Shihezi

Known as the 'Pearl of the Gobi', Shihezi is a new city built by soldier-settlers; its Military Reclamation Museum and Zhou Enlai Memorial tell the story of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, while the Nanshan pastures, the Tuoling Mengpo desert and wineries are all close at hand.

Shihezi lies at the northern foot of the central Tianshan Mountains, on the southern edge of the Junggar Basin, about 150 km west of Ürümqi. The city and the 8th Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps share a single administration. It was founded in the 1950s by army units stationed in Xinjiang, who reclaimed the barren Gobi and built a city from scratch — hence its nicknames 'Pearl of the Gobi' and 'First City of Military Reclamation'. Its orderly layout and leafy, tree-lined streets set it clearly apart from traditional Xinjiang towns.

Where to go: The heart of the city is its military-reclamation heritage — the Military Reclamation Museum (in the former headquarters of the 22nd Corps), Youqi Square with the Monument to Land Reclamation and Border Defense, and the Ai Qing Poetry Museum are clustered in the old town and easy to link on foot. North of the center are the Zhou Enlai Memorial and Memorial Hall, and to the east is Century Park. In the Nanshan New District on the southern outskirts is the Changyu Baron Balboa Winery, and about 70 km farther south lies the Shihezi Nanshan Scenic Area in the Tianshan foothills (pastures and pine forests). Northeast of the city is Manas National Wetland Park, and at the 150th Regiment, about 110 km to the far north, the Tuoling Mengpo Desert Park offers a taste of the Gurbantünggüt Desert.

Seasons: May–Sep is best. Jun–Aug is the time to escape the heat in Nanshan, when the winery vineyards and wetlands are at their finest; in Sep–Oct melons, fruit and grapes ripen and the poplars and autumn colors begin to turn. Winters are bitterly cold (down to −25°C), so sightseeing is mostly indoors, though you can ski in Nanshan.

Getting there: Shihezi Station is on the Lanzhou–Xinjiang High-Speed Railway, about 1 hour from Ürümqi; Ürümqi Diwopu Airport is about 1.5 hours away by car, and Shihezi Huayuan Airport has a handful of flights. Taxis are fine for sights in the city, but you'll need a chartered car or your own wheels for Nanshan and the desert park. Allow 2 days: one for the city's reclamation heritage and the winery, and one for the desert park or Nanshan. Nearby Shawan is the birthplace of Xinjiang's famous dapanji (big-plate chicken) — worth a stop on the way.

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