Meaning "a land of abundance" in the Uygur language, Turpan is a Xinjiang legend from every perspective.
To most Chinese, Turpan means great grapes and sweet raisins. Specifically, many Chinese people can hum the tunes of "The Grapes in Turpan have ripened" and "Alamuhan", two masterpieces from the legendary musician Wang Luobin and both related to Turban. Indeed, Wang Luobin spent a great deal of time in this oasis. Meaning "a land of abundance" in the Uygur language, Turpan is a Xinjiang legend from every perspective. This city can also be found in conditions of extreme altitude and extreme dryness, but, as they say in Xinjiang, the more sterile the land appears, the more resources you can find underground.
It's often said that when hanging clothes out during the summer in Turban, it'll have dried before you're finished. Enjoying numerous consecutive days over 40 degrees Celsius, the dry heat of Turpan's summer days infuses the city with a languid torpor relegating daytime activities to consist of mainly of drinking tea and sleeping.
Such is oasis life. The annual precipitation is only 16 mm - close to none; but you've got a rich oasis here. The secret lies in Karez well.
Karez
well was listed as one of the three greatest irrigation systems in ancient
China together with Jinghang manmade
cannel, and Dujiangyan Irrigation System. And guess what Karez means in Uygur
language? Underground.
The water from snow on Tianshan Mountain, and also underground water. The reason Karez well was built underground is to keep water from evaporation.
For most Turpan people, Karez wells still play the role of lifeline given the special weather condition. A Karez well normally consists of silo, underground and above ground canals, and water-storage dam.
There are altogether over 1000 Karez wells in Turpan basin, the total length of which would exceed that of Yangtze River, the longest river in China. The earliest construction dates back at least 1000 years ago. Karez wells are only to be found in Turpan area in Xinjiang.
Turpan is one of the hottest places in Xinjiang, but many people come here in summer to get away from the heat. Why? Because they can hide under the shade of grape trellises. In grape valley alone, the grape trellises can stretch for miles long, so it's not exaggerating to say that Turpan is really a kingdom of grapes!
The Grape Valley on the northeast outskirt of the Turpan city offers a refreshing change. About Eight kilometers long and one kilometer wide, the valley is literally covered with grape trellises like you've never seen before. The best time to visit is in summer when grapes mature. It's the time of the year even the air smells sweet and green.
People say Mr. Wang Luobin got his inspiration of this song right here in the Grape Valley! This is really a heaven for people like me who've got a sweet tooth. There're so many different kinds, we don't know which one to pick! The variety of raisins you can find here is overwhelming if not absurd. Growing grapes has almost become the lifestyle of people in Grape Valley.
The grape valley park is very beautiful out there; but I like ordinary people's home better. And Uygur people they are very hospitable, it's very easy to get yourself invited in their house and get to know their lifestyle.
Eating
the fresh, organic, home-grown melons in the cool air under the grape trellis,
it's not hard to figure out why sorrow is a foreign element in Uygur music.
Turpan was already a thriving city two thousand years ago along the ancient Silk Road. Most of Turban's most dramatic and impressive sights dot the desert surrounding the city. Jiaohe Gucheng is one of the largest, best-kept, and oldest ancient relics along the silk road.
Started around the second century B.C, the construction of Jiaohe took a time span of over seven centuries. Jiaohe prospered from fifth to eighth century, declined in the ninth century when the political center of Uygur region shifted to Gaochang and Beiting, and was finally destroyed in the 14th century by devastating fires.
This probably cannot be compared to Pathenon in Athens. But it does offer you a tangible sense of history. And facing these ruins formulated over thousand years, it makes me feel that a person's lifetime is really just a fleeting second. The city was built on a plateau about 1.6 kilometers long and 300 meters wide surrounded by cliffs. One main street running from north to south divided up the residential area. The relics of handicraft workshops and ancient tombs were also discovered in the ruins.
Flaming Mountain is made famous by the ancient Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West" and its charming hero -- The Monkey King.
In the Han account of the legend, it is said the Monkey King stirred up trouble in Heaven and kicked over the furnace for making immortality pills. Charcoals fell from the sky to where Flaming Mountain now lies -- in the middle of Turpan Basin.
However, scientific explanations cite tectonic plate movement on the Earth's surface during the formation of the Himalayas 50,000,000 years ago.
The mountain is barren and extremely hot in summer. During the trek approaching the mountain, visitors will find the soles of their shoes soften in the intense heat.
Under the relentless heat of the midday sun, the mountains radiate heat and with a dash of imagination, may appear to be on fire.
The Turpan people have also developed a unique method of medical treatment -- sand therapy. In summer, colored parasols mushroom over the sand dunes. People bury their legs or waists in the scorching sand or lie on it with their ailing parts exposed for massage, heat or magnetic treatment. As they sweat, doctors and nurses make the rounds giving direction or passing fruits and food. Lumbago or sciatica sufferers often get noted results after a period of sand treatment. Of course, covered in dirt and dust, a long shower in the hotel room becomes the order of the day.
Out of Mr. Wang's works about Turpan, the song of Alamuhan is undoubtedly the most highly regarded. The song describes vividly the beauty of Alamuhan, a Uygur girl supposedly living some 150 kilometers west to Turban.
Back to the city proper of Turban , despite the intense heat, it has been made livable by the construction of vines and grape trellises, providing avenues of shade from the sun. The heat means that no one is in a real hurry. It is pleasant just to sit in the shade with a cool drink and watch the world go by. And also I have to prepare myself for the night time, when I can have kebabs in the night market while Uygur music and dance videos blare from the vendors. Sound like great fun? You really need to come and see for yourself.
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
