Located in the eastern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Turpan, which was called Gaochang in ancient times (from 328AD to 1275AD), is an important place on the Silk Road. Lying in the Turpan Basin, it is at the lowest-elevation anywhere in China. Recently, it has become a tourist hot spot of Xinjiang with its unique landscape, abundant historical relics, and fertile farmland.

Because Turpan is rich in high-quality grapes of many kinds, it is known as the Hometown of Grapes. Grapes have even proved to be a tourist attraction. Lying to the northeast of Turpan, Grape Valley is a peaceful heaven and a welcoming place for visitors. The valley is a Grape Kingdom worthy of its name. Outside of the vineyards, you will also see grapevines along the road and around the houses with clusters of crystal-like grapes hanging on the dense vines. You can taste the sweet grapes after paying a small fee. Recently, a new Grape Valley was built near the old one, but the newly developed one is rather commercial. To get a taste of the romantic feeling of Turpan, it is better to visit the old Grape Valley. Additionally, in 2001, Grape Street was built on Qingnian Road in Turpan. It is 1.7 kilometers (1.06 miles) long and 14 meters (15.3 yards) wide and the pillars on both sides are festooned with exuberant grapevines. Visitors can go for a stroll under the grapevines to enjoy a cool respite from the hot city and taste the grapes there.

After enjoying the beautiful vineyards and the sweet grapes, you can try something totally different at Flaming Mountain - the hottest place in China. The surface temperature here can reach over 70C (158F). With the scorching sun directly overhead, the red mountain rocks glow and the air shimmers in the heat. It looks like raging flames, so the mountain got named Flaming Mountain. The highest temperature in summer can reach 47.8C (118F), so bring plenty of sun-block and water when you visit.

Lying to the north of the Flaming Mountain, the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves is one of the most important Buddha grotto relics in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was built during the Northern and Southern dynasties (386-589) and for 700 years, it remained the Buddhist center of the Western Regions (the area including what is now Xinjiang and parts of Central Asia).

Not far from Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves sits the ruins of the Ancient City of Gaochang. The ancient city of Gaochang was first built in 1BC and was destroyed by war by the end of 13AD. It is the largest set of ancient city ruins ever found in the Western Regions. After over 2,000 years of exposure, the outline of the ancient city still exists, and the city wall stands imposingly at the foot of the Flaming Mountain.

The Ancient City of Jiaohe, situated to the west of Turpan, is another set of ruins from an ancient city on the Silk Road. Jiaohe was the capital of the former Gushi Kingdom, which was first built in 60BC to the west of Turpan City. It has a long history of about 2,300 years. It is the largest and best preserved ancient city built from compressed earth anywhere in the world. As early as 1961, the Ancient City of Jiaohe was listed as the first group of Key Cultural Relics Units under State Protection. When traveling there, be sure to take plenty of drinking water as you will walk for several kilometers on dry, barren land.

Other sites to see include the Karez System, a delicate irrigation system devised by the smart Xinjiang people 2,000 years ago, and the Emin Minaret, the largest ancient Islamic tower in Xinjiang.