The total length is 2712 kilometers! Traveling along the world's first desert railway to Xinjiang - Xinjiang | Guanqiaoqiao | Railway | Xinjiang

Xinjiang, Taklamakan, vast sea of sand. Suddenly, a train passed through the tracks under the cover of green plants, breaking the silence around it.

13-year-old Abdul Reyim Abdul Ali looked out the window and occasionally raised his hand to look at his watch. In an hour or so, he will go to Uncle Kurban's hometown of Yutian County for further studies.

"We have known the story of Uncle Kurban 'riding a donkey to Beijing' since we were young, but it is still the first time we have taken a train to his hometown." Abdul Reyim couldn't conceal his excitement in his words. More than 30 classmates who accompanied him were also full of expectations.

In June last year, the Horuo Railway was opened, holding hands with the previously opened Geku Railway and Southern Xinjiang Railway, marking the formation of a closed loop of the Taklamakan Desert Railway Line. This is also the world's first desert railway line, with a total length of 2712 kilometers.

A year has passed, and the reporter is looking at Xinjiang along the railway. The Taklamakan Desert still retains its vast appearance; The urban and rural areas connected by the railway loop are quietly undergoing gratifying changes

The path of development, activating new vitality in oases

How much energy can a railway stimulate? The people of all ethnic groups living along the railway have the most say. The Mercedes Benz train steadily promotes various regions along the route towards the "poetry and distance" of rural revitalization.

——This is a "local specialty" ring road.

In the Yarkand River basin, walnut cultivation has a history of thousands of years. However, walnut trees bear fruit year after year, while poverty is passed down from generation to generation.

"Don't worry, walnuts are transported by a special train at a very fast speed," said Maimaiti Nuri, the general manager of Ke Laimu Agricultural Products Company in Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, over the summer, to the customer by phone.

The railway has been opened, and walnuts, a precious "yellow fruit", have become a "golden egg" for the people to increase their income and become prosperous. Maimaiti told reporters that the expected sales volume this year is over 40000 tons, which can drive more than 20000 local villagers to increase their income.

Carpets from Hotan region, Xinmei from Kashgar region, apples from Aksu region... With the help of railways, Xinjiang's characteristic agricultural and sideline products can reach the whole country at a faster speed.

At the Korla Railway freight yard in Xinjiang, workers operate gantry cranes for loading operations. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

According to statistics from the Xinjiang Railway Department, since the formation of the Trans Taklamakan Desert Railway, as of mid June this year, the Korla Freight Center and Kashgar Freight Center have sent a total of 33.4958 million tons of goods.

——This is a travel corridor article.

Entering the Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo Park in Shache County, Kashgar, the reporter was deeply moved by the scene: on stage, folk artists of all ethnic groups were performing the Twelve Mukam Intangible Cultural Heritage with joy, while tourists with various accents applauded and danced gracefully.

Kuche City in Aksu Prefecture, formerly known as Guizi, is famous for its grotto murals, poetry, music, and dance. Recently, the original song and dance drama "Apricot Blossom Meeting Silk Road Guizi" has been performed brilliantly in the local area.

In Ruoqiang County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, the ruins of Loulan Ancient City and Milan Ancient City attract tourists in droves. "Since the beginning of this year, there have been significantly more performances, and sometimes even temporary additional performances are needed," said Ayadin Turson, the head of the Loulan Art Troupe in Ruoqiang County.

In Washixia Town, Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang, actors from the Loulan Art Troupe of Ruoqiang County perform songs and dances for tourists participating in the Zaohua Festival. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

The brand of "Xinjiang is a good place" is becoming increasingly prominent, shaping tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism. According to Song Qiang, Deputy Director of the Passenger Transport Department of China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd., as of mid June this year, approximately 16.47 million domestic passengers have traveled by train in Xinjiang. Since its opening one year ago, the Heruo Railway has transported approximately 360000 passengers.

——This is a sand sea green belt.

The Taklamakan Desert has a windy season for 7 months of the year, with trains traveling in the desert and sandstorms being the main threat. The reporter looked out from the carriage and saw several hundred meter wide sand barriers, grass squares, and plant belts on both sides of the track, like green belts, providing "escort" for the train.

This is a 1.5-meter-high vertical sand barrier captured along the Horo Railway. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

The reporter learned from China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd. that along the Heruo Railway, which has been severely damaged by mobile sand dunes, builders have built nearly 50 million square meters of grass squares, planted nearly 12.96 million shrubs and trees such as Haloxylon ammodendron, red willow, and sea buckthorn, and covered an area of over 110000 acres with forest belts. This "green corridor" has become a natural barrier for wind and sand fixation.

This is a sand prevention set consisting of reed sand barriers, reed squares, and drought resistant plants captured along the Heruo Railway. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

This is a photo taken on May 19, 2022, of drought resistant plants planted along the Horo Railway. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

The Road of People's Hearts, Closer Communication and Integration

"Hey, Ma Na Ma Sa Mu Sa" On a summer afternoon, by the banks of the Yulong Kashi River, with the shout of the "waiter", diners rushed to the counter and scanned the code with their phones to make payments.

The hot roasted buns were served to the table, and the waiter demonstrated to tourists from other places by cutting a circle along the bottom of the buns. After opening it, the fragrance wafted in the air.

"Xinjiang roasted buns are really big, like the pineapple buns we often eat." Guangdong tourist Fan Fei couldn't help but look up and was busy taking photos to check in.

Along the railway tracks, more and more people are entering and understanding Xinjiang, creating new opportunities for communication, exchange, and integration among people of all ethnic groups, and further enhancing the sense of community of the Chinese nation.

