Snow-capped mountains, vast grasslands, lush forests, winding rivers, grazing cattle and sheep, and wooden cottages… These are the impressions many people have of Switzerland.
However, there is a place in China that, during the summer, boasts scenery that rivals that of Switzerland. It is Ili, located in Xinjiang.
You may have heard the saying, “You don’t know how vast China is until you visit Xinjiang, and you don’t know how beautiful Xinjiang is until you visit Ili.” But if you haven’t seen Ili in the summer, you haven’t truly experienced its unparalleled beauty!
Ili has now entered its most beautiful season, waiting for your arrival!
In the summer, the Ili River Valley becomes a place of endless scenic wonders.
Plateaus, forests, blue skies, white clouds, snow-capped mountains, lakes…
Starry skies, deserts, sunsets, yurts, wooden cottages, pastures…
In May, you can admire the apricot blossoms; in June, the lavender is in full bloom; and in July, you can catch the opening of the Duku Highway.
All those dreamy landscapes and stunning colors come to life during this season.
Kalajun Grassland – The beauty of curves in light and shadow
Sayram Lake – Pure to the point of breathtaking
Guozigou Bridge – Simple yet magnificent
Bayinbuluke – Sunset amidst the winding curves
1.Stunning Colors
Apricot blossoms, red flowers, lavender, perilla, rapeseed flowers, sunflowers…
The flower fields not only showcase beautiful colors but also offer a sense of vastness and awe due to their immense scale.
▼Nalati Grassland
Nalati Grassland has been a famous pasture since ancient times.
With an average altitude of 2,200 meters, it is also known as the “grassland in the sky.”
Every summer is the most beautiful time here.
In addition to the sweet scrolls composed of forests and mountain springs, there is also a simple charm of life hidden here.
This is because it is also the home of the Kazakh nomads for generations.
If you have been to Xinjiang, you will know how exhilarating it is to gallop on the Nalati Grassland, how enchanting the brightest star in the night sky is, and how spirited the eagles in the sky are…
The Nalati Grassland has an average altitude of over 2,000 meters, with the sapphire blue sky meeting the majestic mountaintops, earning it the title of “grassland in the sky.”
Scattered with mountain springs, streams, and rivers, and set against the backdrop of herds of cattle and sheep and white Mongolian yurts, the grassland scenery is endless and intoxicating.
▼Kalajun
This is a vast grassland praised for “possessing the curves of the human body.”
The undulating mountains and the pristine curves possess a profound and unique beauty.
This is a typical mountain meadow grassland, backed by towering snow-capped mountains. The grassland is lush with green grass. You can ride a steed and roam freely in the undulating green ocean, feeling the coolness and dispelling the summer heat.
Coming to the Kalajun Grassland in summer is like entering a sea of flowers, with various wildflowers blooming and competing, resembling countless stars scattered across the mountains and fields, creating a colorful and beautiful sight.
▼Qiongkushitai Village
his is a small village surrounded by mountains on all sides and built along the water.
Here, you can see the most primitive and characteristic nomadic architectural complex.
Most of the small wooden houses in the village are well-preserved, with some having a history of over a hundred years, bearing the marks of time.
Almost all the houses are wooden structures, some even built with whole logs, with the bark left intact on the sheds.
▼Tangbula Grassland
The Tangbula Grassland is a completely different world.
The twilight shines on this vast grassland, dividing the nearby cattle, sheep, and forests, and the distant snow-capped mountains and plateaus into a dreamy world shrouded in mist.
Entering the Tangbula Valley, the carpet-like pastures stretch from the alpine spruce forest down to the valley floor, with the rushing Kashi River in the middle. White yurts dot the banks, creating a picturesque and verdant scene.
▼Guozigou
Guozigou is known as the “First Scenic Spot of Ili.”
In the hearts of many travelers, it is the most beautiful valley in western Xinjiang during spring and summer.
Various wild fruit trees are scattered on the hillsides, the forests on the mountain ridges are boundless, and the rivers flow endlessly through the valleys…
▼Sayram Lake
(Note: Sayram Lake is located in Bole City, adjacent to Ili Prefecture)
Sayram Lake is one of the lakes with the highest transparency in China, anciently known as the “Pure Sea.”
It is also known as “the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean.”
This is the highest and largest alpine cold water lake in Xinjiang, equivalent in size to 70 West Lakes.
From afar, the entire lake looks like a crystal-clear blue sapphire, embedded in the alpine meadows.
Everything is so pure.
It forms a perfect painting in combination with the surrounding snow-capped mountains, pastures, meadows, and forests.
▼Kuerdenin
Kuerdenin is a wide valley running north-south between the mountains.
What makes it unique is that while most valleys follow the direction of the mountains, this wide valley runs parallel to the snow-capped mountains.
Here, wildflowers are in full bloom, grasslands and forests intertwine, deep gorges and wide valleys alternate, meadows and shrubs are interspersed, cattle and sheep roam, and herds of horses gallop, presenting a moving scene of “wind blowing through the grassland, revealing cattle and sheep” everywhere.
2.Western China Charm
▼Kazanqi
In this folk village, even the light and shadows are extremely beautiful.
I believe everyone has such a pure blue color deep in their hearts.
It preserves the most authentic life of the Uyghur people in northern Xinjiang, with a strong folk culture and unique traditions.
You can even participate in a lively Uyghur wedding.
Kazanqi is called a scenic spot, but it doesn’t feel like one.
There is no need to buy tickets, no walls, no gates, and it is home to over 100,000 people.
The aroma of milk tea wafts from the colorful and ancient-looking houses.
Amidst the roaring and honking on the streets, you can also hear the crisp sound of bells.
▼Tekes Bagua City
Looking at this photo, you might think it’s the beginning of some American blockbuster movie.
In fact, this is a small county town in Ili Prefecture and also the largest and most complete Bagua City in the world.
The entire county town was founded in 1937, with a layout resembling a giant Bagua formation, like a maze.
It is said that people who come here for the first time easily get lost.
Due to its unique Bagua layout, it was once the only city in China without traffic lights. (Now it has them)
The roads are interconnected, the streets are linked, and the traffic flows smoothly.
▼Ili General’s Mansion
During the Qing Dynasty, the Ili General was the highest position in the Xinjiang region.
This is a well-preserved Qing Dynasty official residence, with several Qing Dynasty buildings and Beijing-style quadrangle courtyards.
Halls, winding corridors, a small general’s pavilion, and majestic stone lions…
They are quietly waiting for people to explore.
▼Western China Cuisine
The night market stalls in any small town in Ili will not disappoint you.
Not only is the food delicious, but the prices are also very affordable. A hearty meal can be enjoyed for less than a few dozen yuan.
Roasted mutton skewers, smoked horse intestines, lungs, hand-pulled rice, yogurt, Xibe pancakes, thin-skinned buns…
The local Han Street in Yining is one of the most prosperous areas, with the market exuding a strong sense of daily life.
Women selling milk skins, men selling flower hats, street musicians playing accordions…
The thin-skinned buns here are also famous and are often eaten with steamed soft naan or hand-pulled rice.
Ili is a heavenly land in the Western Regions where gods and humans coexist.
Its beauty is difficult to capture in photos or describe in words. Seeing it with your own eyes is ten thousand times more beautiful than this.
In your lifetime, you must go to Ili, have a summer date, and fulfill a summer night’s dream.
