Xinjiang Tianshan

Inscribed in the World Heritage List by UNESCO on June 21st, 2013, Xinjiang Tianshan is a large mountain range situated in the Eurasia hinterland. Located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, the mountain spans across the whole region, through Kashgar, Aksu, Ili, Bortala, Bayingolin, Changji, Urumchi, Turpan and Kumul with a length of 1,760 kilometers.

Xinjiang Tianshan comprises four components—Tomur, Kalajun-Kuerdening, Bayinbukuke and Bogda— which total 606,833 hectares. These four components of the Xinjiang Tianshan site are widely separated and of varying characters. Among them, Tomur is the largest and has the highest peak and numerous glaciers. While for Kalajun-Kuerdening, it is covered by dense forests, wild fruit trees and montane steppe.

Because of the overall high altitudes, the best time to travel to Tianshan is in summer from June to August when there are beautiful grasslands, cattle and sheep flocks and boundless rape flowers. If you’re interested in the snow scenery, the days before December or after February would be a better choice. Come and see this heavenly view!