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| Tiemenguan Pass - Korla, Xinjiang |
Day 7 Tuesday Sept 02 2025 (Korla, Xinjiang Day 2) - my 2nd day in Korla focussing on a visit to People's Square & a nearby Pedestrian Street in downtown Korla & the Tiemenguan Pass - an exciting day as both of us will be doing a small hike following the trail of an old ancient Silk Road path covering a stretch of the road after the Tiemenguan Pass !
1) Hotel buffet breakfast (vegetable-based), Home Inn Baoyuan Hotel, Korla, Xinjiang.
2) People's Square, Korla, Xinjiang - locals doing line dance & morning walk around the Square.
3) Pedestrian Street & the surrounding in downtown Korla, Xinjiang - window shopping, quiet in the early morning, shops have yet to open !
4) A series of great spirits of the Communist Party of China (CPC) shown on outdoor billboards off a main road in downtown Korla relating to days of the Japanese Occupation of China & the Chinese Civil War !
5) Tiemenguan Pass Scenic Spot, Korla, Xinjiang - took a Didi car ride (8km) from downtown Korla > Tiemenguan Pass Scenic Area; due to construction works (the main road is dusty !), both of us had to walk approx 500m to the front gate before entering the Scenic Area ! So a challenging start !
6) Tiemenguan Pass Scenic Area, Korla, Xinjiang - front entrance, free admission for all visitors during this period due to some renovation works in progress !
7) Stele Forest of Tiemenguan Pass, Korla, Xinjiang
8) Gate Tower, Tiemenguan Pass Scenic Area, Korla, Xinjiang
9) Tiemenguan Pass Ancient site, Korla, Xinjiang - dating back thousand years ago !
10) North South Xinjiang Demarcation Line, Tiemenguan Pass, Korla, Xinjiang
11) The start of my Tiemenguan Pass's small hike - Tiemenguan Pass was for 2,000 years an important point along the ancient Silk Road of China that guarded the entrance to a 30km long valley known as Tieguan Gorge ! Glad to be here & know a little bit of the Silk Roads history of China !
12) Original Ancient Silk Road Path, Korla, Xinjiang - leaving behind the old path & scenery for present & future generation to feel & appreciate !
13) A stone landmark on General Zhang Jian (64 > 114AD) who travelled across the deserts & mountains of Central Asia during the Chin Han Dynasty, General Zhang Jian was a diplomat & explorer who embarked on a series of expeditions known as the "Western Region) campaigns, these expeditions aimed to establish diplomatic ties, expand trade & gather information about the neighbouring regions, Zhang Jian's journey took him across the vast territories of Central Asia including the modern day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan, his efforts contributed to the Han Empire's control & influence over the Silk Road" trade routes !
4) A wild mini watermelon from the shrubs picked up by a visitor - this mini watermelon reported to have medicinal value !
14) The old Silk Road path, Tiemenguan Pass, Korla, Xinjiang
15) A landmark & statute on Xuanzhang, a Tang Dynasty senior monk (600 >664 AD) & together with Kumatosh Lousi, they were China Buddhism's greatest translator.
16) General Pan Chao, a celebrated military General, explorer & diplomat of China's Eastern Han Dynasty (32 > 102 CE), famous for leading the Han military campaigns in the the Western Regions (Central Asia) & reasserting Chinese control over the Tarim Basin which facilitated trade with the Roman Empire.
17) Direction to The Reservoir Dam & Zeliu Mountain Valley.
18) The Legend of Gongshuling landmark, Tiemanguan Pass Scenic Area.
19) Pictures & Publicity of major natural parks, landscapes & wildlife protection area in China.
20) A sketch map of Western Regions dominated by 36 small countries during the ancient era.
21) Exiting the Tiamenguan Pass after an hour of hiking
22) As Tienmenguan Pass is an isolated area, 8km from the main city area (easy to hail a Didi from city centre but not vice versa), we faced difficulties in e-hailing; realising our plight, a Public Security official on duty at the front gate of Tienmenguan Pass offered to help & volunteered to give each of us a lift using his police bike to drive us to a bus stop nearest to the main road (3km away) so that both of us could take a public bus back to the city ! What a relief & a big thank you to the security official for his kindness !
23) Bought fragrance pears & red grapes in Korla, Xinjiang - tasty dessert for our after dinner meals !
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