Gaochang Ancient City

The city's name means 'the King City'. It was founded during the first century BC and abandoned during the 15th century. Ascending to a height to enjoy a distant view, you can see the whole city.

The city was initially built as a garrison town in the first century BC, called Gaochang Wall. After 2,000 years, the weather-beaten ancient city still displays its past greatness and glory; even though the walls are incomplete, the magnificent outline remains.

The ruins are an irregular square, covering an area of about 2,200,000 square meters (2,631,178 square yards). The layout is similar to that of Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The city is composed of three sections: an outer city, an inner city and a palace city. The outer city, with a perimeter of 5.4 kilometers (3.4 miles), is enclosed by a city wall which is 12 meters (39 feet) thick and 11.5 meters (37.7 feet) high, and is built with tamped earth.

As one of the key points along the Silk Road, the ancient city of Gaochang was also a sanctuary for world religious culture. Xuanzhuang, a well-known Buddhist monk in the Tang Dynasty, stopped there and delivered lectures on his way to India. Today, the remains standing there remind us of the grandeur and prosperity of the ancient city.

Location: It is located at the foot of the Flaming Mountain, about 46 kilometers (29 miles) south-east of Turpan, Xinjiang.

Tips: The best time to visit is from June to August when various melons and fruits in Turban are ripe, so that you may taste the delicious fruits. The Grape Festival held in August every year is also quite exciting and is very enjoyable. During the Grape Festival, a variety of cultural activities such as evening parties and the Grape Wine Festival are enjoyable events to attend.