The saying "The best lamb in the world comes from Yuli" has long been a consensus in Xinjiang. The Tarim River Basin in Xinjiang is rich in wild herbs such as Apocynum, hay, and Cistanche. The lamb from Yuli County is represented by the Luobu sheep, which primarily drinks melted snow water from the Tianshan Mountains, eats licorice—one of China’s medicinal herbs—and Apocynum—one of Xinjiang’s longevity and blood pressure-lowering teas—as well as the leaves of the millennium-surviving...
The Tarim red deer is one of the three subspecies of the Xinjiang red deer. It is the only subspecies that inhabits desert regions and is considered a treasure of the Tarim Basin. The natural ecological environment of the Tarim Basin is harsh, characterized by large diurnal temperature variations, scarce rainfall, arid conditions, extreme heat, and strong winds. These factors have contributed to the Tarim red deer’s compact and small build, as well as its resilience to drought, intense heat, and coarse forage...
According to the local Luobu elders, the Luobu people began cultivating melons very early on, with the Uyghur name for melon being "kehong." The excavation of actual melon specimens from the Jin Dynasty (3rd–5th century AD) among the relics in the Astana Tombs of the Gaochang Ancient City in Turpan indicates that Xinjiang has been growing melons for at least 1,500 years...
The 34th Regiment of the Second Agricultural Division is located in the heart of the Eurasian continent. Due to the large diurnal temperature variation, low annual precipitation, and long hours of sunlight, the red dates produced here are exceptionally rich in sugar content and boast excellent qualities such as thin skin, small pits, thick flesh, and being pollution-free. From 2009 to 2011, the 34th Regiment of the Second Agricultural Division underwent agricultural production...
Hejing County, under the jurisdiction of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, is located in the central part of Xinjiang and the northwest of Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. The area boasts beautiful mountains and rivers, majestic peaks, and a pleasant climate. It borders 15 counties and cities in regions such as Urumqi, Changji, Ili, Aksu, and Turpan, making it the county in the world that borders the most neighboring counties and cities...
The 223rd Regiment of the Second Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is located at the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountain range, in the northwestern part of the Yanqi Basin, in Hamuhuti Town, Hejing County. Hamuhuti, in Mongolian, means “a place covered with long alkali grass.” The regiment’s 14 companies are distributed along the Kaidu River (known as the Tongtian River in Journey to the West). The apple planting base is situated on the northern edge of the alluvial fan at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains...
Golden Gobi Red Dates – Named a National Famous, Special, and High-quality New Agricultural Product in 2015. They come from the fruit-optimized growing zone at 42°N latitude; they enjoy long hours of sunlight and a large diurnal temperature variation; they are grown in a vast ecological orchard; they are nourished with organic fertilizer and irrigated by glacial meltwater; they are naturally air-dried on the tree, offering the pure taste of nature: fragrant, crisp, and sweet – …
The Mongolian people living on the Bayinbuluke Grassland in Xinjiang have a signature dish—Torgut Pie. Made with either wheat flour or buckwheat flour, this pie usually features beef or mutton filling. With a crust as thin as paper and bursting with flavor, it has long been described as “the dumpling of the Han people, and the pie of the Mongolian people.” Legend has it that when Genghis Khan visited the Hongjila tribe...
The beautiful scenery of Bayinbuluke is beloved by tourists from all over the world for its uniqueness and natural beauty. “Bayinbuluke Mushrooms” are even more favored by an increasing number of food enthusiasts for being green, eco-friendly, and natural. Every summer, tourists and gourmets flock to Bayinbuluke to forage for mushrooms, making “Bayinbuluke Mushrooms” rapidly in high demand…
Xinjiang Lithospermum (also known as Xinjiang soft lithospermum) is distributed on both the northern and southern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the western part of Tibet, as well as in Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Central Asia of the former Soviet Union, Siberia, and other regions. It grows at altitudes of 2,500 to 4,200 meters on mountainous gravelly sunny slopes, alluvial fans, grasslands, and meadows, where...
