Current Time in Xinyuan, China

Xinyuan lies deep in the west of China, in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, close to the border with Kazakhstan. Known in Kazakh as Kunes, it occupies a broad valley along the Kunes River, sheltered on both sides by the snow-capped ranges of the Tian Shan mountains. Because moist air from the west can reach this valley, the region is far greener than most of Xinjiang, with alpine meadows, spruce forests and wild fruit woods instead of the deserts that dominate the rest of the province.

The county has a population of roughly three hundred thousand, spread between a compact county town and many villages and pastoral settlements. Kazakhs form the largest group, alongside Han Chinese, Uyghurs, Hui and smaller communities of Mongols and Kyrgyz, and the mixture of languages, faiths and customs gives daily life a distinctly Central Asian character. Livestock raising, especially of sheep, cattle and the famous Ili horses, remains the backbone of the economy, together with grain, oilseed, honey and a fast-growing tourism sector.

The valley has been a corridor of movement for thousands of years. Nomadic peoples including the Wusun and later the Turkic and Mongol tribes grazed their herds here, and branches of the northern Silk Road passed nearby on the way to the steppes of Central Asia. Burial mounds and stone figures scattered across the grasslands recall these early inhabitants. The Qing dynasty brought the Ili region under firm control in the eighteenth century, and settlement, irrigation and farming expanded steadily through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the modern county established in the 1950s.

The greatest attraction is the Nalati Grassland, an immense sweep of alpine meadow that ranks among the most celebrated pastures in the world. In summer it turns emerald green and is dotted with wildflowers, felt yurts, grazing horses and drifting cloud shadows, drawing visitors from across China. Nearby are the Kalajun grasslands, deep spruce valleys, hot springs and viewpoints over the snow line. Travellers can ride horses across the meadows, watch demonstrations of Kazakh horsemanship and eagle hunting, and stay overnight in traditional felt tents.

Local culture centres on music, hospitality and the seasonal rhythm of moving herds between winter and summer pastures. Visitors are welcomed with milk tea, dried curd, flat bread and roast mutton, and Kazakh songs accompanied by the two-stringed dombra are heard at weddings and festivals. Handwoven felt rugs and embroidered textiles are traditional crafts.

Highways link Xinyuan with the prefectural capital of Yining and with Urumqi, and a small airport near the Nalati grassland has opened the valley to visitors from distant cities. Schools and vocational colleges serve the county, with higher education concentrated in Yining and the regional capital.

Xinyuan is loved for its landscapes, its horses and its living nomadic traditions in one of the most beautiful corners of China.