For over two thousand years, the area around Urumqi has been lush pastures populated by many minorities who herded sheep and cattle, Urumqi actually meaning "beautiful pastures" in Mongolian.
In ancient times, Urumqi (which means "a beautiful pastureland" in ancient Mongolian) was an important stop on the Silk Road that helped promote Sino-foreign relations through economic and cultural exchange. The city became a Uygur stronghold in the 8th century AD following periods of tenuous Chinese control during the Han (206 BC- 220AD) and Tang (618-907) dynasties. It came under Chinese control again in the 1760s as part of Eastern Turkistan, and in 1884 the city was made the capital of the newly created Sinkiang Province. Known officially by its Chinese name of Dikhua after 1763, it was renamed Urumqi in 1954 and in 1955 became the capital of the new Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Industrialization, previously hampered by isolation, accelerated after the discovery (1955) of petroleum deposits at nearby Karamay in 1955.
Urumqi, as early as 925 AD there was the existing records. Urumqi, as the Mongolian language, means "beautiful pasture."
Urumqi is a city with a long history. Human reproduced here since Neolithic Age. People who was the earliest to enter this place were ancient Gushi—Cheshi people. During the warring states period, Urumqi belonged to the scope of ancient Cheshi people. In Western Han Dynasty, Urumqi and its surrounding areas inhabited by a dozen tribal nomads, in history called “the land of The Thirteen Kingdoms". In the early Western Han dynasty, Han dynasty government had garrison troops or peasants open up wasteland and grow food grain near Jinman of Urumqi (now called Jimusar), and to guard the safety of north Silk Road. In A.D. 640, Tang dynasty government set up Beshbalik in the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain to govern 4 counties, and the area was known as the Luntai County.
The large-scale development of Urumqi began in the Qing dynasty emperor Qianlong period 20th years (1755). Qing Guangxu period of 10th year (1884), Xinjiang province was established, and the military and political management center of Xinjiang was transferred from Ili to Dihua (old name of Urumqi), and Dihua became the provincial capital.
In 1949, peaceful liberation of Xinjiang, Dihua city people's government was established. On February 1, 1954, Dihua formerly regained its name known as Urumqi. Now, this city has a long history of more than 1300 years, is a modern metropolis, it is marked by the Red Hill in the downtown.
Climate
Belongs to semiarid continental climate of middle temperate zone, temperate difference between day and night; shorter spring and autumn and longer winter and summer; frost-free period of 179 days and 2,821 hours sunlight annually
Best Time to Visit
♦ Spring (March to May): Urumqi is the farthest city away from the sea in the world, belong to the temperate continental arid climate, July is the hottest, average temperature 25.7 ℃; and the coldest month is in January, the average temperature 15.2 ℃.
♦ Summer (June to August): Every August during the early autumn, the weather is cool and pleasant, and it is a good place for summer. Hospitable kazak put up white yurt along the Tanchi Lake, and prepare milk tea, milk wine, cheese and hand grasping mutton for visitors, and feast for the eyes of folk songs and dances.
♦ Autumn (September to November): Autumn is the best time to visit Xinjiang in August and September, when the weather has been cool, melons and fruits have been mature. Especially in early September, this is the best time for photography enthusiasts.
♦ Winter (December to next February): From December to February of next year, Tianchi Lake and other places also have winter tourism projects. Although winter has always been the off-season for tourism in Urumqi, but as the ski become popular across the country, each ski resort facilities constantly improved.
Dressing Tips
♦ Spring (March to May): March and April alternate clod and heat is quickly, when it is cold the temperature might be 5 degree below zero and when it is hot the temperature might be 20 degree. And it is windy during March and April, suggest wearing light sweater with coat.
♦ Summer (June -August): The temperature changes a lot in the day and night in Urumqi's summer, tourists should prepare your coat and thin sweater in case of need.
♦ Autumn (September to November):If you choose to go to Urumqi during September and October, you need to wear long sleeve with a heavy coat. After entering in October the weather become cool so people need to wear long sleeve and coat, also have better to prepare a sweater for a rainy day.
