Xihēi Gully

Xihēi Gully

About 8 kilometers southwest of the county town lies a gully called Xihēi Gully. The gully features high mountains, long valleys, and lush vegetation. In the warm season, it is covered in dense dark greenery, and even in winter when blanketed in snow, the evergreen pines and cypresses maintain their verdant color, sharing an inseparable bond with the dark hues—thus earning the name "Black Gully."

The high mountains of Black Gully are crowned with year-round glittering snow, and its glaciers are pure white and unblemished, creating a striking contrast with the black and green landscape—one of the key elements of the gully’s beauty. The forest here is dense and covers the terrain extensively, with even the ground blanketed by creeping junipers, while everywhere is adorned with diverse and exotic flowers and plants, forming the main body of the vegetation—this is the second element of Black Gully’s charm. The streams here flow continuously, rushing and roaring. The Xihēi Gully Hydropower Station draws water from them to generate electricity. The stream water tumbles down the mountains, blending nature with human engineering in a scene full of poetic beauty—this is the third scenic highlight. With ice, snow, water, and multi-layered vegetation, the air remains cool and humid, resulting in abundant orographic precipitation—rain falls at the sight of clouds—this is the fourth scenic element. Even in the harsh winter snows, the valley remains evergreen, with perpetual life and verdancy, hiding the promise of spring within—this is one of Barkol’s Eight Scenic Spots, known as “Spring Hidden in Black Gully.” In 1982, a hydropower station was built at the mouth of the gully, adding even more charm to the already picturesque Xihēi Gully.

It is particularly worth mentioning that in the 7th year of the Republic of China (1981), the military governor (Dūzhèng) of Zhenxi, Duō Líng, inscribed a public notice on a large boulder at the mountain pass to protect the natural environment: “The jade isle in the vast sea, with lofty mountains and flowing waters. The pine scenery of the western river, guarded by the fountainhead. The deer, being benevolent beasts, must not be harmed.” This stele played an extremely important role in preserving the forests, grasslands, water sources, and wildlife of Xihēi Gully.

This was the first such environmental protection inscription in Xinjiang, and also quite rare in China at the time. Its environmental awareness was truly remarkable.