Flaming Mountain


Located on the northern edge of the Turpan Basin, Flaming Mountain runs 10 kilometers east of Turpan city,
stretching up to 100 kilometers from east to west and about 10 kilometers from south to north, are one of the
branch ranges of the Tianshan Mountains and were formed in the organic movements of the Himalayas fifty
million years ago.

The Flaming Mountains are so hot and so dry that " flying birds even 500 kilometers away dare not to come". In
the summer, the region gets so hot that you can "hard boil" an egg by burying it in the sand for just a few
minutes. With strong direct radiation from the sun, the highest temperatures can reach 47.8 degrees Celsius
and the earth's surface temperature can top 70 degrees. From a distance, at the foot of the mountain, dozens
of the red rock hills look like flaming fireballs under the blazing sun - hence its name, Flaming Mountain.

In winter, when the snow falls, the mountain will remain its appearance without any snow or ice on it. If you are climbing the mountain, you will get
the feeling that the heat wave rising from the earth and going through your body. What a marvelous mountain! No wonder, that Wu Chengeng, a
writer in Ming Dynasty (1386 - 1644A.D.), introduced it into his great novel "Journey to the West".

In millions of years, the natural weathering and the numerous folded belts caused by the crystal movements have formed the undulating lie and
the crisscross gullies and ravines of the Flaming Mountains. Under the blazing sun, the red rock glows and hot air curls up like smoke as though
it were on fire. 

However, its natural allure is not characterized by mere heat. Behind the sterile rock mountains, there are
many hidden valleys shaped by diastrophism millions of years ago. The natural conditions of these
valleys, which abound with various plants and trees, are quite different. The most famous ones include
Grape Valley, Peach Valley, Wood Valley and Shengjinkou Valley. Among them, Grape Valley is best
known for producing the best grapes in the country. These "green islands" add extra glamour and diversity
to the deserted Flaming Mountain.