♦ Winter (December to February): Before April and after November going to Urumqi, you must wear a thick coat or down jacket and other warm clothes, especially stay overnight in Tianchi, or visit to Southern pasture, Glacier No.1, Kanas Lake, or Bayanbulak grassland, etc.
Tourism
• Best Places to Visit
♦ Red Hill Park –Towering in downtown, Red Hill is stately. Red Hill is a symbol of Urumqi, owing to its uniqueness. Whenever it is morning or dawn-dusk, the red setting sun shines on the cliff of Red Hill and made it red. The body of the mountain has a reddish brown color, which gave it the name Red Hill. The mountain is east-west; the main peak is 1391 meters above sea level. The views from the top of the mountain of the surrounding countryside and breathtaking mountains make the steep (but short) climb worthwhile. Less than one kilometer away, Yamalike Hill stands facing the Red Hill, and Urumqi River lies between the two hills.
♦ Tianchi Lake–Tianchi Lake, or Heavenly Lake, is the top ranked attractions in Urumqi. With limpid water, the lake shines like a sapphire under the sun with picture-like reflections. It lies on the north side of the Bogda Peak range of the Tianshan Mountains, about 110km to the east of Urumqi City. In the shape of a half moon, the lake is surrounded by grand mountains. It is a typical natural alpine drift lake that formed in the Quaternary Glacier period. With an elevation of 1,980 meters, it is the highest lake in Xinjiang Province.
♦ Southern Pastures–Southern Pastures (West White Poplar Gully) is located 75km South of Urumqi, at the northern foot of Karawuquntag Mountain, a spur of the Tianshan Mountains. The Southern Pasture is a green, fertile valley surrounded by attractive mountains. Southern Pasture stretches over a vast natural area with fascinating scenery. Traveling through this narrow verdant gully is a unique experience for natural scenery lovers. In the pasture, you can appreciate a beautiful picture of steep mountains, luxuriant grassland, herds of sheep and cattle, and can ride horses, running through the valleys, or walk through the woods to pick mushrooms.
Shopping
Urumqi is Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region's political, economic and cultural center, all the famous local products of Xinjiang can be bought in Urumqi. Ai ries silk, Yingjisha knife, Hotan carpets, gold and silver jewelry, Xibe sachets, ethnic musical Instruments, ethnic costumes, jade carving, woodcarving, etc. In addition, there are inviting melon and fruit, Turpan grapes, Hami melon, the Korla fragrant pear, and Yecheng pomegranate, Ili apples, Kashgar almonds, etc
Since Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang, not only the whole Xinjiang, nearly all flavor over the country can be found here, Uighur pilaf, Naan, stretched noodles, roast lamb, yoghurt, crisp steamed buns, stewed noodles, Mongolian pilaf, cheese, dried milk cake, stewed mutton, hot pot, bacon, bread, Russian bread, biscuits, dairy products, etc., are very desirable. In addition, in Urumqi, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine and western fast food can easily be found.
Transportation
Airport
Urumqi Diwopu Airport
♦ Address: Diwopu, northwest of Urumqi, Xinjiang, and 16 km away from Urumqi city
♦ Official website: http://www.xjairport.com/xjjc/
♦ Tel: 0991-3801453
♦ How to get to Urumqi Diwopu Airport: There is shuttle bus to Urumqi Airport which costs 15 RMB. Besides, there is bus No.27, 51, and 306 from downtown to the airport
Urumqi Diwopu International Airport is one of the important hub of west China, undertakes dozens of airport transit tasks in Xinjiang, open 113 routes in all, 99 domestic routes, which connects Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Islamabad, Moscow, Almaty, Tashkent, Novosibirsk, 60 large and medium-sized cities.
Rail
In Urumqi, there are two big train stations, Urumqi South Station and Urumqi West Station. At present in domestic there are eight cities opened direct train to Urumqi. And from Urumqi, there are direct trains depart to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Urumqi South Railway Station
♦ Address: No.135 South Station Road
♦ Tel: 0991-7945222
♦ How to get to Urumqi South Railway Station: people can take bus No.8, 10, 16, 20, 36, 44, 50, 52, 58, 903, 906, 909, 915 and BRT 1 to there.
