It’s snowing in Altay, Xinjiang in September?

Early September

The first heavy snow has fallen in Altay

Let us start this most beautiful season together

If there is no ice and snow

The beauty of Altay has lost at least half its luster

Oil painting-like mountains and fairy-tale-like water

Just the silhouette of Altay

(Hemu Village in Altay after the snow in late autumn, photographer @焦潇翔)

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Half a year of cold winter

Longer snowfall than winter

This is the main theme here.

(The Altai Mountains can have snow for up to 9 months, and the plains can have snow for more than half a year. The picture shows the Altai Mountains in Chonghur Town. Photographer: Liu Supei)

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No four seasons

Only the difference between cold and warm

This is the "Snow Capital of China" and also the "Second Coldest Pole"

(Night view of Altay city, photographer @龙咕咕咕)

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Everything in Altay

Opened by ice and snow

But not lonely

Look, the ice and snow here are burning

(“Girl Chasing”, a horse-riding game of the Kazakh people, photographer @水冬青)

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01

Snow falls on thousands of mountains

Heavy snowfall

In early September, we landed in Altay

From West to East

One city and six counties, all covered in white

(Chonghur Town in Altay during winter, photographer @田春雨)

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This is the entire Altai region.

It's in the "tail of the cock"

It is the corner where four countries meet.

(Altay Prefecture is an administrative unit under the jurisdiction of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, including one city and six counties. The seat of the prefecture is Altay City. The picture shows the topography of Altay. Map by @Gao Liqian/Planet Research Institute)

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"Altai" and the mountains behind it that span four countries

Altai Mountains Synonyms

All derived from Mongolian

Meaning "Gold Mountain"

It has been famous for its rich gold and treasures since ancient times.

(Golden beryl ore from the Keketuohai Mine, photographer @黄澄)

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For Altay

The Altai Mountains are extremely important

This place is far from the ocean, so it should be dry.

The Altai Mountains are very close to the Saur Mountains in the southwest.

It forms a trumpet-shaped vent.

The moist air currents from afar cannot disperse

Gathered in Altay

Make Altay a wetland island in Xinjiang with no shortage of water

(Felt house on the grassland at the foot of Altai Mountains, photographer @刘辰)

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In winter, cold air from Siberia moves southward

Encounter with water vapor

Turned into heavy snow

Covering the cities and villages of Altay

(Hemu River in Altay, photographer @小强先森)

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Forest, River

Even the desert

(Yardang landform in Wucai City after snow, photographer @严大卫)

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The maximum snow depth in Altay

Easily over 1 meter

Snowfall days: 179 days

It is the real "Snow Capital of China"

(Altai Mountains in winter in Fuhai County, photographer @阿石)

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But winter is not cold and lonely

This is exactly the busiest season in Altay.

Altai Mountains meets snow

A variety of combinations of drop and terrain

A top ski resort

Ski enthusiasts come from all corners of the world

Alpine ski resort connected to the city

General Mountain

Crowded

(Altai General Mountain Ski Resort, photographer @陈阳)

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Hemu Village, far away from the city

In the vast snowfield

There are also figures running fast

(Hemu Jikepulin Ski Resort, picture source @Visual China)

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Altay has heavy snowfall and a long snowy season

The dry and cold climate deep inland and low temperatures in winter

This makes the snow here low in water content.

Dry, soft and elastic

It is a ski paradise with super long standby time

(Keketuohai Ski Resort, which is closed in June, is the ski resort with the longest snow season in China. The picture shows the moon halo at Keketuohai Ski Resort, photographer @Annan)

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More importantly

When the snow falls on the peaks

Over the years, hundreds of glaciers have been formed.

(Please watch horizontally, Kanas Glacier under the Friendship Peak of Altai Mountains, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Although they are huge and cold

But it nourishes the numerous mountain lakes.

Kanas Lake, a paradise on earth

Changes color with the seasons

(Aerial photo of the autumn fog over Kanas River and Kanas Lake, photographer @焦潇翔)

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Next to Kanas Lake

Lakes of various shapes and sizes

Stretching out in the woods

(Kanas Sister Lakes, photographer @Hao Pei)

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More rain and snow flow along the valleys between the mountains

Altay's 56 rivers were born.

(Kanas River in winter, photographer @刘夙培)

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Among them, the mother river of Altay

Irtysh River

Not only is it the second largest river in Xinjiang

It is the only river in China that flows into the Arctic Ocean.

