This Autumn, Head to Northern Xinjiang!
roughly dividing Xinjiang into northern and southern parts
with the area north of the Tianshan Mountains
(Satellite image of Xinjiang, roughly divided into southern and northern Xinjiang by the Tianshan Mountains, mapped by Chen Zhihao & Wang Shenwen/Planet Research Institute)
seemingly sharing similar locations and terrains
Northern Xinjiang boasts vastly different landscapes
deserts, poplar trees, camel bells, and ancient roads
form many people's first impression of Xinjiang
while Northern Xinjiang is humid, cold, three-dimensional, and diverse
(Aerial view of Sayram Lake, photographer: Fu Ding)
(Forest near Kanas Yaze Lake, photographer: Guo Jihua)
anchored at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert
galloping freely across grasslands in all seasons
(Please view horizontally, flocks of sheep belonging to Kazakh herders in the Altai Mountains, photographer: Hou Ruxuan)
repeatedly surpassing people's imagination of the Northwest
it starts with the "four major elements" shaping Northern Xinjiang
the first element shaping Northern Xinjiang is
formed by the amalgamation of several different landmasses
the contact zones between landmasses are orogenic belts
among them, the Tianshan Mountains in central Xinjiang
have peaks mostly exceeding 4,000 meters in elevation
(Please view horizontally, Tianshan Mountains, photographer@Dreamland)
The mountain peaks are mostly over 3,000 meters in elevation.
(Altai Mountains, photographer@Wu Jing)
The grand pattern of "two mountains sandwiching a basin" in Northern Xinjiang was thus formed.
(Please view horizontally, Northern Xinjiang terrain illustration, cartography@Wang Shenwen & Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)
Cutting the mountain mass into countless "fault blocks."
Forming intermountain basins and low hills.
Making the topography of Northern Xinjiang more three-dimensional and diverse.
(Looking toward the Mingsha Mountain and Tianshan Mountains from the Barkol Basin, ascending step by step from near to far, with distinct layers, photographer@Feixiang)
Blocking moisture from the surrounding oceans.
Sediments deposited by rivers and lakes and silt carried by the wind.
(The desert of Mulei Mingsha Mountain, photographer@Cool Bird Wei Jian)
(The distance between Urumqi in Northern Xinjiang and the four major oceans, cartography@Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)
And the northwest-southeast trending Altai Mountains.
Making Northern Xinjiang like a "big pocket" open to the west.
Roughly between 40°N and 50°N latitude.
(The movement direction of prevailing westerlies in Northern Xinjiang, showing high-altitude winds in the diagram; winds entering through mountain gaps are at lower altitudes, cartography@Chen Zhihao/Planet Research Institute)
Local pressure differences can also cause strong winds.
The Venturi effect makes the winds even fiercer.
(The old wind gap of Mayitas in Tacheng, photographer@Hao Pei)
Carving rocks into unique shapes
(Please view horizontally, Urho Ghost City, photographer @ Zhao Yongqing)
The wind brings the third element shaping Northern Xinjiang
From the Atlantic Ocean thousands of kilometers away
Additionally, the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Arctic Ocean, and other regions
Can produce snowfall vast enough to cover the entire surface
(Winter snowfall in Yili Tekes, photographer @ Hao Pei)
(Please view horizontally, vegetation in the Yili Valley covered in rime, photographer @ Chen Jie)
The numerous peaks of the Tianshan and Altai Mountains
All exceed elevations of 3,000 meters
(Glacial natural bridge at the foot of Bogda Peak, photographer @ Hao Pei)
Their mountain precipitation surpasses that of the Kunlun Mountains in Southern Xinjiang
Contributing over 70% of the annual runoff in mountain rivers
Often forming large-scale surface runoff
(Rivers formed by melting snow and ice in the Tianshan Mountains, photographer @ Zhao Laiqing)
(Kanas River, photographer @ Du Pengfei)
Converging into larger rivers within the basin
It is China's only river that flows into the Arctic Ocean
(Irtysh River, photographer @ Alan in the Distance)
Losing restraint on the flat land
Zigzagging and winding its way forward
(The Ulungur River, photographed by Chu Wenwen)
(The granite of the Altai Mountains carved by rivers, forming canyons, photographed by Tong Lin)
Or across flat and desolate land
(The Kuitun Grand Canyon, photographed by Zhang Bo)
(The Anjihai Grand Canyon, photographed by Xiang Yue)
Representing several glacial activities in geological history
(Kanas Lake, photographed by Li Xiang)
(Kanas Lake, photographed by Wang Ning)
Like shattered mirrors scattered in the mountains
(Please view horizontally, Twin Lakes in the Kanas region, photographed by Hao Pei)
Akekule Lake at the foot of Friendship Peak
