Dongxilek Scenic Area

Dongxilek Scenic Area

The Kanas Grassland is divided into alpine meadow grassland and valley grassland. The alpine meadows are distributed on the eroded terraces of high mountains, among which the more scenic meadows include Giqiayite Meadow, Tielishagan Meadow, Dongxilek Meadow, Hundred Flowers Garden, Black Lake Meadow, and Thousand Lakes Meadow. In the height of summer, the thick meadows spread out like a vast green carpet from the valleys all the way to the mountaintops, as far as the horizon. The grass grows over a foot tall, lush, tender, and vibrant. The blue sky is dotted with white clouds, herds of cattle and sheep graze among the green grass, and white yurts are scattered like jewels across the landscape. June is the season when a myriad of flowers bloom—from the forest clearings in the lakeside valleys to the areas below the snow line at an altitude of 3,100 meters, everywhere is ablaze with richly colored blossoms: orange-yellow globeflowers, tulips, primroses, and lilies; blue gentians, delphiniums, and codonopsis; purple deergrass, lousewort, and delphiniums; pink or red peonies, roses, willowherbs, and carnations; and white umbels of wild carrot. Various wildflowers are interwoven across the landscape, each displaying its own charm, vying in beauty to form a natural garden of a thousand blooms. In some areas, certain types of wildflowers grow densely in patches—along valleys or slopes, presenting expanses of red, white, or yellow when viewed from afar, with blossoms dotting the tips of the grass like stars in the sky. Up close, each flower is unique and distinct. When a gentle breeze blows, the flowers sway with the wind, creating colorful waves of blossoms.

The valley grasslands mainly consist of Halitan Grassland and Hemu Grassland. Halitan Grassland is located along the route from Burqin County to Kanas Lake, 90 kilometers from Burqin County, at an altitude of 1,200 meters. The grassland lies within a north-west trending mountain-bounded fault basin, surrounded by mountains on all sides. The basin has a flat terrain with numerous streams and tributary gullies. The entire basin is covered with low-growing pasture, and during summer and autumn each year, the whole area is blanketed with short green grass, resembling a soft carpet, with herds of cattle and sheep and scattered white Kazakh yurts. The blue sky blends seamlessly with the green grassland, presenting a vast and open grassland scene. On the shady northern slopes at the western edge of the Halitan Basin, dense spruce forests thrive. The trickling streams that flow from the surrounding mountains converge in the center of the basin, forming patches of swampy grassland. In the center of the Halitan Basin, Russian-style wooden houses can still be found today. Hemu Grassland is 130 kilometers from Burqin County and sits at an altitude of 1,124 meters. The grassland is also located within a mountain-bounded fault basin. The surrounding mountains are broad and have rounded summits, with most rivers cutting through deep gorges, resulting in complex terrain. The shady slopes of the mountains are covered with dense, emerald-green forests where elk, marmots, and snowcocks make their homes; meanwhile, the sunny slopes are covered with lush green grass and blooming flowers, exuding a rich fragrance, as bees buzz about collecting nectar. Cattle and sheep roam freely across the hills, creating a captivating grassland scene. The highland grassland is a great place to experience the rich ethnic culture of the Kazakh people.