thousand-meter)
difference in height
between the mountaintop
and the bottom of the
depression, the scenery,
too, varies greatly at
different altitudes-from
perpetual snow at the
summits to green oases
at the foot of the
mountains. After a long
journey from the desert,
tourists are always
fascinated with the
strange beauty of the
depression with its
snow-capped mountains,
its salt lake, and
particularly its Fiery
Mountains.
Turpan is not only
special for its low
altitude, but also for
its strange climate. In
summer, the temperature
can reach as high as
47ºC (117ºF), while on
the surface of the sand
dunes, it may well be
82℃ (180℉). It is no
exaggeration to say that
you can bake a cake in
the hot sand. The
average annual rainfall
is little more than ten
millimeters; sometimes
there is not a drop of
rain for ten months at a
stretch. Days are
exceptionally sunny
throughout the year; nut
people say it is not
difficult to endure the
heat of the day when you
known the night will be
cool.
The hot, dry climate is
especially beneficial to
sugar crops. Fruit
trees, melons, and
particularly grapes grow
very well in the Turpan
Depression. Every year,
more than a thousand
tons of grapes are
exported to foreign
countries.
Turpan used to be an
important strategic
point on the Silk Road.
As early as two thousand
years ago, a town called
Jiaohe was built forty
kilometers from today’s
town of Turpan. Jiaohe
then was the capital of
the Outer Cheshi
Kingdom. During the
first century, Jiaohe
came under the rule of
the Han Dynasty. During
the sixth century,
Turpan was under the
administration of
Gaochang Kingdom. During
the reign of Emperor Tai
Zong (626-649), the
Gaochang Kingdom was
conquered by the Tang
Dynasty, and Turpan
again became a frontier
town of China, serving
as a stopover for
merchants, monks, and
other travelers on their
way to the west. |