Tianshan Mountain Scenic Area is divided into five categories: Baishitou, Mingsha Mountain, Songshutang, Tianshan Temple, and Hanqigou. During the 70 kilometer journey from the city center along the Haba Highway to the Tianshan Scenic Area, one can enjoy five natural landscapes: oases, deserts, grasslands, forests, and snow capped peaks.
Heaven Lake (Tianchi Lake)
Heaven Lake, also named Tianchi 天池 in Chinese, is located in Hami prefecture of Xinjiang. It is about100km east of Ürümqi – the starting point of Vikram Seth's book From Heaven Lake – almost lives up to its name, especially for travellers who have spent a long time in the deserts of northwest China.
At the cool, refreshing height of 2000m, the Heaven Lake is surrounded by grassy meadows, steep, dense pine forests and jagged snow-covered peaks, including the mighty Bogda Peak, which soars to over 6000 meters.
The nicest feature of the area is that you can wander at will. There are no restrictions on accommodation (most people stay in yurts, with the semi-nomadic Kazakh population), and there is virtually limitless hiking. You need only to watch the weather – bitterly cold in winter, the lake is really only accessible during the summer months, May to September.
Tianshan Temple
It is located at the top of the Tianshan Mountains, with the full name of "Tianshan Guandi Temple". It was first built during the Tang Dynasty and has an altitude of about 2700 meters.
Tianshan Temple, located at the throat of the Northern New Silk Road, is closely related to the history of the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties in managing the Western Regions. There are many couplets in the original temple. Named after the construction of the Guandi Temple on the top of the Tianshan Mountains in the 51st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1786 AD). The current Tianshan Temple retains three empty halls with brick and wood structures and a broken monument. Thus, people today have the lament of "broken temples and broken steles reflecting snow and cold".
There was originally a small house next to the temple, which housed inscriptions from the Han, Tang, and Qing dynasties, and the Tang Dynasty's Jiang Xing stele was one of them. Standing at the top of the mountain, overlooking the winding mountain road, one can have a panoramic view of Mingsha Mountain and Barkol Grassland. Along the way, there are mirages, beacon stations, Han Bei Tang temples, pasture felt houses, and deer herds, which can be said to blend the charm of the Silk Road and the characteristics of the Western Regions.
Tianshan Scenic Area has been under development and construction since 1995. In 1997, it was designated as an autonomous region level scenic spot by the People's Government of the autonomous region, and in 2001, it was promoted to a national AAA level scenic spot.
Travel Tips
Address: Tianshan National Forest Park, Yizhou District, Hami City, Xinjiang Region
Telephone: 0902-6858111
Opening hours: 8:00-17:00 throughout the year
Admission ticket: CNY 25