I Wanna Climb to the Sky... Mountain
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(Cen Shen's "Snow Song of Tianshan Mountains: Seeing Off Xiao Zhi Returning to the Capital")
It is one of the few super mountain ranges in the world
(Aerial view of the Tianshan Mountains, image source @NASA, please view horizontally)
Northern Tianshan, Central Tianshan, Southern Tianshan
(Location of the Tianshan Mountains, map by Gong Xiangjie/Planet Research Institute)
"The bright moon rises over the Tianshan Mountains, amidst the vast sea of clouds"
(Tianshan Mountains under the moon, image source @NASA)
Here, water vapor converges, ecosystems thrive, and civilizations blend
Among the three major mountain chains that form the Tianshan Mountains
Northern Tianshan, Central Tianshan, and Southern Tianshan
The main peak, Tomur Peak, stands at 7,443 meters above sea level
(View of Tomur Peak from the Aksu direction, photographer @Song Wenjun, please view horizontally)
The second-highest peak, echoing from afar
(Distant view of Khan Tengri Peak, photographer @Xiaoqiang Xiansen)
When reaching the easternmost Kuruktag Mountains
The elevation drops to only 1,000-2,000 meters
(Kuruktag Mountains, photographer @Wen Xinghua)
The western section, the Yilianhabirga Mountains, boasts competing peaks of beauty
(Yilianhabirga Mountains, photographer @Chen Jianfeng)
(Bogda Peak, "Bogda" means "deity" in Mongolian, photographer @ Zhong Yue)
The average elevation here is only 3,000 meters
(Southern suburbs of Urumqi, eastern section of the Middle Tianshan Mountains, photographer @ Ye Changchun)
Three parallel mountain ranges—southern, northern, and central—stretch in sequence
Interspersed with numerous large and small intermountain basins
Some reach elevations of over 2,000 meters
(Inside the Yuldus Basin, photographer @ Wang Hanbing)
Ayding Lake in the Turpan-Hami Basin
Even boasts a "negative elevation" of -154.43 meters
(The above data refers to the lake surface elevation; the image below shows the Yardang landform in Nanshawo, Hami Basin, Xinjiang, photographer @ Lu Quanguo)
Forming the intricate basin-mountain system of the Tianshan Mountains
Giving it an average north-south width of 300 kilometers
(View of the Tianshan Mountains from the Baicheng Basin, photographer @ Wen Xinghua)
A grand east-west corridor has been established
Now it's time for the protagonists to take the stage
The Tianshan Mountains lie deep inland, far from the sea
(From Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan's "Song of Liangzhou")
"Why should the Qiang flute lament the willow? The spring breeze never reaches the Jade Gate Pass."
(The Kumtag Desert and Flaming Mountain echo each other in Turpan, photographer @ Lu Quanguo)
Intercepting warm, moist air currents moving northward from the Indian Ocean
Gave birth to the largest desert in China
Average annual precipitation does not exceed 100 millimeters
(Water scarcity is one of the necessary conditions for desert formation; the image below shows the Taklamakan Desert south of the Tianshan Mountains, photographer @Zhang Yang's Xiaoqiang, please view horizontally)
Basically "has no connection with water"
Air currents pass through the flat Central Asian grasslands
A water vapor corridor from west to east is thus formed
(Main sources of water vapor in the Tianshan region, and distribution of glaciers and water systems, illustration by @Zhang Jing & Gong Xiangjie/Planet Research Institute)
The arrival of water completely transformed the environment here
The Tianshan Mountains cover only 16% of Xinjiang's area
Yet their annual precipitation accounts for nearly half of the region's total
(Dushanzi Grand Canyon, photographer @Zhang Zirong)
(Gullies formed by rivers on the surface, with Mount Kabanbay in the distance, photographer @Wen Xinghua)
Eventually forming spectacular canyon landscapes
(Colorful Anjihai Grand Canyon, photographer @He Xiaoqing)
(Oyitake Colorful Hill Landform, photographer @Xiaoqiang Xiansen)
(Alluvial fans formed by rivers at the mountain front, photographer @Li Hanjun)
In winter, the Tianshan Mountains can accumulate up to 10 billion cubic meters of snow
(Snow-covered mountains near Daleng Daban in Hejing County, Tianshan, photographer @Wen Xinghua, please view horizontally)
There are a total of 7,934 glaciers of various sizes
With the highest concentration in the Tomur-Khan Tengri area
(The above data comes from the Second Glacier Inventory; the image below shows glaciers beneath Khan Tengri Peak, photographed by Li Xiang)
(An ice cave formed by glaciers in the Bogda Mountains, photographed by Hou Ruxuan)
Nurturing over 370 rivers within Xinjiang
(The Ili River Valley, photographed by Liu Chen)
(The Kaidu River, photographed by Chen Jianfeng)
Forming the largest freshwater lake in the Tianshan Mountains
(Bosten Lake, photographed by Wang Hanbing)
And the most famous alpine lake in the Tianshan Mountains
Is undoubtedly Sayram Lake at an elevation of 2,071.9 meters
Streams converge here from the surrounding high mountains
(Sayram Lake, photographed by Silent Swordheart)
Glaciers retreated toward the mountaintops tens of thousands of years ago