(Irtysh Grand Canyon, photographer @赵高翔)

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These rivers are along the Altay

Producing fertile land

Continuous grassland

(Fuhai Huiteng Axia Grassland, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Even bring life to the Gobi Desert

(Altai Sea Devil City, photographer @陈小羊)

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Ice and snow burn into surging vitality

From the extremely cold snowy areas to the hot deserts

Creating a more lively world

02

Everything is boiling

Water vapor enters Altay

Descending from northwest to southeast

The Altai Mountains

Therefore, permanent snow and alpine meadows

Mountain forests, grasslands and deserts meet here

Clearly layered

(Jiadengyu Forest in the Altai Mountains, photographer @李赵龙)

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Snow on the alpine tundra

Frost-resistant Arctic willow, Norwegian saxifrage

Still stubbornly squeeze out the corner

They are short in stature

It is a frequent visitor to the Arctic and other cold regions.

(Norwegian Saxifrage, only for illustration, image source: Visual China)

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Rock ptarmigan changes its costumes in four seasons

Feeding on this

These tiny elves are widely distributed around the Arctic Circle.

The Altai Mountains are their only habitat in China.

(A rock ptarmigan walking in the snow, photographer @刘璐)

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Go down further

It is a bright and blooming meadow of flowers

(Altay Golden Lotus, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Bright red peony

(Altay peony flowers, photographer @Hao Pei)

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The elegant gentian flower

(Gentiana grandiflora at Yunxiao Peak in Hemu, Altay, photographer @雷东翔)

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Exotic European lily

(European lily in Altay, photographer @Hao Pei)

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besides

Purple velvety Altai Viola

Golden Altai nasturtium

…

Countless flowers light up the hillside

Wild and free

In the dense forest

You will see a Christmas tree

Taiga

(Taiga Forest in the Altai Mountains, photographer @Guo Yuandong)

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They are made of Siberian fir, Siberian red pine, etc.

Cold-resistant tree species

Only in China's coldest

Grown in the northern part of Greater Khingan Range and Altai Mountains

Greetings from the polar regions

(Taiga forest in the Altai Mountains in winter, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Under the trees

A male black grouse spreads its feathers to court a mate

18 black tail feathers like a harp

Come with your own identity

(Black grouse, photographer @王瑞)

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Lower valley area

Large tracts of poplars, birches and willows grow along the river.

Among them, there are large poplar forests along the Irtysh River.

More than 10 tree species

It is a natural "poplar gene bank"

(The woods along the Haba River where it merges into the Irtysh River, photographer @赵斌)

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Along the Haba River

Extended out

The largest and longest natural birch forest in Northwest China

(Birch forest in Habahe, photographer @赵高翔)

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Endangered beaver

Feed on these trees

They live in the slightly drier southeast.

Burgen River Basin

Building dams and shelters with branches and mud

The "architects" of the animal world

(The Mengxin beaver is a species unique to China, photographer @初雯雯)

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The areas further south are largely dry.

Desert Gobi

Drought-tolerant plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron, Salix psammophila, and Artemisia ordosica

An oasis in the desert

(Plants in the desert of the Altai Junggar Basin, photographer @沈久泉)

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Mongolian wild donkey, goitered gazelle, etc.

Endangered Wildlife

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Mongolian wild donkeys in Kalamaili Nature Reserve, photographer @张宏江)

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and the world's only surviving wild horse species

Przewalski's horse

Live here

(Przewalski's horse in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve, photographer @初雯雯)

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Snow mountains, forests, grasslands, deserts

Diverse Environment

Let Altay become

A refuge for many species of flora and fauna

(Snow rabbit, China's second-class protected animal, one of the fastest wild animals in the world, photographer @敖咏梅)

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Lively under the snow

From the mountains to the desert

What's more exciting is that

More than 100 million acres of grassland

Listen, the sound of galloping horses is coming towards you

03

Smoke from cooking fires 3,000 miles away

The Altai Mountains stretch for nearly 2,000 kilometers.

Spanning Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia

It was a nomadic people in Eurasia.

Communication Channel

45,000 years ago, the first wisp of smoke from cooking fires in Xinjiang

Born Here

(The Tongtian Cave site in Jimunai, Altay, is the first Paleolithic site in Xinjiang. It is the site where the earliest carbonized wheat grains in China were discovered. Photographer: @郝沛)

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The Sakas and One-eyed people nearly three thousand years ago

Walking through this grassland

(Stone pile tombs in Sandaohaizi, Altay. Some scholars speculate that this site is likely related to the "one-eyed people" and "one-eyed people" recorded in both Western and Chinese literature. This is their summer sacrificial shrine. Photographer @Hao Pei)

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besides

The Huns more than 2,000 years ago

Turkic people more than 1,000 years ago

Hundreds of years ago, the Mongols

(Altai Naoyun Beacon Tower, said to be left behind by Genghis Khan during his westward expedition, photographer @董龙)

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And many more names that appear in history books

Yuezhi, Wusun, Xianbei, Rouran...

