Trip to Xinjiang from Yining to Sailimu Lake

Historically occupied by Tsarist Russia and the place where Lin Zexu was exiled, the ancient city of Huiyuan was once bustling with merchants, thriving markets, and a large population, honored as the capital of Xinjiang. Now it has become somewhat desolate and silent, forgotten in the depths of time. The four-story, three-eaved bell and drum tower standing in the city center is majestic and magnificent, with copper bells at the eaves still ringing in the wind, crisp and pleasant. The remains of the Ili General's Office, with its tall walls, imposing black lacquered gates, spacious courtyard, towering ancient elm trees, and deep, garden-style rustic architecture, seem to show us the solemn scene of the highest military and political office in Xinjiang, where guards stood watch, officials held meetings, and messengers rode horses to deliver battle reports. Horgos Port, an important station on the northern route of the ancient Silk Road, where the old sound of camel bells has long vanished, is now a national first-class land highway port, filled with the roar of freight transport and the prosperity of border trade. The national gate stands tall, the national emblem solemn—shameful history will never repeat! The gateway to the Ili River Valley, the picturesque Guozigou, with white clouds, blue sky, snowy mountains, and pine trees, winding peaks and roads, offers enchanting scenery. The Guozigou Bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge on the autonomous region’s highway, spans the valley in an S-shape, spectacular and unique, surrounded by towering peaks, as if immersed in a landscape painting. In autumn, looking far from Lardun Daban, the vast grassland with snowy mountains as a backdrop resembles an Impressionist painting, yet it seems no artist could vividly depict it from imagination alone.