Urumqi South Station is one of the auxiliary projects of Lanxin (Lanzhou- Xinjiang) passenger railway, and it is the terminal of this rail of west end. New Urumqi station was founded in 2013, the north station building construction is scheduled to be completed and put into use by the end of 2015, fully completed in 2016, at that time it will be the largest railway station in Urumqi. The original Urumqi Station on September 1, 2014 changed its name to Urumqi South Station.
Urumqi West Railway Station
♦ Address: Zhanqian Street No.456, Toutunhe District, Urumqi
♦ Tel: (0991)7936172
♦ How to get to Urumqi South Railway Station: people can take bus No.18 directly to Urumqi West Station.
Urumqi West Railway Station is situated in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region of Urumqi city Toutunhe district. The station was built in 1962, north Xinjiang Railway pass through here, now it deal with passenger and freight transportation services. The station, 20 kilometers from Urumqi station, belonging to Urumqi railway administration, is a first-class marshalling station.
Bus
In Urumqi, Xinjiang highway transportation network is relatively complete, and the whole autonomous region as the center radiation around the city. Passengers can take bus in the Army Supply Station, Southern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station, Mingyuan Passenger Bus Station, Northern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station and Nianzigou Long-distance Bus Station to the destination. The bus types are mainly normal passenger bus, fast passenger bus and sleeping bus.
Army Supply Passenger Bus Station
♦ Address：No.35 Urumqi South Station Road, close to Urumqi South Railway Station
♦ Tel: 0991-5596315
♦ How to get to Army Supply Passenger Bus Station: people can take bus No.8, 10, 16, 20, 36, 44, 50, 52, 58, 903, 906, 909, 915 and BRT1 to there.
The buses in this station mainly going to Hutubi, Manas, Fangcao Lake, Xinhu Lake, Kuitun, Shihezi.
Southern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station
♦ Address：No.21 Yangerwo Road, Tianshan District, Urumqi
♦ Tel: 0991-2866635
♦ How to get to Southern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station: people can take bus No.7, 9, 39, 51, 55, 68, 910 to there.
The buses in this station mainly going to Hetian, Kashgar, Aksu, Yarkand, Karghalik, Turpan, Tuokexun, Shanshan, and Korla.
Mingyuan Passenger Bus Station
♦ Address：No.138, West Lane of north Youhao Road, Urumqi
♦ Tel: 0991-4291561
♦ How to get to Mingyuan Passenger Bus Station: people can take bus No.52 and BRT1 to Mingyuan Stop and walks 50 meters to T-junction and turns left then walks for 150 meters.
The buses in this station mainly going to Karamy, and petroleum production base.
Northern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station
♦ Address：No.437, South Lake North Road, Shuimogou District, Urumqi
♦ Tel: 0991-4875555
♦ How to get to Northern Suburbs Passenger Bus Station: people can take bus No.45, 906, 103, 529, 914, 75, 901 to the terminal.
The buses in this station mainly going to Bukang, Qitai, and Jimusar.
Nianzigou Long-Distance Bus Station
♦ Address：No.49 Heilongjiang Road, Shayibake District, Urumqi
♦ Tel: 0991-5878614
♦ How to get to Nianzigou Long-Distance Bus Station: it is near Yangzijiang Road, people can take bus No.51 to there.
The buses in this station mainly going to Yining, Huocheng, Qingshui River, Gongliu, Xinyuan, Zhaosu, Tekesi, Khorgos, Nilka,Bole, Tacheng, Emin, Hefeng, Tuoli, Tiechanggou, Yumin, Altay, Beitun, Fuhai, Haba River, Burqin, Fuyun, Jimunai, Qinghe, Hami, Sandaoling, Korla, Karasahr, Luntai, Hejing, Usu, Dushanzi, Shawan.
Ask a Question