(Heavenly Lake of Tianshan, photographed by Lü Wei)
Despite being located in one of China's driest regions
The Tianshan Mountains have built a corridor of water here
They stretch from the plains at the foothills on both the northern and southern sides
The starting zone below 1,000 meters in elevation is a desert belt
(Desert vegetation at Mingsha Mountain in Mulei County on the northern side of Tianshan, photographed by Li Xueliang)
The heart of the Taklamakan Desert on the southern foothills of Tianshan
Is the 400,000-acre Luntai Poplar Forest
(Populus euphratica by the river, photographer @Yao Lu)
Reaching elevations above 1000 meters
(Zhaosu grassland, photographer @Liu Chen)
Mountain coniferous forests gradually dominate the landscape
Unlike the "blooming flowers" of eastern China
The forests of the Tianshan Mountains are almost entirely composed of a single tree species
(Schrenk's spruce forest, photographer @Qin Jian)
Stretching over 1800 kilometers from east to west
(Karakorum Schrenk's spruce forest, photographer @Donkey Dada, please view horizontally)
(Gongnaisi National Forest Park in Hejing County, Xinjiang, where forests and grasslands alternate to form so-called "mosaic forests," photographer @Wang Hanbing)
The towering and profound Schrenk's spruce forests may seem too solemn
Nature has adorned the Tianshan Mountains with even more colors
Wild apples, apricots, and walnuts bloom in competition
(Ili apricot blossoms, photographer @Yao Lu)
As the altitude rises to 2000-3000 meters
It transitions into subalpine and alpine meadow zones
(Karakorum grassland, photographer @Wan Rui)
(Karakorum "Human Body Grassland," photographer @Liu Chen)
Continuing upward from the alpine grasslands
(Tianshan snow lotus beneath Bogda Peak, photographer @Hou Ruxuan)
Desert, grassland, forest, meadow
(Schematic diagram of vegetation distribution in the Tianshan region, map by Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)
Gathering over 7,000 wild swans
It is the largest swan reserve in the country
(Swans in Bayanbulak Wetland, photographer Wang Jing)
Snow leopards, lynxes, red foxes, Himalayan snowcocks, and others
Can all find their place here
(Red fox in Bayanbulak, photographer Wen Xinghua)
Life comes and goes along this corridor of the Tianshan Mountains
But the most spectacular performance comes from humans
A corridor of civilization is about to emerge
Humans expanded their territories north and south of the Tianshan Mountains
Forming a vast and complex system of passages
(The Tianshan corridor includes roads in all directions, forming a network, map by Gong Xiangjie/Planet Research Institute, please view horizontally)
To ally with the Dayuezhi, Wusun, and other states
Emperor Wu of Han dispatched Zhang Qian twice on missions to the Western Regions
The first route opened was the Southern Tianshan Road
It was also part of the "Silk Road"
(The Silk Road started from Yumen Pass near Dunhuang and headed west; the image below shows the ruins of Yumen Pass, photographer Tang Xiaoliu)
Adjacent to the Kumtag and Taklamakan deserts
Along the way, sandstorms filled the sky and water sources were scarce
(Kumtag Desert, photographer: Shui Dongqing)
Connecting the Yumen Pass and the Turpan Basin
Eastern princesses once traveled this route to marry into the Wusun tribe
Ferghana horses also arrived in Chang'an via this road
(Ruins of Yiwanquan Post in Hami, Xinjiang, photographer: Lu Quanguo)
There were also the Northern Tianshan Route and the Central Tianshan Route
Traveling along grasslands or river valleys
Once the main roads connecting the Western Regions
(From "Frontier Songs: No. 1" by Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty)
"In May, the Tianshan snow lingers, no flowers, only chill remains"
Long before the birth of the "Silk Road"
This area had already been used by nomadic tribes
And connected to the grassland routes of Mongolia and Central Asia
Eastern and Western peoples met and blended here
Only inconspicuous mounds and stone statues remain
(Grassland stone statues, photographer: Lai Yuning)
Chinese silk was transported to the Mediterranean
(Even earlier, wheat was introduced to China via this route. Below: harvested wheat fields, photographer: Lai Yuning)
Also entered China through these routes
Cave murals and statue art originating from India
(Distribution of major Thousand Buddha Caves in the Tianshan region, map by Gong Xiangjie/Planet Research Institute)
A statue of Kumarajiva, who once practiced here
(Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, photographer@Fang Thomas)
The culture of Buddhist caves spread eastward with monks from the Western Regions
(Murals at the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves near the Flaming Mountains, photographer@Li Wenbo)
To the Maijishan, Yungang, and Longmen Grottoes
A long religious corridor gradually took shape
(Longmen Grottoes, photographer@Li Wenbo)
Meanwhile, monks from the East also traveled westward along this route
Faxian of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty
Both journeyed to India through the Tianshan corridor
