Dabancheng, a city made famous by a song

Dabancheng’s stone roads are hard and flat, and the watermelons are big and sweet... When Wang Luobin’s melody echoes in your ears, this ancient city carved by the wind along the Silk Road comes alive with the soul of music. Located 80 kilometers east of Urumqi, Dabancheng has long been a vital gateway between northern and southern Xinjiang. Known as "Baishuijian" during the Han Dynasty and established as "Baishui Town" in the Tang Dynasty, the bricks and stones of the city walls, rounded by the Gobi Desert winds, hide a Western Regions version of Marco Polo’s Travels.

Baishuijian Ancient Town: Memories of caravans in the wind. Walk along the creaking wooden plank road into the ancient town, where the frontier garrison and farming relics from the Qianlong period 300 years ago remain clear. The lookout holes on the rammed earth walls are like eyes of time, having witnessed the grand scene of silk merchants exchanging Persian carpets for tea. Be sure to try walking along the ancient riverbed; in August, wild watermelon vines twist along the banks, and you can almost hear the sound of camel bells—the travelers of old relied on these sweet melons to survive the scorching summer. (Admission 39 RMB, open 10:00-19:00)

⚡ Wind Power Station: A modern-day "tumbleweed ballet"
On the way to the ancient city, you will definitely pass Asia’s largest wind power base, where hundreds of white turbines spin in the open fields like giant Uyghur hand drums. Interestingly, this area experiences level 8 winds or higher more than 200 days a year. Silk Road caravans once invented special ways to tie their goods because of this wind, and today the fierce winds have become green energy. Sunset is the best time to shoot photos, with turbine silhouettes against the snowy peaks of the Tianshan Mountains, making a perfect background for your phone shots (open all day for free).

🏰 Dabancheng Ancient City Ruins: The source of Wang Luobin’s inspiration
Beneath the remaining Tang Dynasty city walls, local elders still hum the ancient Muqam tunes. It is said that in 1938, Wang Luobin was inspired here by an impromptu performance from a horseshoe nailer, which led him to write "The Girl from Dabancheng." Today, in the old teahouse outside the south gate, a goat-horn fiddle player still performs the original version, with hand drum rhythms wilder and more passionate than the studio recordings.

Tips: Summer evenings are the best time to visit the ancient town, not only to avoid the scorching sun but also to catch the bazaar night market. Don’t forget to try "Keping Nang Keng Rou," lamb skewers grilled with Dabancheng dried chili peppers, paired with ice-cold kvass for an authentic taste of the Western Regions.

Post by RadiantBeam9 | Oct 17, 2025