Do you know where Devil's City is? Devil City is also known as Urhe Wind City. It is located in the Wuerhe mining area in the lower reaches of the Jiamu River on the northwest edge of the Junggar Basin of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 100 kilometers southwest of Karamay City. There is a unique wind-eroded landscape with a strange shape, which the local Mongols call the city "Surumhak".
Uyghurs call it "Shayi Tankersi," which means Devil's City. In fact, here is a typical Yadan landform area "Yadan" is the Uyghur word for "steep wall hillock", Yadan landform is named after the Yadan area near Lop Nur in the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang, is a type of wind-eroded landform formed in an arid and windy environment.
The Devil's City runs northwest and east-west, with a length and width of more than 5 kilometers, a radius of about 10 square kilometers, and an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level. According to investigations, about 100 million years ago in the Cretaceous period, here is a huge freshwater lake, the shore of the lake grows lush plants, the water inhabits and breeds a lot of ancient animals, here is a "paradise" where aquatic tribes gather, and later after two large crustal changes, the lake became a land Hanhai sandwiched between sandstone and mud slate, geology called it "Gobi Plateau". On April 13, 2018, it was shortlisted for the "100 Magical Northwest Scenes".
Do you know that there is actually a legend in Devil City?
Legend has it that this was originally a majestic castle, the men in the castle were handsome and strong, the women in the castle were beautiful and kind, and the people in the castle worked hard and lived a worry-free life with plenty of food and clothing. As wealth accumulates, evil gradually takes over people's hearts. They began to indulge in fun and wine, and the city was filled with deceit and bloody fights for wealth, and everyone's face became hideous and terrifying. In order to arouse people's conscience, the gods came to the castle in rags. The gods told the people that evil had turned him from a rich man to a beggar, but the beggar's words did not work, and he was insulted and ridiculed by the people in the castle. In a fit of rage, the gods turned the place into ruins, and all the people in the castle were crushed under the ruins. At night, the spirits of the dead wail in the castle, hoping that the gods will hear their confessions.
The magic of that "castle tower" is also that it changes over time. When the rising sun rises in the east, the "castle tower" looks like a pair of warriors dressed in morning light, faithfully guarding the tranquility of the castle; When dusk rises and the moon is shining, the taller one tells an old and interesting story like an old grandfather wearing a cloak. Looking at that scene of happiness, you will not associate it with the word devil anyway.
Entering the Junjiuer Basin north of Xinzhao, you will come to the endless Karamay Gobi Desert, where the curving asphalt road is dark and glowed, making it feel rich in oil and asphalt. One after another, people are surprised. From Karamay to the north, a wide river valley with a dry tone is in front of you, and not far from the river valley bridge into the town of Urbu, which is the long-desired Devil City area.
Why do people call it Devil's City?
Some people call it Devil's City, others call it "Windy City", Wind Castle, and the local Mongols and Kazakhs have their own words for it, but the translation means "ghost city".
Only on a windy night will you truly appreciate its devilish side. The wind here often comes very suddenly, and sometimes when the moon is in the sky, it may be windy and flying sand and rocks. At this time, you will hear the entire Devil's City crying wolves, some as loud as a flood bell, some as thin as a woman's cry; There are also strange screams that are creepy. When you are alone in the desert, in this windy and dark night, hearing these terrifying sounds, you will definitely feel like you are in hell. However, when the sun rises in the east the next day, and you look at the Devil's City in the morning light, it is so docile, so quiet, and the fear of the windy night is like a dream, you will feel a novelty and excitement that you have never felt before.
In short, this term has been around for a long time, and it sounds frightening. In fact, "Devil's City" is not a city, and calling it a city is just a figurative metaphor. This is a big wind vent, often blowing strong winds, the air flow in the closed here can not flow out, will make a hissing and strange sound, a bit like the mythical devil's roar, it sounds terrifying. Especially at sunset, the dark clouds linger here, and there are some birds below, hovering low. The Devil's City was covered with a strange veil, and all kinds of strange-shaped hills looked like strange shadows, and if it encountered stormy weather again, it would be even more creepy. It is probably in response to this feature that people gave the name "Devil's City".
How did Devil's City come into being?
Devil's City is divided into two parts: the big city is in the west and the small city is in the east. The main peak is in the "small city", 540 meters above sea level, with a total area of about 60 square kilometers, the devil city is full of gravel Gobi Beach, various colors of lumps and gravel shape peculiar, after long-term wind erosion to shape the "wind prism", coupled with the wind blowing and carrying, in the low part of the hill, the shape of the city one by one small sandbags. The accumulation of wind and sand has covered the "castle", and some shrubs and plants will grow on the sandbag, creating a desert landscape.
Annual precipitation does not exceed 60-70 mm, but it is concentrated in the three months of June, July and August. The hottest months of the year are also during these 3 months, when the temperature reaches more than 50°C. The lowest temperature is in January, and the coldest can reach around -40°C. Such a large temperature difference and annual decline greatly accelerate the weathering etching of rocks. In the long geological history, it has been eroded by heavy rain and winds, shaping today's "Devil's City". It can be seen that the emergence of "Devil City" is determined by its special geological and geographical environment.
Because of the unique scenery here, many movies now use Devil's Town as a location, such as the Academy Award winning film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". More and more tourists are also coming to Xinjiang for tourism and exploration. The landform was selected as the first place of "China's Three Most Beautiful Yadan" by the "Beauty China" activity of National Geographic of China.
If you plan to go to the Devil's City for a few days, if you have enough time to play, it is recommended that you stay in Wuerhe, so that you can have enough time to enjoy the magnificent scene of the sunrise and sunset of the Devil's City, and try to leave the scenic area before entering the dark, otherwise it is easy to get lost, the Devil's City is very large.
You can also choose to enjoy the sunrise in the Devil's City, visit the Karamay No. 1 Well after lunch, and go to the Karamay River in the evening to enjoy the different sunsets and sunsets. If you are camping, it is recommended to consult the local precautions, and most importantly, the weather. Have you been here? How does it feel?