Countless ancient tribes

On this grassland, the horse hoofs have been raised

They appear and disappear

The ancient tradition continues

Altay has 1/7 of the grassland in Xinjiang

They are scattered in

Desert, mountains, high mountains

Able to support millions of cattle and sheep

(Please watch in horizontal mode, a large number of cattle and sheep of the Kazakh herders in Altay are transferred to other pastures, photographer @马东)

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The most populous ethnic group in Altay

Kazakhs

As the seasons change, the cattle and sheep are driven

Living by the water and grass

Every early summer, cattle and sheep are driven to

On the northern mountain

The water grass here is the freshest

(The herders in the Altai Mountains migrate in summer and autumn, photographer @沈久泉)

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In spring and autumn, they move southward to the desert steppes

Lamb breeding

(Fuhai County herders migrate in spring, photographer @陶洪)

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In winter, snow drives cattle and sheep

In the winter valley with less snow

The cattle and sheep are eating the prepared grass

Waiting for next year

(Altai Jimunai Saur Mountain is the "winter nest" for herders to spend the winter, photographer @Hao Pei)

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This spring only

The number of livestock transferred to Altay alone exceeds 2.2 million

More than a dozen transfers a year

Walking nearly 1,000 kilometers

The Kazakhs have thus become

Poets

The group that "travels the most and moves the most frequently"

(Kazakh herders on the move, photographer @马东)

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They move all year round

Invented a felt tent made of local materials and easy to disassemble

The frame is constructed with red willow and poplar wood

Achnatherum splendens weaving fence

Wrapped in wool felt

(Aletai Kazakh herders build a yurt, photographer @李钟鸣)

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Tuvans are similar to the Mongols

They lived deep in the forests of the Altai Mountains.

Winters in the mountains are long and snowy

They used wood from the mountains

Build a pointed wooden house that is not easy to accumulate snow on the top

(Hemu Village is a village of Tuva people, photographer @田春雨)

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In order to cope with the snowy winter

They even invented something similar to today's skis a long time ago.

Fur skis with animal fur tied to the bottom

Walking through the snowy forest

(Altai fur skiing, photographer @赵登文)

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From ancient times to the present

The people of Altay

They all rely on mountains and rivers for survival

(Ice fishing in Ulungur Lake in winter. Ulungur Lake is the largest natural fishing ground in northern Xinjiang. Image source: Visual China)

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They love this generous land

Cherish every spring rain

Believe in animism

(Kanas Oboo, the herdsmen of Altay offer sacrifices to Oboo every year, praying for rain to keep the grassland fertile forever, photographer @Hao Pei)

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They have lived here for a long time.

Rain, snow, cold and warmth are all gifts from nature

They enjoy every short summer

(Kazakh herders in the Altay grasslands play with wool, photographer @Hao Pei)

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Not afraid of the long winter

(Kazakh people on the snow in winter, photographer @董龙)

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The beauty of Altay lies in its changes

From mountain glaciers to the Gobi Desert

Whether it is sunny, frost, rain or snow

Here you can find extraordinary beauty

Here, we can learn to enjoy the sunshine

Savor the Rain and Snow

Embrace freedom on the journey

All the ups and downs

(Hemu Village in the snow, photographer @焦潇翔)

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This article was created by

• Written by: Xiang Bu Xiang

• Image: Xia Xue Map: Gao Liqian

• Design: Shen Wen

• Reviewer: Xueli & Songnan

【References】

• [1] Edited by the Editorial Committee of the China Geography Encyclopedia Series; Zhang Hui. China Geography Encyclopedia Series·Altay[M]. World Book Publishing Guangdong Co., Ltd., 2014.11.

• [2] Su Yongwen, Qiu Xinting, Xia Zhongchun. Chronicles of Altay Region[M]. Xinjiang People's Publishing House, 2004.

• [3] Cao Qiumei. Global Outstanding Universal Value of Plant Diversity in the Altai Mountains of Xinjiang[D]. Xinjiang Agricultural University, 2015

• [4] Long Xiao, Zhao Jianhua, Wang Hui, et al. Numerical simulation of the impact of the Altay Mountains on heavy snowstorms in northern Xinjiang [J]. Desert and Oasis Meteorology, 2012, 6 (06): 15-20.