On June 1, the closure of Duku Highway was lifted (Part 2)

The Duku Highway is divided into three sections with zero kilometer and Bayinbuluke as the boundary, which roughly corresponds to the three major regions of northern Xinjiang, central Tianshan and southern Xinjiang. The northern section from Dushanzi to zero kilometer is 230 kilometers long, crossing two passes on the way; the middle section from zero kilometer to Bayinbuluke is 61 kilometers long, which is a relatively flat grassland; the southern section from Bayinbuluke to Kuqa in the south is 270 kilometers long, passing through two tunnels on the way and entering southern Xinjiang. Dushanzi, an important oil town, is located at the southernmost tip of Karamay City. In the early 20th century, the first oil well in Xinjiang was drilled here. There are oil field ruins and mud volcanoes in the southwest of the city. Soon after leaving the city and getting on G217, you will pass Dushanzi Grand Canyon and Bayingou on the left and right sides. The former is a section of the more than 20-kilometer-long canyon washed out by the Kuitun River, and the latter belongs to the Wusu Foshan Forest Park in Wusu City, and its main feature is the alpine pasture under the snow-capped spruce. Continue south as the mountain road winds around and the terrain gradually rises until you reach Hashilegenda Pass at an altitude of 3,390 meters. There is snow on both sides of the road that never melts all year round, and the glacier snow tongues extending to the roadside are very suitable for taking pictures. After passing through the tunnel and going down the mountain, we entered Qorma in Nileke County, where the alpine pasture came into view again. To the west is the free Tangbula Scenic Area. Across the Kashgar River, there is a monument and cemetery for the victims of the construction of the Duku Highway. Continue south through the Yushimolge Tunnel and go 45 kilometers to kilometer zero. Kilometer 0 is the intersection of the Duku Highway and National Highway 218. To the west of this intersection is the 5A scenic spot Narat Grassland in Xinyuan County, and to the east is Gongnaisi National Forest Park in Hejing County. Continue along G217 for 120 kilometers to reach Bayinbuluke - this small town in Hejing County is the most suitable overnight stop on the Duku Highway. Although food and accommodation are a bit expensive, there are many choices. Of course, most people stop here to visit Bayinbuluke, the most unmissable and largest scenic spot on the Duku Highway. Bayinbuluke is a basin in the Central Tianshan Mountains, about 2,500 meters above sea level, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. More than two hundred years ago, the Tuva people who returned to the east were settled by Emperor Qianlong on this fertile grassland. Today, this 5A scenic spot attracts many tourists who drive to Duku with its Swan Lake and Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns. Self-driving cars are not allowed to enter, and the ticket plus sightseeing bus is very expensive. The setting sun in the evening reflects nine suns in the Jiuqu. Many people stay overnight in Bayinbuluke just to watch this wonder. Heading south from Bayinbuluke, the end of the grassland is the watershed of the main ridge of Zhongtian Mountain - Tielimaiti Pass at an altitude of 3,220 meters. Going up along the winding mountain road, passing through the Tielimaiti Tunnel and then going along a 13-kilometer bend, you will pass two alpine lakes, the Big Dragon Pond and the Small Dragon Pond. The two lakes are four kilometers apart. The Big Dragon Pond once appeared in Xuanzang's "A Record of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty". Another 40 kilometers ahead, after exiting the Karnao Tunnel, the red layers all around remind drivers that they have arrived in Kuqa in southern Xinjiang.