Erdaoqiao

Erdaoqiao

Erdaoqiao is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Since the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, the area around Erdaoqiao and Shanxi Lane in Urumqi has been a hub for barter trade among ethnic minorities from both northern and southern Xinjiang, as well as regions in West and Central Asia. After more than 100 years of change, the ethnic commercial district centered around the Erdaoqiao Market today continues to attract a multitude of domestic and international tourists with its strong ethnic features and the regional flair of Xinjiang. The name "Erdaoqiaozi" (Erdaoqiao area) has been used among locals for nearly 100 years.

Back then, at the crossroads where Dongmen Lane met Nanmen Lane to the east and Tianshan Road to the west, there was a wooden bridge running from north to south. The bridge was 2.5 meters wide and spanned over 3 meters. It had wooden railings on both sides, and beneath it flowed clear water from Erdao Bay to the east. This water passed through a small channel in Nanshi Lane, flowed under the bridge, and continued westward along the Tianshan Road channel, eventually draining into the Urumqi River (now the Hetan Highway). This wooden bridge was called Erdaoqiao. It earned the name "second bridge" because there was another wooden bridge of similar size located outside Nanshaomenzi to the south, known as Yidaoqiao (First Bridge).

The Erdaoqiao Market dates back to the Xuantong period of the Qing Dynasty. Renowned for its strong ethnic character, vibrant commerce, and importance as a key stop along the ancient Silk Road, it became a gathering place for Central Asian goods and local products—essential for merchants traveling through the Western Regions. Specialty items at the market included Turpan grapes, Hami melons, Kashgar homespun cloth, Hotan carpets and silk, Kuqa soap (traditional homemade soap), and Yanqi mushrooms... These were all hallmark products of the Erdaoqiao Market. Exotic goods such as Russian felt cloth, Pakistani copperware, and Turkish jewelry added to its international flair. A century of history has bestowed upon the Erdaoqiao Market a splendid legacy.