Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park

Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park

Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Hongfu • Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park opened on January 18, 2014, as the first officially operational unit in Kashgar’s East City Development Zone. It integrates southern plants, tropical rainforests, Western Region charm, Southeast Asian tropical styles, and local ethnic customs. The park boasts nine major scenic areas: the Sun Tribe, Nine-Colored Sacred Deer, Tibetan Wind Pavilion, Xiangfei’s Wisdom Abode, Clear Snow Grottoes, Desert Winery, Light Wind Yurt, Cloud Shadow Yardang, and Jiangnan Ancient Charm. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, making it currently the largest, most distinctive, and environmentally finest garden-style hotel in Xinjiang. It is hailed as the reception hall of the Kashgar Economic Development Zone.

This industrial park is developed in two phases. The first phase includes the Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park and nine cultural courtyards. Among them, the Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park covers a construction area of 15,000 square meters (including 3,000 square meters of supporting facilities), with an investment of 150 million yuan. It was groundbreaking in June 2013 and officially opened on January 18, 2014. The design, construction, decoration, and full opening were completed within six months, setting a new miracle known as the “Kashgar Speed.” As the first project to open in the Kashgar Special Zone, the Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park marked a milestone in the development of the Kashgar Economic Development Zone. With the opening of the ecological park, the Kashgar Special Zone unveiled its new face, and its current appearance and construction achievements quickly became widely known to the citizens of Kashgar, greatly boosting the popularity along the Shen-Kashgar Avenue.

The now-opened Oasis in the Desert Ecological Park features one park with nine scenic areas, divided by the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. These include the Sun Tribe, Nine-Colored Sacred Deer, Tibetan Wind Pavilion, Ancient Capital of the Desert, Clear Snow Grottoes, Desert Winery, Light Wind Yurt, Cloud Shadow Yardang, and Jiangnan Ancient Charm. It is currently the largest, most distinctive, ecologically finest, and service-wise highest-quality garden-style cultural tourism and leisure base in Xinjiang, and is hailed as the reception hall of the Kashgar Special Zone.

The nine cultural courtyards currently under construction cover a land area of 2,585 square meters, with a total construction area of 4,711 square meters. The themes of the nine cultural courtyards are as follows:

1) Kunlun Tribe — themed around ancient Kunlun culture, it interprets the origins of Eastern mythology and the legends of the Kunlun Tribe. It houses the Western Region Exotic Treasures Museum, displaying various rare animal and plant specimens from the Western Kunlun Mountains and Pamir Plateau.

2) Queen Mother’s Private Garden — based on various legends about the Queen Mother of the West, it uses rich artistic forms to depict the half-divine, half-beast Queen Mother and her grand Peach Banquet hosting the immortals, becoming the first comprehensive exhibition space for Queen Mother of the West culture in Xinjiang.

3) King Mu’s Travel Palace — highlighting that the ancient “Jade Road” was already in use among the people during China’s Western Zhou Dynasty 3,000 years ago, expressing the friendly relations between the Central Plains and the ethnic groups of the northwest and Central Asia.

4) Yanhan Taoist Residence — interpreting Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, and Laozi, the father of Taoism, two great figures with significant influence on the development of Chinese civilization, demonstrating the profound impact of Han culture and Taoist culture on the Western Regions and Central Asia.

5) Marquis Dingyuan’s Mansion — Marquis Dingyuan, Ban Chao, was a renowned Western Regions general, peacekeeper, and defender in history. The mansion displays a series of illustrations of Ban Chao’s expeditions to the Western Regions, providing a vivid portrayal of this Eastern Han dynasty general, diplomat, and military strategist.

6) Xuanzang Buddhist Temple — set against the cultural background of Xuanzang’s journey to the West to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, it unfolds the depiction of Buddhist culture.

7) General Flying Archer’s Mansion — centered on the grand historical narrative of Liu Jintang, the first governor of Xinjiang, and his efforts in reclaiming and governing the region.

8) Xiangfei’s Hometown — using architecture, decoration, scenes, official history, and legends in a panoramic way to tell the uniquely charming story of Xiangfei.

9) Fuxin Elegant Pavilion — featuring European Mediterranean architectural style, it reflects the influence of European architectural and cultural arts brought along the Silk Road on the Eastern Han dynasty.

Overall, this project is established based on Kashgar’s status as a historic and cultural city, developed against the backdrop of the thousand-year history where the four great civilizations of the Silk Road converged. After the project’s opening, it will also establish the first Buddhist courtyard, first Taoist temple, first ancient Kunlun culture exhibition hall, first memorial museum for Liu Jintang’s reclaiming of Xinjiang, and first cultural exhibition hall themed around King Mu of Zhou and the Queen Mother of the West in southern Xinjiang. The nine cultural courtyards span from ancient times to modernity, blending mythology with official history, and combining religion with politics and history. It is the first landmark project in southern Xinjiang and even Xinjiang that interprets the historical essence and humanistic characteristics of the convergence of the four great civilizations of the Silk Road from the perspective of cultural tourism products. It fills the gap in Silk Road cultural tourism products in Kashgar and even Xinjiang, becoming a highly distinctive and highly recommended project at the Kashgar station of the Silk Road that deserves strong support.