Even shaping the entire civilization of East Asia
Islam later spread along the same corridor
(The cenotaph of the Fragrant Concubine, photographer@Fang Thomas)
The Western Regions once fascinated ancient people
And still hold endless charm today
Beyond serving as a passage for East-West exchange
The Tianshan Mountains also mark a boundary between two civilizations
Nurturing the nomadic peoples of the steppe
Numerous small city-states relying on agriculture emerged
(Wubao Township in Hami City is an oasis surrounded by the Gobi Desert, containing the ancient city of Lafuqueke, a settlement site from the Han and Tang dynasties, photographer: Chen Jianfeng)
Thus forming several ancient north-south routes traversing the Tianshan Mountains
The Xiongnu royal court to the north of the mountains, the Han Chinese forces to the south
Countless bloody battles once took place on these ancient roads
(Ruins of the ancient city of Gaochang at the foot of the Flaming Mountains, photographer: Li Xueliang)
Including north-south routes like Baishui Valley and Wugu
Most of them have now vanished without a trace
(Jushi Ancient Road, photographer: Alan in the Distance)
Making the passage through here fraught with danger
Among them, the most treacherous is the Xiaote Ancient Road
Passing along the foot of towering snow-capped peaks
(Xiaote Ancient Road, photographer: Li Wenbo)
Winding its way through the snow-covered high mountains
(Wusun Ancient Road, photographer: Liu Lingbo)
When the Qing Empire established Xinjiang Province
Conflicts between ethnic groups finally came to an end
But the outside world had already undergone dramatic changes
The Silk Road gradually declined
The Tianshan Corridor also lost its significance
Witnessing the past, whether flourishing or filled with the clamor of war
(Dundun Mountain Beacon Tower in Hami, Xinjiang, photographer: Lu Quanguo)
During the decade from 1952 to 1962
It became a major east-west artery of New China
The Lanzhou-Xinjiang High-Speed Railway opened in 2014 along this route
Stands as a testament to the speed of a new era
(Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway, photographer: Zheng Feiyuan)
The Southern Xinjiang Railway connecting Turpan and Korla
Became a vital trunk line linking the eastern and western parts of the Tianshan Mountains
Passing through what was once the Southern Route of the Tianshan
(Wust Zhanxian on the Kui Xian Daban section of the Southern Xinjiang Railway, photographer: Wang Tiancheng)
(Major highways near the Tianshan Mountains, map by Gong Xiangjie/Planet Research Institute)
National Highway 312, stretching directly from Shanghai to Ili
Was the earliest modern highway across the Tianshan
Running through Hami, Urumqi, and reaching Ili
It is virtually the modern version of the Northern Route of the Tianshan
(Lianhuo Expressway and National Highway 312 at the Flaming Mountain section, photographer: Li Baomin)
(Along National Highway 314, photographer: Song Wenjun)
(Gongnaisi section of National Highway 218, photographer: Wen Xinghua)
Over the nearly ten years from 1974 to 1983
From Dushanzi in the north of the mountains to Kuqa in the south
The PLA road construction troops cut through mountains to build roads
Constructing the extremely challenging Duku Highway
All traversing mountains over 2,000 meters above sea level
(Duku Highway, photographer @ Hou Ruxuan)
The camel caravans and horse teams that once traveled this road
A convoy composed of Volkswagen Touareg vehicles
This name originates from the Tuareg tribe
In the world's largest desert, the Sahara
Remarkably found resonance beside China's largest desert
But nothing could stop the Touareg's relentless advance
Another masterpiece in the luxury SUV segment
The new Touareg is equipped with the 4MOTION® permanent all-wheel-drive system
Effortlessly handling all road conditions
With 12 automatically switching lighting modes
Easily illuminating mountain roads under the night sky
As the first Volkswagen import model featuring a night vision system
It can even detect biological activity in darkness
Through infrared cameras
Significantly enhancing nighttime driving safety
Integrating most function buttons onto the display screen
Achieving convenient, rapid, and accurate control of road information
The collision of new-era technology with the ancient Tianshan Corridor
As if the two ends of the road connect not just two locations
But also link humanity's past and future
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With the construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative
The Tianshan Corridor serves as a key node along the route
(The treacherous roads of Tianshan, the spirit of pioneers endures; below is an illustration of the Duku Highway traversing Tianshan and its surrounding scenic belt, mapped by Zhang Jing/Planet Research Institute)
P.S. Main references for this article: Hu Ruji's "Physical Geography of China's Tianshan", Mansur Shabiti's "Geography of Xinjiang", Huang Jianhua's "Civilization of the Western Silk Road", Huang Xiufang's "The Silk Road", Liu Yanqun's "Transportation in Xinjiang", etc.