# Burqin

Burqin (布尔津; Bù'ěrjīn) is a city in the northern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, near the Russian border.
Hemu Village and Kanas Scenic area are located in Burqin, and it begins to snow during September-October every year, is a good place for skiing.

## Understand

Burqin County has jurisdiction over four towns, two townships and one ethnic township: Burqin Town, Chonghuer Town, Woimok Town, Kuastek Town, Dulaiti Township, Yegezitobe Township and Hemuhanas Mongolian Township.
The scenic spots are mainly distributed in Burqin County and Hemu Hanas Mongolian Township.

### History

Burqin was the nomadic land of the Xiongnu in the Western Han Dynasty. The Three Kingdoms belonged to Xianbei, the Sui Dynasty belonged to the Western Turks, the Tang Dynasty belonged to the Beiting capital protection House, and then to the Western Liao. After the Qing Dynasty put down the Dzunggar, the area of Burqin was under the control of Kobudo Counsellors under the left deputy general of Ulya Sutai Dingbian, and it was also a nomadic area under the left wing of Altai Ulianghai. Qing Guangxu thirty years (1905), Kobudo, Altai divided, set up Altai minister, under the control of the Qing Court, Burqin under the jurisdiction of Altai Minister. In the early period of the Republic of China, Altai followed the old system of the Qing Dynasty and was directly under the jurisdiction of the central government. In the three years of the Republic of China (1914), the Burqin River was disintegrated by Chenghua County and was named for being near the Burqin River. In the eighth year of the Republic of China (1919), Altai was assigned to Xinjiang Province and Ashan Road was set up. In the same year, Burqin officially set up a county, has been under the jurisdiction of Ashandao, Ashan Administrative district, Ashan Special District, Altai Special District, 1970 after the Altai region.

### Climate

Burqin County, located at the southwest foot of the Altai Mountains in northern Xinjiang and the northern edge of Junggar Basin, belongs to the northern temperate cold climate zone. Its main climatic characteristics are: cold and long winter, hot and dry summer, short spring and autumn, four distinct seasons, sufficient light, scarce precipitation, evaporation. Due to the large difference between the north and the south, the vertical distribution of climate characteristics in the county is obvious.

## Get in

* 48.22427687.0053471 Burqin Kanas Airport (布尔津喀纳斯机场), The south edge of Kanas Scenic area of Burqin County, Hailiutan area, (布尔津县喀纳斯景区南缘海流滩地区，距布尔津县县城中心74千米) (74 km away from the center of the county), ☏ +86 0906-6320117. It is a 4C civil regional tourism airport. (updated Sep 2024)
* 47.70491386.867532 Burqin passenger Station (布尔津客运站), No.32 Kanas Road, next to the Traffic Bureau (布尔津县喀纳斯路32号(交通局隔壁), ☏ +86 906 6525091. 08:30-20:00. The station can take direct buses from Urumqi, Altay, Hemu, Kanas and other Xinjiang regions. Departure times are not fixed but can be checked according to the official website. (updated Sep 2024)

## Get around
### By bus

Burqin buses cost ¥1 per person between any two stops within the town. Just put ¥1 in the container.
* 1 — from Junior high school (初级中学) to Holiday Inn Sutong (苏通假日酒店)

