Xinjiang is the farthest Chinese city from the ocean.

5 min read

Speaking of Xinjiang’s largeness, have you ever thought of the city with the farthest distance from the ocean in the world–Urumqi? Yes, Urumqi is an inland city with the farthest distance from the ocean in the world with an eastward distance from the pacific of 2.500km. a westward distance from the atlantic Ocean of 6.900km. a southward distance from the indian ocean of 2. 200km. and a northward distance from the arctic ocean of 3400km. Here you cannot see the vast ocean and cannot hear the surging ocean waves, but the place by no means as what you thought, where just has vast and boundless deserts anddesolate Gobies, downfallen villages and the lonely figures on the camels. Urumqi is the center of the largest Eurasian plate. Though it is far from oceans on all sides, it has the ocean-like surging imposing manner and ocean-like beauty which make people yearn day and night.

Urumqi is located in the north center part of Xinjiang, at the north slope of middle Tianshan Mountains, and at the southern edge of Junggar Basin. The northern plain is open and wide and surrounded by mountains on the east, south and west. The terrain slows downward from southeast to the northwest with an altitude of 580 to 920 meters The average altitude in the urban area is 800 m Urumqi has a semi-arid continental climate with dramatic temperature changes and an annual average temperature of 7. 3 C; it is scarce in rainfall with an average annual volume of 236 mm; the sunlight is adequate with an average annual sunshine of 2, 775 hours and frost-free period of 105 to 168 days, and the dry air. The spring and autumn are relatively shorter and the winter and summer longer.

Urumqi，the capital city of Xinjiang，is the center of the Asian Continent，as well as the hub of multi-ethnic cultures.The administrative region has a total area of 14，200km and a permanent resident population of 3，35 million（2012 data）.Urumqi means”beautiful pasture in the ancient Junggar Mongolian language.47 ethnic groups such as Han，Uygur，Kazak，Hui，Mongolian，etc，inhabit here in which arts，cultures and customs，and practices of different ethnic groups are brought together.The citizens here are open，hospitable，great hearted and progressive.The city，which is colorful，gorgeous and diverse，is an amicable city with distinct ethnic customs and practices.

Urumqi is rich in natural resources.As it is located in the middle of Junggar coal storage belt，coal reserve in the municipal district is above 10 billion tons thus it is called a city in the coal field”.Additionally，there is Eastern Junggar Oilfield in the north，Karamay Oilfield in the west，Tarim Oilfield in the south，and Turpan-Kumul oilfield in the east andtherefore it is also called”a coal hulk on the oil sea”and”a coal city on the oil sea”.Here，reserves of oil shale.salt.and mirabilite are over 100 million tons with rich reserves of gypsum，limestone，phosphorus，iron，uranium，manganese，gold，and other mineral products.Here，there are glaciers and permanent snow covering on high mountains with an area of 164km Pure white snow melts into trickles soaking into about 653 3km of cultivated land，6，420km of native pasture，and 900km of forests，thus it is called”natural solid reservoir”.Here，natural forests and native pastures are luxuriant in mountainous areas and wild animals and plants are plentiful as well.Here，sunlight，heat and wind energy resources are also extremely abundant，so the installed capacity in wind power plant in Dabancheng District ranks first in Asia and second in the world.This place abounds in grain oil，vegetables，melons and fruits，hops and other crops，as well as various domestic animals Summer is a golden season for tourism as flowers and trees bloom and melons and fruits are mature with refreshing fragrance In midwinter，the land is dressed in silvery white and snowflakes decorate the trees.

In Urumqi，natural landscape is magnificent and beautiful，while the human landscape is also with unique characteristics.There is Dabancheng district with a long standing reputation，Tianchi with enchanting sight，attractive Asian Geographic Center，No.1 glacier praised as”living glacier fossil”，Nanshan natural pasture with beautiful landscape，Chrysanthemums Terrace in Gangou Town and Poplar Ditch Waterfall，etc.which are all attractions appealing to tourists at home and abroad.Red hill standing in downtown is the symbol of Urumqi：if you overlook the city from the hill，you will have a panoramic view of this city.The Ancient Wulapo City，Shaanxi Temple，Alagou”karn”，the Confucius Temple，Gongning City Ruins，”Thatched Abode”of Ji Xiaolan the famous litterateur of Qing Dynasty（1616 AD to 1911 AD）and other historic sites are well known far and near Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum and Xinjiang Folk Customs Exhibition Hall have been listed as national important tourist attractions ethnic customs are mostly concentrated and strongest in Erdaoqiao”International Grand Bazaar”, with domestic and foreign tourists come in an endless stream Urumqi was ranked within”Top 200 Special Charming Cities in China”in 2012.

In Urumqi, the feature of a large modern city is quite distinct. It has been named as”the door to the created world”since ancient times and it is a transportation junction connecting the southern and northern Tianshan Mountains and linking xin jiang with hinterland of central China. Since the Reform and Opening-up in 1978, especially after the completion and opening of the second”Eurasian Continental bridge”. it has been an important gateway for China to open wider westwards and a window for foreign economic and cultural communication. It is not only the largest commodity distribution center in Xin jiang, but also an important distribution center for import and export in Central Asia. It has become an important platform for investors in the world to open up the central asian markets. Here, Urumqi airport is one of five gateway airports throughout the country, with69 opened international and domestic air lines. Here, Urumqi railway station is the master hub of railways in Xinjiang. In this place, road extends in all directions. Digital information has been used in posts and telecommunications. Here, the most cutting-edge city is taking shape among open cities in western China.

Urumqi is the political, economical and cultural center of Xin jiang. It is the inevitable part that the ancient Silk Road passes through, with inherited long history, as well as the witness of the development into a large modern city and the bridgehead of New eurasian Continental bridge in the section of western China here is full of high rise buildings withimpressive appearance: here is bustling and colorful; here, ethnic style is distinctive and unique while foreign friends come from various countries. here, technological innovation is the core for urban development, and openness and innovation is the philosophy for goin to the world market. This is a lively city with modern breath Urumqi, the city at the foot of the beautiful and charming Tianshan Mountains, with the farthest distance from the ocean, and a city of both old and re juvenated, Tianshan Mountains, relying on its colorful ethnic customs, amazing and beautiful natural scenery, is taking vigorous and aggressive modern pace striding forward, depicting pictures ofmodernization construction and writing new chapters of a happy and harmonious life.