Hemu Village

Hemu Village

Nestled beside the beautiful Kanas Lake in Xinjiang, there lies a quaint mountain village — Hemu Village, often hailed as the “No. 1 Village in China.” The village is dotted with log cabins built from raw timber, small bridges over flowing streams, and wisps of cooking smoke… The rustic mountain scenery is as mysterious as Kanas Lake itself.

Hemu Village is the primary settlement area of the Tuva people and is the farthest and largest among the only three remaining Tuva villages (Hemu, Kanas, and Baihaba), covering a total area of 3,040 square kilometers.

The houses here are all made of raw timber, exuding a primitive charm. The most famous sight is the intoxicating autumn foliage that dyes the mountains red, with cooking smoke rising through the colorful leaves to form a dreamlike misty belt, resembling a fairyland. From the small hills surrounding the village, one can overlook the entire panorama of Hemu Village and the Hemu River: secluded valleys, small bridges over streams, and herders galloping through the woods, raising dust along the way.

The most eye-catching features of Hemu Village are its rows of wooden cabins, herds of grazing animals, and the surrounding snow-capped peaks, forests, grasslands, and blue skies with white clouds, creating a unique natural and cultural landscape.

These wooden cabins have become a symbol of the Tuva people. Most of the cabins are built with more than half of their structure buried underground to withstand the bitter cold during the nearly six-month-long snowbound period. They are particularly primitive and rustic, featuring traditional elements of nomadic culture. The roofs are typically made of wooden boards nailed into an A-frame shape, while the walls are constructed from single-layer logs with diameters of about 30–40 centimeters, providing both insulation and moisture resistance.

The most beautiful autumn scenery in the Kanas region is found in Hemu, where forests are painted in vibrant hues, presenting a typical scene of pristine natural ecology. From the surrounding hillsides, you can overlook the entire Hemu Village and Hemu River, gaze at distant sunrises, snow-capped peaks, and trickling streams, or take a closer look at Tuva households. It is an excellent spot for photographing sunrises, morning mists, wooden cabins, and the Hemu River.

The Hemu area raises over 30 captive elk, yielding more than 100 kilograms of elk antler annually. In addition, the region produces a rare and precious white honey, while abundant Cordyceps sinensis and Bupleurum chinense are also valuable medicinal herbs with high therapeutic value.

Hemu Village is located by the Hemu River. The entire village consists of wooden cabins and livestock pens made of birch, enjoying a great reputation among photography enthusiasts, and it sees relatively few tourists.

Hemu Village is situated in a large river valley surrounded by towering mountains. In autumn, no matter where you look in Hemu Township, you’ll see a warm and bright golden yellow — the small river, wooden houses, cooking smoke, birch forests, and herders grazing by the Hemu Bridge.

At dusk, when herds return home, the birch trees shimmer under the afterglow of the setting sun, reflecting a series of beautiful, tranquil, and colorful scenes reminiscent of Russian oil paintings. The Hemu Bridge is picturesque and poetic.

The iconic structure of Hemu Village is the Hemu Bridge, which has endured over a hundred years of glacial meltwater from Kanas. It is old yet sturdy. The icy cold river water is as simple and pure as the village itself, and the lush green vegetation along the banks thrives in the misty humidity, forming thick, rich layers of greenery.

Crossing the Hemu Bridge, you’ll find a vast birch forest on the other side of the river, which is most poetic at sunset, as if everything in the mortal world fades away, leaving only yourself.

The wooden cabins built from raw timber are scattered throughout the village. In this little corner of Hemu Village, there are small bridges over flowing streams, cooking smoke curling up… The rustic mountain scenery is as mysterious as Kanas Lake.

On the open ground surrounded by mountains, Hemu Village lies quietly, with the pointed wooden cabins of the Tuva people and livestock enclosures casually scattered across the village. The small river flows noisily past the village, hidden among the green trees. A faint mist rises above the treetops, forming a meandering white ribbon drifting between the village and the mountains.

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight spills onto the distant mountaintops, dyeing them pink. Gradually, the light filters through the light mist hovering over the village, lazily casting a slanting glow, as if reluctant to disturb the beautiful village still lost in sleep.

The wooden fences cast long shadows in the sunlight, like musical notes leaping across the land. Several early-rising households have already started preparing breakfast, with thin tendrils of cooking smoke rising from the rooftops. Cattle and horses begin to emerge from the sheds, leisurely strolling within the enclosures, patiently waiting for the start of a new day.

Hemu is beautiful, surrounded by forests so picturesque they resemble oil paintings. The Hemu River flows gently nearby. Some say the water of the Hemu River is a bluish-gray, and in the interplay of light and shadow on the water, you can sense a kind of melancholy — a fatally beautiful melancholy...

Starting from Burqin, turn east at the junction before Jiadengyu, and you’ll find yourself on a scenic road of breathtaking beauty. The continuous Altai Mountains surround the beautiful and fertile Chonghuer Valley Plain.

The area enjoys ample water sources and lush pastures, with green fields dotted by pasture after pasture. Golden sunlight shines softly over the valley, and herds of cattle and sheep, large and small, are scattered like wildflowers. Occasionally, you’ll see white yurts with wisps of cooking smoke and herders on horseback strolling leisurely. The scenery is so relaxing that all worries and pressures seem to vanish in the wind. The end of this road leads to the beautiful Hemu Village.

On July 28, 2019, Hemu Village was included in the first batch of the National Rural Tourism Key Villages list. In October 2019, it was selected for the inaugural “Town Aesthetics Role Model” list.

The ticket price is 60 yuan, and the shuttle bus costs 120 yuan (can only be used twice, not unlimited rides). If you choose to ride a horse, you can skip buying the shuttle bus ticket. However, if you wish to take the shuttle bus on the return trip, it will cost 60 yuan.

Xinjiang Hemu - Kanas

Hemu Village: Also known as the Hemu Scenic Area, it is located in Kanas, Burqin County, Xinjiang. It is the primary settlement area of the Tuva people and is the farthest and largest among the only three remaining Tuva villages (Hemu, Kanas, and Baihaba). The houses here are all made of raw timber, exuding a primitive charm.

Hemu Village is the primary settlement area of the Tuva people and is the farthest and largest among the only three remaining Tuva villages (Hemu, Kanas, and Baihaba), covering a total area of 3,040 square kilometers. The houses here are all made of raw timber, exuding a primitive charm.