On the 25th, the first China Lop Nur Hiking and Adventure Conference and the launch ceremony of China’s Altun Mountain Adventure Tour were held in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang. Over 500 adventure enthusiasts from across the country gathered in the ancient land of Loulan to embark on a 100-day adventure tour to the Lop Nur and Altun Mountains in Xinjiang.
It is understood that within Ruoqiang County in Xinjiang are distributed the ruins of the ancient city of Loulan, the ruins of the ancient city of Milan, the Xiaohe Cemetery, and the mysterious Lop Nur, earning it the reputation of being an “underground museum” and a “corridor of historical culture.” In addition, there is the Taklamakan Desert, the world’s second largest and China’s largest desert, known as the “Sea of Death”; the Altun Mountain Nature Reserve, the country’s largest and most well-preserved kingdom of flora and fauna; the country’s only Altun Mountain–Lop Nur Wild Camel Nature Reserve; and the now-established 200,000-mu high-quality jujube ecological garden, among other natural landscape resources.
At the launch ceremony of the first China Lop Nur Hiking and Adventure Conference and the China Altun Mountain Adventure Tour, Wu Shiguang, the initiator of the adventure activity, introduced: “Ruoqiang in Xinjiang has profound Loulan cultural heritage and unique natural landscapes. Ancient city ruins, alpine scenery, desert populus euphratica forests, and folk customs are all special tourism resources that you can’t find elsewhere, attracting a large number of adventure enthusiasts. Today’s event launches from Ruoqiang, where we will have four groups setting off simultaneously from Ruoqiang, Turpan, and Dunhuang, covering a journey of over 1,000 kilometers over 100 days as we venture into the Altun Mountains to experience the joy that specialty tourism brings.”
The mystery of the Lop Nur and Altun Mountains attracts adventurers from all over. Zhang Zhaohui, an adventure enthusiast from Tianjin, will be visiting the Altun Mountains in Xinjiang for the first time. He is making his 19th trip to Xinjiang, and each visit brings a different life insight. He said: “I’ve always believed that Xinjiang is a place with a kind of ‘poison’—once you come here, you get addicted. Each season in Xinjiang has uniquely beautiful scenery that always surprises people. For us mainland backpackers coming to Xinjiang, seeing these unique sights feels like getting hooked—you just can’t help yourself. This will be my first time venturing into the Altun Mountains. While admiring the original, mysterious beauty of the Altun Mountains, I also look forward to getting up close with wild animals such as wild camels and Tibetan antelopes.”
According to Jiao Yingxin, Director of the Ruoqiang County Tourism Bureau in Xinjiang, the first China Lop Nur Hiking and Adventure Conference is part of the fifth Ruoqiang Loulan Cultural Tourism Festival, with adventure tourism being the highlight of this year’s festival.
“The Ruoqiang County · China First Lop Nur Hiking and Adventure Conference and the China Altun Mountain Adventure Tour being held today will comprehensively and vividly showcase the unique charm of Ruoqiang’s specialty tourism resources, aligning with the development trends of the high-end tourism market. Leveraging the colorful cultural and natural tourist landscapes, we aim to scientifically plan numerous distinctive tourism routes such as ‘Loulan Culture, Alpine Scenery, Desert Adventure, and Kunlun Jade Quest,’ striving to establish Ruoqiang as the ‘No. 1 County for Adventure Tourism in China,’” said Jiao Yingxin, Director of the Ruoqiang County Tourism Bureau in Xinjiang.