Urumqi (Wu Lu Mu Chi) is the Provincial capital of Xinjiang Province in China's Far West. A city of some 1.5 million, it is predominantly Han Chinese but with a strong Muslim population, ethnic Uygers, Kazaks, Uzbeks, Tadjiks all living and working in the city as they have done for centuries. This is the heart of the Silk Road.
Urumqi is connected via air to other destinations in India, Pakistan, Russia and the neighboring Central Asian States of Kazakstan, Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan and via rail to Kazakstan, making it an ideal base for businesses involved in Central Asian trade. Despite the odd press report, UrumQi is a safe and relatively quiet city - everyone here is too busy trading and making a crust to bother too much about religious differences. And what trading there is to be had! Xinjiang produces some of China's most delicious fruits, nuts and excellent mutton as well as a variety of minerals and other products such as cotton, tobacco and other consumables.
The City Centre is quite well developed with large modern glass and steel tower blocks springing up around People's Square - a measure of Urumqi's relative wealth. Hotels to stay include the Holiday Inn (0991 281 8788) and the glitzy Hoi Tak (0991 232 2828) both providing high standard five-star accommodation and facilities and centrally located.
Food here is firmly in the Turkic camp, with kebabs, ran bread, fresh salad vegetables and glasses of local red wine to wash it down with. Banquets will commonly feature a whole roast lamb - quite excellent and a must for any visitor. Urumqi's attractions are not quite so obvious, although the Provincial Museum is one of the best in China and well worth visiting - a fascinating collection of ancient Silk Road artifacts including near perfectly preserved mummies dug from the sands of the Gobi and dating back nearly 3,000 years. Evidence of the collision between Western and Eastern cultures is everywhere - from the old part of the city and its vibrant bazaars and fruit market, to the general mix of features on people's faces - no one looks the same, Urumqi is a real cultural melting pot of sounds, sights and tastes quite different to anywhere else in China.
Reasonably close to Urumqi lie the Tian Shan Mountains and the Glacier-fed Heavenly Lake, a two hour drive north and well worth a visit. Stunning, year round snow-capped Mountains and an interesting drive past ethnic, nomadic Kazak Yurts, the latter moving from area to area to graze their livestock. Heading East, out into the barren dustbowl of the Taklimakan Desert, three hours away is the town of Turpan, an ancient Silk Road stop-over now renowned for its excellent fruits and grapes - wine form Turpan's Grape Valley counts as China's best and it is quality stuff - trips to the vineyards to sample some of the local vino can be made here in the summer months.
Further South, reachable by air or by train (thirty-six hours, skirting the Northern Gobi) is Kashgar, also a famous Silk Road City and a well known market town - 100,000 fanners, herders and traders descend here every Sunday to trade everything froth Yaks to Walnuts. Kashgar really is far out - you are well on the way to Pakistan here. Stay at the Ge Ah Hotel (0998 261 4954) and experience the real Wild West!
Xinjiang is hot in the summer so bring plenty of short sleeved shirts - and cold in the winter, so wrap up warm! A fascinating province and deservedly regarded as one of the most beautiful areas of China.