The 31st Regiment of the Second Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is located in Yuli County, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture—the largest prefecture in China—within the northeastern edge of the Tarim Basin and the Taklamakan Desert. The natural ecological environment here is extremely harsh: summers are scorching and windy, with an absolute maximum temperature of 42°C; precipitation is scarce and evaporation is high; sunlight is abundant and heat...
The Bayinbuluke sheep is a local dual-purpose (meat and fat) sheep breed from Xinjiang. It originated during the eastward return of the Southern Old Torghut tribe of the Mongolian people in 1771. Over centuries, it has been developed through the traditional nomadic practices of the southern Torghut Mongolian herders combined with modern animal husbandry techniques (such as selective breeding and the purification and improvement of the breed).
Urumqi Big Plate Chicken: The chicken is tender, smooth, and never greasy, with a subtle hint of beer aroma and a bold kick of chili spice. The potato skin is crispy, while the inside melts in your mouth—soft, sweet, and moist. The sauce is incredibly flavorful and irresistible. The aroma lingers for three days, penetrating deep into your senses, then traveling through every capillary from head to toe...
In Mongolian, "roast whole lamb" is called "Zhao Mu" or "Hao Ni, Xi Ri Na." It is one of the most exquisite and prestigious dishes in Mongolian cuisine banquets, renowned for its excellent color, aroma, taste, and presentation. With a strong ethnic and regional flavor, it is considered the finest dish in Mongolian culinary tradition and is typically served at grand banquets or ceremonial offerings. The lamb is entirely red in color and quite...
Urumqi Youtaizi: The main ingredients are flour, rendered sheep fat, refined oil, fine salt, Sichuan pepper powder, and edible alkali. First, mix the flour with water to form a soft dough, let it rise for an hour, then add alkaline water and knead well. Roll the dough thin, spread it with sheep fat, fine salt, and Sichuan pepper powder while rolling and folding, then twist it into a tower shape, place…
Geographical Scope: The Toutunhe Grape production area is located in Toutunhe District, Urumqi City, Xinjiang Province. It lies in the central alluvial–proluvial plain of the northern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains and the southern edge of the Junggar Basin, between 87°15′00″–87°28′7.5″ east longitude and 43°51′15″–44°03′10″ north latitude. To the east it borders...
Fried Oil Twist is one of the distinctive delicacies of ethnic minorities who practice Islam. During Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, every household’s dining table features a plate of golden, multi-layered, cylindrical Fried Oil Twists. When guests arrive, hosts and guests exchange festival greetings. After the guests are seated, the smiling host first breaks off a bunch of Fried Oil Twists...
Parmudin is a traditional delicacy of the Uyghur people. It features a golden-yellow color, an attractive appearance, a crispy crust, tender meat, and a savory-sweet flavor that is widely loved. Parmudin is made from ingredients such as flour, fatty lamb, rendered lamb fat (a small amount), onions (also known as "pepper"), eggs, fine salt, cumin powder, and pepper powder, and is baked in a tandoor...
The preparation of rice sausages and lung sausages generally takes place after slaughtering a sheep. The internal organs are carefully removed intact, and the sheep’s lungs are rinsed clean in water until they turn pure white and colorless. The intestines are turned inside out and thoroughly cleaned for later use. The sheep’s liver, heart, and a small amount of intestinal fat are diced and mixed with an appropriate amount of ground pepper, cumin, fine salt, and washed rice to form a filling. This mixture is then stuffed into the sheep intestines…
Qūqū is a traditional and beloved snack among the Uyghur people. Similar to what the Han Chinese call wontons, it has unique characteristics in both preparation and ingredients. First, high-quality wheat flour is used to make dough, which is then rolled into thin sheets and cut into four-square-centimeter squares. Next, fatty lamb is minced into a paste, which is mixed with minced onion, salt, pepper...