Current Time in Ghulja, China

Ghulja, known in Chinese as Yining and to older travellers as Kuldja, lies in the far north west of China, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, close to the border with Kazakhstan. The city sits on the northern bank of the Ili River in a broad valley that opens towards the west, which allows moist air to reach it and makes the surrounding countryside unusually green for this part of Central Asia. Ranges of the Tian Shan rise to the north and south, and the valley is celebrated for its meadows, orchards and flowering steppe.

The urban population is around half a million, and the city serves as the seat of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. Its importance is commercial and strategic, because it commands one of the historic routes between China and Central Asia. The crossing at Khorgos nearby is among the busiest land borders in the country, handling trade with Kazakhstan and beyond, while agriculture in the valley produces grain, apples, grapes, honey and vast fields of lavender that supply most of the Chinese market.

The Ili valley was long a centre of nomadic power and was ruled in the eighteenth century by the Zunghar Khanate before the Qing empire took control and made it the military headquarters for the whole western frontier. The old garrison town of Huiyuan, with its drum tower, still stands a short distance away. Russia occupied the region between 1871 and 1881, leaving architectural and culinary traces that survive to this day, and the city was an important political centre during the turbulent 1940s. Trade, migration and administration have shaped it ever since.

The best known attraction is the Kazanqi quarter, a residential district of Uygur courtyard houses painted in bright blues, greens and yellows, where visitors ride in horse drawn carts, look into craft workshops and are often invited in for tea. The Ili River bridge is a favourite place to watch the sunset, and the parks along the water fill with families on summer evenings. Farther out lie the alpine lake of Sayram, the Guozigou valley crossed by a spectacular high bridge, and the grasslands of Nalati, which count among the finest landscapes in China.

The city is strikingly diverse, with Uygur, Han, Kazakh, Hui, Xibe, Uzbek and Russian communities, and this shows most clearly in the food. Hand pulled noodles, kebabs, pilaf, samsa baked in clay ovens, dairy from the mountain pastures and Russian style breads and pastries can all be found in the same street. Music, dance and craft traditions, especially the making of stringed instruments, remain strong.

Yining airport connects the city with Urumqi and other Chinese cities, a railway runs east through the mountains, and expressways serve the border crossings. Colleges and a teacher training university provide higher education for the prefecture.

Ghulja is a rewarding destination for travellers interested in Central Asian culture, mountain scenery and the long history of exchange along the northern silk routes.