Crescent Moon Park

Crescent Moon Park

Crescent Moon Park

Crescent Moon Park is located on Yingbin North Road in Yining County, covering an area of over 60 acres. The park is home to more than 10,000 trees of various kinds, including apricot, plum, peach, apple, and cherry. With lush foliage that blocks out the sun, boughs heavy with fruit, and blossoms clustered below, the park attracts large numbers of visitors every day who linger and enjoy the scenery. To meet visitors’ needs, in recent years, the park has built pavilions and towers with Uyghur ethnic characteristics, and regularly holds ethnic song and dance performances such as the “Meshrep” that are beloved by minority groups. In spring and summer, it is indeed an ideal destination that combines leisure, vacationing, and experiencing Uyghur ethnic culture.

The Decisive Battlefield Where the Tang Dynasty Unified the Western Regions — Gongyue City

When it comes to seeking and exploring unique historical sites with distinctive Western Regions charm, Xinjiang is undoubtedly the top choice. But within the Ili River Valley of northern Xinjiang, the oldest historically documented site is the ruins of “Gongyue City.” Gongyue City was a military stronghold and important commercial hub along the northern route of the Silk Road. Its history is closely tied to the rise and fall of the Western Turkic Khaganate, and its historical significance cannot be underestimated.

The Gongyue City ruins, located northeast of Tulufan Yizhi Township in Yining County, are a regional-level cultural heritage protection site. The ruins consist of two parts: a larger city and a smaller one. Stretching 1.8 kilometers from east to west and 4.5 kilometers from north to south, the total area is about 8 square kilometers. It is referred to by local Uyghur residents as “Altunlek,” which means “Golden City.”

Gongyue City was the decisive battlefield where the Tang Dynasty unified the Western Regions. The Battle of Gongyue City, where Emperor Taizong of Tang suppressed Ashina Helu, marked the demise of the Western Turkic Khaganate and the great historical event of the Tang Dynasty unifying Central Asia. This event is extensively recorded in numerous historical texts, including the “Biographies of the Turks” in both the Old and New Books of Tang and the “Zizhi Tongjian.” Historical records state: Gongyue City was originally a tribe of the Western Turks, and the city took its name from this tribe, rising to prominence during the Northern Qi Dynasty. In the 13th year of the Zhenguan era (639 AD), the Dulu tribe, residing by the Ili River (today’s Ili River), supported Ashina Helu as the Protector General and established a secondary capital (equivalent to a secondary political center) here. From this base, they waged endless military campaigns. Gradually, Gongyue City became another significant military, political, and commercial hub in the Western Regions. In the 23rd year of Zhenguan (649 AD), hearing of the death of Emperor Taizong, Helu raised the flag of rebellion again, seizing control of the former territories of the Dulu Khan and establishing his headquarters in Suyab and Gongyue City by the Ili River. In the 3rd year of the Xianqing era (658 AD), Su Dingfang, the Grand General of the Yili Route Expeditionary Force, led armies from both the north and the south to suppress the rebellion. Su Dingfang personally commanded the main northern force, crossing the Jinya Mountain (i.e., the Keguqin Mountain) through snow to launch a surprise attack on Ashina Helu in Gongyue City. He then pursued the retreating forces and engaged the southern army, which had advanced via today’s Nalati in Xinyuan, at Shuanghe. Helu was decisively defeated, fled in panic across the Ili River to the Kingdom of Shiguo (modern-day Tashkent region in Uzbekistan), was captured by the Tang general Xiao Siye, and was sent to Chang’an. Thus, the Western Turkic Khaganate came to an end.

A bird’s-eye view of the ruins of Gongyue City reveals that it is situated against a mountain (Jinya Mountain, i.e., the Keguqin Mountain section of the Western Tianshan Mountains south of today’s Bortala Prefecture) and beside a river (the Jiergelang River). The terrain is strategically important and the surrounding area is expansive, making it an ideal location for nomadic tribes to establish their headquarters (“yabgu” or royal capital) and command their people. After the suppression of Ashina Helu’s rebellion, the Tang Dynasty retained the rule of the Ashina nobility, divided Helu’s territory into numerous prefectures and counties, and established two protectorates under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Protectorate.

Archaeology also shows that Gongyue City was a prosperous commercial hub along the northern route of the Silk Road.

Gongyue City rose to prominence during the Northern Qi Dynasty and was destroyed after the Song and Yuan Dynasties. As the earliest military stronghold in the Ili River Valley, it was always a contested site and served as an important military, political, and commercial center along the northern route of the Silk Road during the Tang Dynasty, playing a significant role in the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures. Today, we can only see broken walls and ruins, making it hard to imagine the prosperity of those times. However, historical records still reveal traces of its economic development. [In 1959, among the Chinese-language documents unearthed by the Xinjiang Cultural Relics and Archaeology Team from the Astana Tomb Complex in Turpan, there was a fragment of the “Shang’an Prefecture Protectorate Report from Shangchang County” that mentioned Gongyue City. The document described how Cao Lushan, a “Hu (non-Han) who did not understand Chinese,” accused Li Shaojin, a “capital slave,” of borrowing 275 bolts of silk in Gongyue City and fleeing to Kucha (today’s Kuqa) without repaying the debt. Witness Bisa had also left Gongyue City and gone west.] Since 1959, archaeologists in Xinjiang have excavated ancient Chinese documents from Turpan tombs, including the “Gaochang County Report to the Anxi Protectorate,” which records that a merchant of an ethnic minority in Gongyue City once lent out 275 bolts of silk and other goods. In 1987, when villagers were planting trees at the ruins, they unearthed a pottery jar and a gilded bronze Buddha statue. Inside the jar were 174 silver coins inscribed with Arabic text. The bronze Buddha, 17 cm tall, stood on a lotus base with a serene and lifelike expression. In 1991, an ancient pottery basin (approximately 80 cm high and 35 cm in diameter) was also excavated and is now housed in the Ili Regional Cultural Relics Office.

After more than 1,300 years and countless changes, in 1936, during the rule of warlord Sheng Shicai in Xinjiang, the Gongyue City ruins were excavated in search of gold and treasures, resulting in severe damage to the site.

Today, the area has been developed into a well-known production hub for Yili’s large white apricots. In early spring, blooming apricot blossoms are a feast for the eyes; in early summer, the fruit-laden trees provide a cool shade, attracting many visitors.

The Origin of the Apricot Township: (Xinjiang is famous as a land of melons and fruits beyond the Great Wall. Yining County, located in the Ili River Valley, has superior natural conditions. The northern mountain slopes feature dozens of kilometers of temperature inversion zones, which are highly suitable for growing fruits and vegetables.) Yining County boasts a wide variety of fruit trees, including apples, apricots, peaches, and grapes. Among them, apples and apricots dominate, accounting for 70% and 20% of the total cultivation area, respectively. Apricots are the second most widely grown fruit in Yining County, not only with a long cultivation history but also widespread distribution. The large white apricot is particularly renowned, earning Yining County the title of “Apricot Township of Yili.”

There are several varieties of apricots in Yining County, mainly including the large white apricot, Little May, Big May, and Liguang apricot. In the 1950s, the apricot cultivation area reached 2,609 mu, with a peak annual yield of 632 tons. In 1985, there were 1,800 mu of contiguous apricot orchards, yielding 174 tons. Additionally, apricots are widely planted in household courtyards.

The Yili large white apricot is golden yellow, large in size, with thick flesh, high sugar content, and plenty of fiber, offering an excellent taste. It is the county’s most prestigious produce in the western regions. Every July, when the large white apricots ripen, visitors and merchants come in an endless stream to taste and trade them.