Culture Street, Karamay District

Culture Street, Karamay District

Culture Street in Karamay District is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Culture Street, Karamay District

A cultural-themed street creatively planned, designed, and invested in by the Karamay District Government,

completed in January 2001, located in the city center of Karamay. It stretches from the Training Gymnasium of the Municipal Sports Bureau in the west to the intersection of Hongxing Road and Linyuan Road in the east, spanning 1,065 meters in length and 50–70 meters in width, with a total area of 70,000 square meters. The green space covers 40,000 square meters, and the water area spans 4,900 square meters. The completion of Culture Street represents an endeavor to make Karamay’s environment more garden-like, its gardens more artistic, and its art more accessible to the public. From west to east, the street is divided into three natural sections — Section A: Source of Culture; Section B: Vein of Culture; and Section C: Light of Culture. The Source of Culture symbolizes the origin of historical culture and the ever-flowing source of life through the representation of a water source and a giant wooden waterwheel. The exploration and development of oil is considered the origin of Karamay’s history and culture. Located in the front section of the street, the 150-meter-long, 5-meter-high artistic relief wall features 98 vividly sculpted figures, depicting the geological formation, development, construction, and promising future of the Karamay Oilfield. In addition to the cultural wall, the “Four Symbols & Eight Trigrams Morning Exercise Plaza” in Section A integrates the essence of ancient Chinese urban culture: the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise represent the four cardinal directions and are linked to the four seasons as well as the five elements — metal, wood, water, fire, and earth — forming the foundation of the Five Elements theory. They, along with the Eight Trigrams patterns on the ground, signify the earliest origins of all phenomena in nature and human society in ancient China, forming the basis of China’s ancient, simple materialist philosophy. The main components of Section B, the Vein of Culture, include: a painting and calligraphy wall, pavilions, winding bridges, a gallery of ethnic arts, sculptures, and a bell tower. The Ethnic Art Gallery, situated in the middle section of the Culture Street, is 50 meters long and 4 meters wide, featuring 26 male and female statues that introduce the 13 major ethnic groups of Xinjiang. All 13 ethnic figures are carved from white marble, with the sculptor using delicate techniques to authentically portray the facial features, traditional attire, and cultural customs of these ethnic groups. The street displays dozens of sets of artistic sculptures, which vary in material — including bronze, stainless steel, and stone — and in style, encompassing both abstract and realistic forms. These artworks are scattered among pavilions and towers around various scenic spots, complementing the green trees and lawns in perfect harmony, adding much charm to the surroundings. The Bell Tower Plaza consists of a bell tower, rockeries, a musical fountain, a large electronic color screen, and the plaza itself. It serves as a key venue for public gatherings, cooling off in summer, artistic performances, and festive celebrations. The seven-story bell tower stands over 30 meters tall and is embraced by an arc-shaped European-style corridor at its base. Behind it lies a 25-meter-diameter musical fountain. When night falls, the bell tower is illuminated brilliantly, and as melodious music plays, countless jets of water dance in the air — sometimes like graceful dancing maidens, sometimes like warriors drawing their swords toward the night sky — creating a dazzling scene in the oil city. Section C, the Light of Culture, offers young people a mysterious and magical world. Six cultural pillars here are engraved with traditional Chinese myths such as “Yu the Great Taming the Floods,” “Nüwa Mending the Sky,” “Kuafu Chasing the Sun,” and “Fuxi and the Eight Trigrams.” The Twelve Zodiac Children’s Play Plaza combines exquisitely carved animal stone statues of the zodiac signs with a modern music-lit dry fountain plaza, making it a playful paradise for children. Karamay Culture Street, with its ingenious conception and flawless design, embodies the perfect integration of the poetic charm of Chinese gardens and the structured precision of Western gardens. It also reflects the harmonious unity of traditional Chinese culture and modern gardening techniques.