## See

* 47.70101386.8605121 Sino-Russian old wharf style street scenic spot (中俄老码头风情街景区), 20 meters south of the intersection of Youfeng Road and Wolongwan Road (友谊峰路与卧龙湾路交叉口南20米). whole day. In the Sino-Russian old wharf-style scenic spot, there is a Russian-style food street. Special features: cold water fish, kvass and yogurt. free. (updated Sep 2024)
* Lake Kanas48.82690187.0537512 Kanas Lake (喀纳斯湖), Altai Prefecture Burqin County 232 provincial highway (阿勒泰地区布尔津县232省道), ☏ +86 4001110906. 08:00-19:00. Kanas is a Mongolian word meaning "beautiful and mysterious lake". Kanas Lake is located in the northern part of Burqin County. The lake comes from the glacial meltwater of Kuitun, Youyi Peak and other mountains and the local precipitation. The lake is 1,374 meters above sea level and covers an area of 45.73 km2. It is a mountain lake and inland freshwater lake located in the Altai mountains and dense forests. (updated Sep 2024)
* Hemu village in the snow48.58709187.4657033 Hemu Village (禾木乡), Xinjiang Kanas National Geopark, Great Kanas Tourism Area (布尔津县大喀纳斯旅游区新疆喀纳斯国家地质公园). Hemu Village, the highest administrative body of the prairie, is the northernmost township in western China. Hemu Village is one of the famous Tuvan villages and the farthest and largest of the three remaining Tuvan villages (Hemu Village, Kanas Village and Baihaba Village), with a total area of 3,040 lm². There are more than 1,800 people in the township, among whom there are more than 1,400 Mongolian Tuvans. The main ethnic groups are the Mongolian Tuvans and Kazakhs, whose wooden houses are scattered across the mountainous grasslands. May 1-Oct 15: ¥50 yuan per person; Oct 16-Apr 30: ¥25 per person. (updated Oct 2024)

## Do

* 47.7172986.8643141 River Promenade (5 minutes from the center, 2 minutes from the Night Market, just walk south).
* 48.5645887.4343372 Gikpring International Ski Resort (吉克普林国际滑雪场), 5 km east of Hemu Village (布尔津县禾木村东侧5公里). Nov 5-Apr 30: 10:00-19:00; May 1-Nov 4: 10:00-21:00. Hemu Village is in the mountains, where the average snow thickness in winter is 1 meter and the thickest place can reach 2 meters. It begins to snow in mid-September every year and lasts until April. Snow falls more than half of the year, so skiing is also one of the reasons the area attracts travelers. (updated Oct 2024)
* 48.61170987.4811543 Horse Riding.Horse Sleigh (骑马、马拉雪橇), Hemu. Many local residents in Hemu area have horse farms in their homes, and when it snows, they will open horseback riding and horse-drawn sleigh projects. You can choose to ride alone or led by a staff member. The price is 80yuan per hour. The horse-drawn sleigh project can also be from Hemu Village to the top of the Hemu Village viewing platform. The price is 160yuan per session. (updated Dec 2024)
* Eid al-Adha (古尔邦节). The residents of Burqin region are mainly ethnic minorities, and the Eid al-Adha Festival is equivalent to the New Year of some local ethnic minorities and is one of the most important festivals. In this festival, every family will prepare traditional national food, hand-grabbed mutton, Borsak and so on. During the day, there will be a horse race, and after the end, everyone will eat prepared food and celebrate the festival. (updated Dec 2024)

## Buy

* 47.70180186.8647651 Jia Runfu Market (家润福(哈纳斯旅游购物广场店)), B1 Floor, Hanas Tourist Shopping Plaza, Kanas South Road (布尔津县喀纳斯南路哈纳斯旅游购物广场B1层), ☏ +86 13579189355. 11:00-20:00. Jia Runfu Market is located on the B1 floor of the Tourist Shopping Plaza, which offers the specialty food and decorations of Burqin. It's all wrapped food that you can bring back as a gift to your friends.
* 48.5680487.5392742 Nature store (自然居民商店), Gikprin Road 102 (吉克普林路102路), ☏ +86 18097515397. 11:00-23:00. Nature store is located in Hemu Village, which mainly sells backpacks, pendants and ornaments with local minority characteristics. It also sells homemade fruit wine. (updated Oct 2024)