Located at the confluence of two glacial valleys
Resembling the Chinese character "人" (person)
(Akekule Lake, photographed by Li Xiang)
These glacial lakes formed by unique terrain
While lakes formed by land subsidence
Covering an area of 460 square kilometers
(Please view horizontally, aerial view of Sayram Lake and Guozigou Bridge, photographed by Hao Pei)
Barkol Lake in a high mountain basin
(Barkol Lake, photo by Chen Jianfeng)
also created conditions for the prosperity of life
Due to the long winters and cold climate
most herbaceous plants in northern Xinjiang are "short-lived"
When the first breath of spring arrives
they collectively bloom, pollinate, and bear fruit in a frenzy
within just one or two months
(Tangbula Grassland in Ili, photo by Hao Pei)
gave rise to a special type of coniferous forest
dominated by Siberian spruce, fir, and Korean pine
stretching from the Arctic tundra to northern China
a typical forest type in Arctic cold environments
In China, it is only found in the Altai Mountains and Greater Khingan Range
Summer forests are lush and mysteriously secluded
(Forest along the Kanas River, photo by Liang Jiajin)
(Autumn forest around Hemu Village, photo by Wang Ning)
(Autumn in Kanas, with some trees in the forest already covered in snow, photo by Wang Ning)
(Winter forest in Kanas, photo by Yao Lu)
Wetlands such as rivers, lakes, and marshes
account for nearly 70% of all vertebrate species
yet finds joy in the environment of Northern Xinjiang
(Rock Ptarmigan in the Altai Mountains, photographer: Wang Zheng)
The pink starling with its peculiar "hairstyle"
(Pink starlings in Tacheng region, photographer: Liu Lu)
Second only to birds are mammals
The drought-adapted goitered gazelles running freely
(Goitered gazelle, photographer: Liu Gang)
lives the rarely seen beaver
The Burgen Beaver National Nature Reserve in Northern Xinjiang
is the only place in China where they can be found
(Burgen beaver, photographer: Chu Wenwen)
accounting for only 0.76% of vertebrate species
allowing Northern Xinjiang to preserve ancient relict species
(Xinjiang salamander, photographer: Hu Weibin)
making the landscapes and life of Northern Xinjiang unique
North of the Tianshan Mountains and south of the Altai Mountains
(Please view horizontally, galloping horses on Zhaosu grassland, photographer: Hao Pei)
leaving only a series of unfamiliar names
and a few weathered, blurred stone figures
(Adunquelu stone figures from the Sui-Tang period in Bortala's Wenquan County, photographer: Liu Yusheng)
Driving them to travel back and forth between mountains and plains
Entering the summer pastures hidden deep in the mountain valleys
(Please view horizontally, herding in the Altai Mountains, photographer @Hu Haiqing)
This is the most magnificent nomadic landscape in northern Xinjiang
(Please view horizontally, Kazakh herders driving sheep during migration, photographer @Tao Hong)
These places became the "winter shelters" for herders and their flocks
(Please view horizontally, sheep being herded into pens in winter, photographer @Lai Yuning)
Making the settlers also diverse in their ways
Kazakh people transitioning from nomadism to settlement
(An elderly Kazakh making naan in Qiongkushitai Village, photographer @Liang Jiajin)
Han Chinese chose the oases at the foot of the mountains
Turning vast grasslands into golden wheat fields
(Wheat fields in Jiangbulake, photographer @Zhao Laiqing)
Building cabins with wood from the forests
(The Tuvan people of Hemu Village hold goat-pulling competitions every year, photographer @Shehu)
Waves of western development surged one after another
Explorers and builders arrived
For what they sought was not water
But rare metal minerals buried deep underground
As well as coal, oil, and natural gas
Created abundant mineral resources in Northern Xinjiang
(No. 3 Pit of Koktokay, photographer: Yan Dawei)
Built a never-sleeping machine castle
(Karamay, photographer: Xianyu)
(Please view horizontally, Urumqi City at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, photographer: Baoge)
Northern Xinjiang can be snow-capped mountains, forests, and grasslands
Interlocked by mountains, wind, water, and people
(Please view horizontally, Hemu Village surrounded by autumn, photographer: Li Wenbo)
P.S. Main references for this article:
[1] Xiao Xuchang et al. Crustal Structure and Geological Evolution of Xinjiang, China[M]. Geological Publishing House, 2010.
[2] Yang Lipu. Overview of Xinjiang's Comprehensive Physical Regionalization[M]. Science Press, 1987.
[3] Zhou Yuchao. Hydrological Water Resources of Xinjiang's Rivers[M]. Xinjiang Science, Technology, and Health Publishing House, 1999.
[4] Wang Xiqun et al. Comprehensive Scientific Survey of the Koktokay Wetland Nature Reserve in the Irtysh River, Xinjiang[M]. China Forestry Publishing House, 2017.