Site of the Dushanzi Oilfield

Site of the Dushanzi Oilfield

The Site of the Dushanzi Oilfield is a cultural tourism attraction.

Located 3 kilometers south of Dushanzi urban area on the west side of National Highway 217. In 1897, primitive oil extraction began in Dushanzi. According to the "Xinjiang Gazetteer": "In order to increase fiscal revenue and resist the dumping of foreign oil, the Xinjiang local government purchased an oil drilling machine from Russia in 1909, transported it to Dushanzi, and started digging oil wells. The wells were seven to eight zhang deep. The sound inside the well was like roaring waves, with oil and gas vapor billowing and gushing out directly. 'When ignited, the flames rose several feet high.' This was the first oil well in Dushanzi. The crude oil produced in Dushanzi was of excellent quality. Testing results from Baku, Russia, showed that 'every 100 jin could yield over 60 jin of pure oil, sufficient to compete with American production.' Large-scale formal drilling and oil extraction at the Dushanzi oilfield began in the 1930s. From the 1930s to the peaceful liberation of Xinjiang in 1949 — a period of 19 years — approximately 11,497 tons of oil were extracted. Dushanzi was one of China’s earliest developed oilfields, and along with the Yumen Oilfield and the Yanchang Oilfield, it was known as one of China’s three major oilfields at the time. In the late 1950s, after the Sino-Soviet split, more than 200 oil wells in the Dushanzi oilfield were sealed.

Address: West side of National Highway 217, 3 kilometers south of Dushanzi urban area

Admission: Free

Opening Hours: All day