Population: 1,950,000
Total Area: 247,800 square kilometers
Nationalities: Uygur, Hui, Han
Zip Code: 848000
Area Code: 0903

 Administrative Division: The Hetian Region governs one city (Hetian City) and seven counties (Hetian, Pishan, Moyu, Luopu, Cele, Yutian, Minfeng).

 Location: Located at the northern foot of the Karakorgan Range and on the southern fringe of the Taxkorgan Desert, Hetian is an oasis lying in the Tarim Basin, just north of the Kunlun Mountains, which are crossed by the Sanju Pass, and the Hindu-tagh, and Ilchi passes.

 Neighboring areas: Kashgar, Asku, Bayin'guoleng, Gansu, Qinghai and Tibet, India, Pakistan

 Physical Features: The hypsography of Hetian slopes down from south to north with Karakorgan Mountains to the south and Taxkorgan Desert to the north. It has an elevation of 1,372 meters.

 History: Hetian used to be the place where the states of Pishan, Yutian, Yumi, Qule, Jingjue and Shulu were established. Since 60BC during the West Han Dynasty, Hetian has belonged to the territory of China in due form. In 1883, Hetian was established as a prefecture to be supervised directly by the court, while in 1920, it was changed to be a prefecture. Hetian was a town of military importance along the ancient Silk Road. It was also the hinge of the four most important civilizations in the ancient world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

 Climate: Located in the warm temperature zone, Hetian is dominated by a dry continental desert climate. It is hot in summer and not too cold in winter. The temperature has a great disparity between day and night. There are about 182~226 frost-free days a year. It has little rainfall and a high evaporation rate with an annual rainfall of 28.9 to 47.1 mm. The average annually temperature is from 11-12.1 C (51.8-53.8F)  with an average sunshine time of 2470.4 to 2875.9 hours annually.

 When to Go: August to September is the best period for visiting Hetian due to the beautiful scenery and nice weather.

 Local Highlights: Corban, Roza, Jade Cultural Festival, Yutian Music Dancing

 Local Product: Hetian jade, Hetian sheep, Hetian silk, Hetian carpet,Uighur medicine medicine, gelatin, pomegranates, yams, apricots

 Scenic Spots:
As a hustling center on the south route of the ancient Silk Road, Hetian was one of the three shining commercial passages in Xinjiang's history. Many ruins of historical cultural relics still stand in desert in today's 'silk capital' Hetian, muttering its previous brilliancy, mainly including  Ancient City of Niya,  Ancient City of Mallikurwatur, Ancient City of Yoktan and Hetian Museum. Apart from those historical relics, visitors can also go to visit Muz Mountain of Cele (Qira) County, Hetian Oasis and Kunlun Mountains.

Typical statue in Hetian

Bazaar in Hetian

Travel Transportation:
1. Hetian Airport is located about 12km south to the city downtown area. It has 6 daily flights to Urumqi provided by Shanghai Airways, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Hainan Airlines, etc. The flight journey from Hetian to Urumqi is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Passenger can fly from Hetian to Beijing via Urumqi.
2. There is train running daily from Hetian Railway Station to Urumqi.
3. Hetian is served by China National Highway 315, which runs along the southern Tarim Basin from Ruoqiang to Kashgar, and the Trans-Taklamakan Desert Highway, which run north to Aksu. There are regular buses running daily from Hetian to Yining, Kashgar, Aksu, Kolar, Turpan, Wushentala, etc. 
4. There are ten public bus lines traveling around Hetian City. Passengers can take them easily to the passenger distributed centers.
5. The taxi fare of Hetian is CNY5 (Daytime)/CNY7 (Nighttime) for the first three kilometers and then CNY1.3 per additional kilometer.
6.  Since most attractions in Hetian lie in the desert, the best way to get to those attractions is to rent a car. A Cross country Jeep is better.