Brief Introduction: Urumuqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest of China, is the centre of politics, economy, culture, science and education,finance and transportation in the Autonomous Region, which is just like a piece of emerald embedded at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains.Urumuqi is a transportation and communication hub connecting the north and south of Xinjiang and connecting Central West Asia and Europe. It can be the second western Bridge head of The Asia-Europe Continental Bridge and an important gateway for China to open to the west. Urumuqi is the 16th emerging city in overall strength in Mainland China and the largest city among the five central Asian countries. As the ancient silk road was popular, this graceful prairie city was an important stopover,leading to Central Asia and even as far as Europe.

The name of Urumqi originally came from Mongolian language which means “a beautiful pastureland” because here was a place with abundant water and grass a long time ago. It 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, and in 1884 the city was made as the capital of the newly created Sinkiang Province. Known officially by its Chinese name of Dihua 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.There are rich underground coal reserves in Urumuqi , so it is called the coal city on the oil sea.

As the  largest city in western China, Urumqi has earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. It is about 2,500 kilometres from the nearest coastline .It is located at the centre of the whole Asia.

Area: 14,216square kilometers in total ( 365.88 square kilometers in built-up area)

Population: 3.5 million

Altitude: 800 meters in average in the city proper

Climate: Urumqi,located in the hinterland of the continent , belongs to arid temperate continental climate zone . Spring and autumn are shorter,winter and summer longer, and the temperature difference between day and night is very large. The average annual precipitation is 194 mm, the average temperature in warmest months of July and August is 25.7℃, and the average temperature in the coldest month of January is -15.2℃. The highest extreme temperature is 47.8℃ and the lowest is -41.5℃.

June to October can be the golden season for tourism in Urumqi as flowers and trees bloom and fruits get ripe.

Transportation: As the  largest city in northwest of China, the transportation system in Urumuqi can be all perfect, such as planes, regular trains, express trains,metro,BRT and so on. Read more ......

Thing to do:

The top things to do for Urumqi travel & tour activities are wonderful musical songs & dance with Uighurs, Kazakhs, Mongolians, Tajik sand Kirgizs and ethnic activities such as horse racing, Diaoyang and girlchasing,etc. Read more ......

Stay safe
In general Xinjiang is a rather safe place. However, in the bigger bazaars and on public transportation pickpockets do operate , so be sure to secure your valuables.  While there is currently a large police and military presence in the city, the city is sure to be safe.
Respect
In most Islamic cultures, naan (bread), is very important. It is not a good idea to throw it away. If you drop it, plese pick it up and carry it with you. Do not step on naan, which is quite important to treat it with some respect. Also,if you decide to eat naan while walking, break off a piece, and eat that. Donot bite into the whole loaf.

Local foods:

Food is one of the things for Xinjiang . In Urumqi a lot of choices and lots of variety for the restaurants, cuisine cooking recipes, drink, menu dishes such as fresh naan,spicy kababs, steaming pilaf or famous hand stretched noodles and so on. Read more ......

Shoppings:
Urumqi shopping guide tells travelers where to shop, what to buy, and shopping tips at Urumqi Erdaoqiao markets, grand international bazaar, department stores,shopping mall, supermarkets are here.

The Grand Bazaar (aka Erdaoqiao) is a great place not only for regional specialty items, but also has many goods from nearby countries such as Russia and Mongolia. It is a popular tourist destination, the surrounding area of which is the heart of the Uyghur community and makes visiting worthwhile.  Read more ......

Attractions : Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) ;  Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Museum ;  Urumuqi International Bazaar

Related Tours:

8 Days Silk Road Bullet Train Tour      11 Days Classic Silk Road Tour     

8 Days Silk Road Muslim Tour          10 Days Silk Road Muslim Tour

15 Days  Silk Road Chanllenging Tour