Hetian (Hotan) Travel Guide

Location: located at the northern foot of the Karakorgan Range and on the southern fringe of the Taxkorgan Desert with an elevation of 1,372 meters

Neighboring areas: Gansu province , Qinghai province and, Tibet Autonomous Region

Physical Features: slopes down from south to north with Karakorgan Mountains to the south and Taxkorgan Desert to the north

Urban Population: 1.2 million
Area: 247,800 sq km

Nationalities: all together12 ethnic groups, mainly Han and Uygur

History: used to be the place where the states of Pishan, Yutian, Yumi, Qule, Jingjue and Shulu were established; in 1883, was established as a prefecture to be supervised directly by the court; in 1920, was changed to a prefecture

Climatic Features: located in the warm temperature zone, dominated by a dry continental desert climate; hot in summer and not too cold in winter; great temperature disparity between day and night with little rainfall and a high evaporation rate; frost-free of 182 and 226 days a year; an average sunshine time of 2470.4 to 2875.9 hours annually

Average Temperature: 11-12.1C
Rainfall: annual rainfall of 28.9 to 47.1 mm

Mountains: Karakorgan Range, Kunlun Range

Rivers: Karakax River, Yulongkax River, Hetian River, Aksu River, Yarkant River, and etc

Local Highlights: Hetian jade, Hetian sheep, Hetian silk, Hetian carpet