This is a photo taken on May 19, 2022, of the Yimurak Bridge on the Horo Railway. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ding Lei

On the weekend, the reporter arrived at the Kurban Turmu Memorial Hall. In the clean and quaint courtyard, visitors come in constant stream.

"I just received three groups of tourists from Beijing, Guangdong, and Hunan in the morning. They took a special train to come and revisit Uncle Kurban's touching past." The tour guide Hasyiti Khan Maitu Song said that after the formation of the Southern Xinjiang Railway Loop, the number of tourists visiting the memorial hall continued to increase. "Sometimes I can't get busy, but we are all very happy when everyone likes to come.".

These are the students and teachers who are taking the He Ruo Railway train to study in Uncle Kurban's hometown. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Hongxia

"Where are you from?" In Gujiang Bage Township, Hotan City, Hotan Prefecture, 10 year old Patima Maimaitirejep proactively greeted the reporter.

"The tourists who come to my supermarket to buy things are from Beijing and Henan..." The little girl and the reporter chatted generously, speaking Mandarin very well, and her dimples were very pleasing when she smiled. Her dream is to go to Beijing to attend university.

Patima Maimatirejep and her mother are in their own supermarket. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Hongxia

This railway loop not only brings an increase in the number of tourists from outside Xinjiang, but also brings more convenience for people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang to visit relatives and friends, study and seek medical treatment.

"Previously, there was a T9528 train heading from Hotan to Urumqi, but after the formation of the loop line, a new 5818 train was added." Hotan Station Party Branch Secretary Li Lin told reporters, "Interestingly, the passenger flow of T9528 has not decreased, and the passenger flow of 5818 train is also considerable, sometimes even 'one seat is hard to find' during holidays."

This is a vivid portrayal of demand pulling supply and supply creating demand. Yao Ning, the Secretary of the Kashgar Municipal Party Committee with many years of work experience in southern Xinjiang, believes that after the formation of the desert railway loop line, the villagers have a broader perspective and a smoother "flow" between Xinjiang and other provinces, promoting the comprehensive integration of various ethnic groups in space, culture, economy, society, psychology, and other aspects.

The road to the future, vast land with broad prospects

On June 9th, as the whistle sounded, 25 large trucks loaded with container cargo departed from Kashgar North Railway Station, marking the opening of the "China Kyrgyzstan Ukraine Multimodal Transport Channel+Land Sea New Channel Test Train".

About 20 kilometers southwest of the railway station, the international cargo connection channel project between Kashgar Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Kashgar Airport is nearing completion. In the near future, this area will achieve the superposition and integration of open platform policies such as Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Economic Development Zone, and Airport Zone.

Turning to the hinterland of the Taklamakan Desert, the Yuli Ruoqiang Hotan highway project, which spans over 1100 kilometers, is accelerating in the desert Gobi.

At present, the total length of highways in Xinjiang exceeds 220000 kilometers, with 25 civilian transportation airports and 8768.9 kilometers of railway operating mileage... Sections of highways, airports, and railway tracks have facilitated people's travel and solidified the foundation and momentum for high-quality development in southern Xinjiang.

At Urumqi Station in Xinjiang, tourists take a group photo in front of the "Tour of the Tower: Extraordinary Impressions" tourism special train. Shen Jizhong

Xinjiang is a game of chess, and Southern Xinjiang is the "eye of chess". Recently, Xinjiang proposed the concept of the South Xinjiang Tarim Economic Belt, forming a coordinated development pattern with the Tianshan North Slope Economic Belt. The desert railway ring line undoubtedly laid the foundation for making the southern Xinjiang "chess eye" lively. Various regions are actively laying out industries and planning for the future.

Walking out of the Cele County Railway Station in Hotan Prefecture, which was put into operation in June last year, the reporter looked around and saw that one kilometer south, the construction of the Jinhe Land Port Transit Area project was in full swing: construction vehicles shuttle back and forth, and the main body of the project has taken shape. After being put into use, it will be transformed into a regional logistics distribution center; A few hundred meters to the west is the Tianjin Industrial Park jointly built by Tianjin and Cele, where textile and electronic enterprise workshops are operating at full speed to accelerate production

"After the opening of the train last year, we initiated the construction of logistics centers in the surrounding areas. With the existing industrial resources in the local area, future products in southern Xinjiang can be connected to the Kashgar Economic Development Zone through railways, thereby better connecting with the Central Asian market." Ma Jiangshan, Secretary of the Cele County Party Committee, introduced.

To the north of the desert, located in the freight center of Korla city, trains are unloaded and filled, and gantry cranes shuttle back and forth.

"I never expected that the volume of goods passing through the Geku Railway would double until now," said Mi Liang, assistant engineer at the Korla Business Department of the Korla Freight Center. From chemicals to fertilizers, cotton, and even soybean meal and grain, especially in summer and autumn, there are more agricultural and sideline products, with a daily loading and unloading capacity of 18300 tons.

At present, the proportion of goods transported by Geku Railway in the southern region of Xinjiang has increased to over 95%. From the initial connection with Qinghai and Xizang to the present radiation in Gansu, Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan and other places, the Geku Railway has better demonstrated its role as a transportation corridor to help the economic development of the west.

Only barren deserts, no barren dreams. The transformation of transportation from "blocked paths" to "crisscrossing paths" is continuously injecting impetus into the high-quality development of Xinjiang's economy.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" On the train to Yutian, the reporter asked Abdul Reyim, who was going to study.

"I want to take the transportation university entrance exam," said the young man from Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture, looking out the window. "I want to build a high-speed railway in southern Xinjiang..."