## Eat

* 47.70100386.8593551 Night Market (夜市), 40 meters northwest of intersection of Shengquan Road and Wolongwan Road (布尔津县圣泉路与卧龙湾路交叉口西北40米) (Just opposite renmin Hospital on YouYiFeng Lu). It is a night market located in the center of Burqin County. It mainly sells roast mutton, naan and other local food.
* 48.4506887.3346262 Fengzhang Coffee (疯长咖啡), 187 Wai Hara, Hemu Village (禾木村围哈拉187号), ☏ +86 15209040419. 12:00-22:00. This is a coffee shop in Hemu Village. Coffee drinks, desserts and alcohol are available. Because of the local production of milk, so the materials used in the store are mostly local materials, with a certain degree of freshness. And the coffee shop is located in the Hemu village scenic area, scenic sightseeing is also one of the features of the shop. ¥60. (updated Oct 2024)
* 47.70179786.8751983 Songjia'xiaochu (宋家小厨), Youyi Feng Road, Xintiandi Food Street, 3rd floor, elevator left side (opposite the west end of Food Street) 友谊峰路新天地美食街3楼电梯左侧（美食街西头马路对面）, ☏ +86 19009072777. This restaurant mainly produces home-cooked dishes and Xinjiang specialties, such as roast mutton. There are also local pike fish produced in Burqin. This fish is produced in only two places in China. (updated Oct 2024)
* Lanqin Yuan · Silk Road food cold water fish (兰沁园·丝路美食冷水鱼), Building 4-5, Platinum Bay Community, Meilifeng West Road, Shenhu Road (神湖路美丽峰西路铂金湾小区4号-5号楼), ☏ +86 13289062555. 11:30-23:30. The restaurant specialises in cold-water fish. It also sells Xinjiang's special food, such as roast mutton and big plate chicken. The store is located in Burqin County, the traffic is more convenient. ¥105. (updated Oct 2024)

## Drink

* 48.69746487.0226421 Coffee Stay, 喀纳斯新村55号停泊酒店 (Park Hotel, 55 Kanas New Village), ☏ +86 13164211856. 11:30-00:30 (break time:17:00-18:30). The coffee shop is located in the Xincun area of Kanas Scenic area. The store has a variety of origin coffee beans to choose from, Italian coffee and hand-brewed coffee. ¥76. (updated Oct 2024)

## Sleep

* 47.70272786.8707781 Siyuan Hotel (思远酒店), Shenhu Road Xinhua Bookstore complex building 1 floor (神湖路新华书店综合楼1楼), ☏ +86 906-6518888. The hotel can accommodate foreigners and supports visa, jcb, mastercard payments. Opened in 2023, the hotel is pet-friendly and pets are welcome. Breakfast costs an extra rmb38 per person. ¥380. (updated Oct 2024)
* 47.69950186.8593782 Kingsoft College (金山书院), No.2 Youfeng Road (阿勒泰地区布尔津县友谊峰路2号), ☏ +86 906-7521088. Jinshan Academy is a comprehensive multi-functional place, there are bookstores, hotels, meeting rooms and so on. The geographical environment is more convenient, in the Irtysh River, close to the night market. The overall decoration of the room is based on red brick and wood materials. ¥300. (updated Oct 2024)
* 48.57375987.4426143 Youyuan'Shanju Hotel (禾木有院山居民宿), Hemu Village East Halaha bear Ditch bus station (禾木村东哈拉哈熊沟公交站旁), ☏ +86 18097515478. Youyuan'Shanju Hotel is made up of several cabins. Each room is a separate wooden house. The chalets have Windows, skylights and fireplaces. Can enjoy the beautiful scenery in the room, and the stars can be seen in the Hemu area, so the skylight can also enjoy in the house. ¥700. (updated Oct 2024)
* 48.57307287.4438014 Shenyin Hemu Homestay (神隐禾木民宿), 31 Asimeli Road, Hemu Village (禾木村阿西麦里路31号), ☏ +86 13070331313. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 13:00. Shenyin Hemu Homestay opened in 2024. All rooms at this hotel are separate, each with two floors, a spiral staircase and a night view skylight. Ironing service is available. ¥1200. (updated Oct 2024)

## Cope
### Visas

* PSB - visa extensions, Corner of Xingfu and Youyifeng (one square south and west from the bus station). M-F 10:00. Can't extend your visa, and will send you to Urumqi or Altai. No English.

## Go next

* Hanas National Nature Reserve — lake which looks dark and mysterious, mountain peaks reflecting into the deep waters. Mongol nomad still inhabit the area.