UrumQi | “Beautiful Pasture”

Urumqi (Wulumuqi), located in a green oasis between the lofty ice-capped Bogda Peak, the vast Salt Lake in the east, the rolling pine-covered Southern hill and the alternating fields and sand dunes of Zunggar Basin in the northwest, is most famous for holding the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world at a distance of about 1,400 miles (2500 km) from the nearest coastline. A relatively new city (founded in 1763), the most land locked area in the world. Previously known as Dihua, meaning “Enlightening and Civilizing”, the Chinese renamed the city in 1884 to its present day tag, Wulumuqi. On February 1,1954, the city was renamed Ürümqi, meaning “Beautiful Pasture” in the Mongolian language of the Junggar tribe.

Exploring Changsha, China

Explore Changsha, one of China’s ancient, mysterious and beautiful land. Changsha is located at 111°53′–114°5′ east longitude and 27°51′–28°40′ north latitude, situated in the east central Hunan. Its terrain is high in the west and low in the east. There are many mountainous areas in the west and in the north. The Xiangjiang River flows south to northwest; 296 m high Mt. Yuelushan is in the west; and Liuyanghe River (Liuyang River) and Laodaohe River (Laodao River) east. Changsha has a monsoon climate within the sub-tropical zone, with annual average temperature being 16.8°C–17.2°C, 4.6°C in January and 28.6°C in July. Average annual precipitation is 1422 mm., and the yearly frost-free period is 275 days.