Baihaba

Baihaba Village, situated in Tiereketi Township, Habahe County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, is the northernmost village accessible by self-driving. It bordersKazakhstan.

Baihaba is located on the Kaba River, the border river between China and Kazakhstan, and is known as the “First Village in Western China.” It is a quiet and beautiful small mountain village that has long maintained its simple and unsophisticated folk customs due to its seclusion from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Near the village stands a tall structure — the watchtower of the border guards, which enjoys the reputation of being the “First Watchtower in the West.”

Baihaba is a typical primitive village of the Tuva people. Its residents are Mongolian followers of Lamaism — the Tuva people. The inhabitants of Baihaba consist of both Kazakh and Mongolian ethnic groups.

Baihaba is a village where pristine natural ecology coexists with ancient traditional culture, with everything still preserving its original appearance from centuries past. The homes of the Tuva people are built on narrow terraces between two streams, nestled against the mountains and close to the water. All buildings in the village are constructed from logs, characterized by their rustic small log cabins, giving the place a distinctly European village charm. The houses are uniformly peaked log cabins, with walls and ceilings built and joined from whole logs, topped with wooden boards forming an A-shaped pointed roof to protect against rain and snow, ensuring the safety of the dwellings. Between the ceiling and the roof lies a ventilated peak loft, ideal for storing feed and air-dried meats. Inside each home, it’s as if you’re walking into an art exhibit: patterned felt spreads across the kang beds, embroidered curtains and tapestries hang on the walls, and at the center sits an exquisitely crafted stove. At sunset and in the misty mornings, with wisps of cooking smoke drifting through the air and herds of cattle and sheep dotting the slopes, the entire village forms a picturesque scene of harmony between humans and nature.