Koumenzi

Koumenzi

Guide Traveling north from Hami City over the Tianshan Mountains, you’ll arrive at Koumenzi. This is the junction of three highways—Hami, Yiwu, and Barkol—and was once an important stop along the ancient Silk Road as well as a strategic military pass. Introduction Koumenzi is a mountain pass in the Tianshan range, surrounded on three sides by towering peaks and vast wilderness. Once you emerge from the pass, you’ll find expansive grasslands stretching out as far as the eye can see. The weather here is highly changeable, with “June snow” not being uncommon, and in winter, the landscape transforms into a true northern spectacle of snowy plains. There is also a high-altitude ice rink here, making it an ideal training site for ice sports athletes.

In summer, golden rapeseed flowers and vibrant wild alpine blooms compete for attention against the green grasslands and lush forests. Beekeepers’ huts, beehives, swarming bees, and grazing sheep flocks add a touch of poetic charm to the scenery. When it rains, the mountains take on even richer hues. Wisps of mist further shroud the forests and grasslands in an air of mystery. The scenes of celestial battles in the TV series “The Investiture of the Gods” were filmed here, which speaks to the otherworldly beauty of this place.

Hami City, Xinjiang