First International Heavenly Horse Festival Will Hold in Ili, Xinjiang

The first Heavenly Horse Festival will hold in Kazak Autonomous Prefecture of Ili in 10th July. The festival will last about one month. Cosponsored by the Tourism Administration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Travel Bureau of Jiangsu, and the Ili government, the festival will invite well-known experts in travel, travelling salesmen and representatives to participate. The theme of the festival is "Meet in Ili and have a date with the Grassland; Ride the Horse and Trip with you in the Grassland".

During the festival many activities will be held, such as the forum for tourism and regional economic development, creational activity -- "Riding Horse in Ili, your joy knows no bounds", large corroboree--"the night of Ili", photographic match --"Beautiful Ili" etc. In addition, many sports will also held in many places within the Ili valley. For example, horse race, horse dragging race, horsemanship and archery, girls chasing, buzkashi, wrestling on horseback, picking subjects on horse, hiking adventure, tour the heavenly mountain on horseback, ride to the Xiata, travel the border by horse, and so forth.

Ili was once the vital communication hub on the ancient Silk Road (north route). It is spelled Ghulja or Gulja in Uighur, known as "the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in the north of the Great Wall", "the home of melons and fruits", "Wet Island in Central Asia", and "the Flower City" etc. There are 47 nationalities reside there. Among, the Kazakstan, Han, Uighur, Hui, Xibe, Mongolian are in the majority. The area has very unique ethnic culture, history and customs.

Ili has abundant natural and human landscapes, for example, the grand Heavenly Mountain (Tianshan), boundless grasslands, thick forests, tranquil lakes, deep valleys, ancient city ruins (such as Alalimali Ruins and Tang Dynasty Gongyue Ruins), mound tombs of the Wusun State (belongs to the Age of Copper), Ili General's Residence, Huiyuan Bell and Drum Towers, Linze Xu Commemorative Museum...too many to count. "Don't travel in Xinjing, you will not know how vast China is, while you don't trip to Ili, you will not how beautiful Xinjiang is". Anyway, Ili is the miniature of Xinjiang. These years, the area has become a piece of Holy Land for expedition, skiing, hunting, traveling, archeology, scientific investigation and ethnic culture and customs touching.

How to get: take flights from Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Lanzhou or some cities in Central Asia to Urumqi. And then take bus from Urumqi to the Yili area.

(Issued on May. 15, 2009, by China Fact Tours)