Hetian(Hotan) Travel Guide

Basic information Area code: 0903 Emergency phone: 110, 120, 119 Hetian Tourism Bureau: 0903-2052884 Pishan County Tourism Bureau: 0903-6426018 Hetian District Tourism Advisory Telephone: 0903-2511335 Hetian Tourism complaints phone: 0903-2513809 Time difference: -2 hours Travel information Travelers planning to travel […]

Basic information

Area code: 0903
Emergency phone: 110, 120, 119
Hetian Tourism Bureau: 0903-2052884
Pishan County Tourism Bureau: 0903-6426018
Hetian District Tourism Advisory Telephone: 0903-2511335
Hetian Tourism complaints phone: 0903-2513809 Time difference: -2 hours

Travel information

Travelers planning to travel to the desert area need simple and effective equipment, as well as safe lines and reliable guides. They must do their homework well in terms of schedules, distance plans, and traffic information.
Xinjiang is geographically located in the East Sixth Time Zone and has a time difference of 2 hours with most cities in the Mainland. Therefore, most service agencies and government departments postpone the commuting hours by 2 hours, usually 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning and 15 in the afternoon. : 00 after work. It is recommended to arrange activities during travel
Between 9:00 and 20:00.

Medical treatment

Hetian District People’s Hospital
The largest hospital in Hotan area, very close to the intersection of downtown.
Address: 103 Wenhua Road, Hetian City
Tel: 0903-2050263

Moyu County People’s Hospital
Address: Hokkae North Road, Moyu County, Hetian District
Tel: 0903-6512201

Destination overview

Destination sketch

It is a town on the southern (Jade) Branch of the Silk Road in Xinjiang Province in China. Khotan was once center of a Buddhist empire. The old capital, Yoktan, is about 10 km west of the current city.

While the main Silk Road route from here goes west to Kashgar and on toward Central Asia, an important branch cuts off here over a pass to Leh in the north of India. That pass is thought to be the route by which Marco Polo reached China.

Beliefs and taboos

In the diet, Muslims fasted the meat of pigs, dogs, donkeys, quail meats, and beasts of prey and raptors. They did not eat the meat of dead animals that had not been slaughtered. They also fasted the blood of all animals.

Language

Most of local people can not speak English.

Best Travel season

Located in the warm temperature zone, the area is dominated by a dry continental desert climate. It is hot in summer and not too cold in winter. The temperature has a great disparity between day and night. There are about 182~226 frost-free days a year. It has little rainfall and a high evaporation rate with an annual rainfall of 28.9 to 47.1 mm. The average annual temperature is from 11-12.1 C (51.8-53.8F) with an average sunshine time of 2470.4 to 2875.9 hours annually. August to September is the best period for visiting the area due to the beautiful scenery and nice weather.

Consumption level

The consumption level in the Hotan area is not low, and the development of the jade business has caused Hotan to maintain a high level of consumption. Hotel standard room between 100 to 200 yuan, per capita food and beverage consumption of not less than 40 yuan, plus chartered, long-distance and other transportation costs, in the average daily consumption of Hetian travel 300 to 400 yuan.

Practical information

Hetian County Tourism Bureau
Address: 145 East Beijing Road
Tel: 0903-2052884

Wada City Western Rose Tourism Service Consulting Center
Address: Taipei Road, Hetian City

Hetian District Tourism Bureau
Address: 49 West Tunwei Road

Intercity traffic

Aircraft

HetianAirport, HTN
Address: No. 925, Yingbin Road, Hetian City, 12 km from the city
Arrival method: Hetian does not have an airport bus, taxi around 25 to 30 yuan
Tel: 0903-2026726

Train

Hetian Railway Station
Address: Avatasi Village, Hotan City
Arrival method: You can take bus No. 2, 10 to the train station, taxi 15 yuan

Long distance bus

Hetian Highway Passenger Transport Center
Address: No. 5, Taipei West Road, Hetian City
Tel: 0903-2022688

Hetian Dongjiao Bus Terminal
Address: No. 448, East Taipei Road, Hetian City
Tel: 0903-2025487

Moyu Station (Long Distance Bus Station West Substation)
Address: 524 West Taipei Road, Hetian City

Traffic in the city

Bus

Bus fare is 1 yuan, summer 8:40-21:50; winter 8:20-20:45.

Taxis

In front of the hotel and the long-distance and short-distance transport passenger terminals are concentrated taxis, starting at 5 yuan. Taxi taxis operate in the city, and taxis in the suburbs may experience carpooling. The fare is set by the driver and can be clarified before boarding.

Car rental

Since most of Hotan’s attractions are in the desert, good off-road jeep is the preferred car rental. From the suburbs of Hotan City to the suburbs, you can go to 3 or 4 places a day. Car rental costs 500 to 800 yuan.

Hetian International Travel Agency Team
Address: No.23 Tunji Road, Hetian City
Tel: 0903-2512849

Attila Car Rental Co., Ltd.
Address: No. 5, Plaza Road, Hetian City
Tel: 0903-2032229

Attractions

Khotan Market

Almost as large as the Sunday Market in Kashgar but more chaotic and free-spirited. Open every day, busiest in the early afternoon (XJ time), and on Sundays. Not to be confused with the “International Bazaar” which is a tall landmark Building near the bus station and more like a mall than a market.
Address: East Taipei Road, Hetian City
Arrival method: Take bus No. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 to Da Bazaar station

Khotan Museum

Free entry to look around, all items have tags in Chinese, Uyghur and English. Tours available in English for 10RMB. Museum has one floor of artifacts including two 2500 year old mummies. editClosed for lunch so helpful to get their early enough to orient yourself Vis-a-vis local architectural sites.
Address: 342 Beijing West Road, Hetian City
Arrival method: You can take No. 2 Road to Caixue Station, or take No. 7 Road to the post-secondary school gate station, walk to
Opening hours: Summer 9:30-13:00, 16:00-19:30, Winter 10:00-13:30, 15:30-19:00, closed on Wednesday
Tickets: Free
Phone: 0903-6182017

Khotan Carpet Factory

An industry over 2000 years old in Khotan, carpets woven by hand in a small workshop, tours and sales of carpets available. Seems to be free, without many services for visitors, especially in the off season.
Address: No. 8 Hangzhou Avenue, Hetian City
Arrival method: Take the 8-way to Irihi Township Station and walk for about 1.3 km; take a taxi for 10 to 15 RMB

Zanmu Temple

Located mountainside which is over 80 meters high of east side of Moyu river in Layika countryside in Hetian county, is 36 kilometers far away Hetian city. Zanmu temple is a double layers rock cave, need putting up a ladder from lower layer to top layer. It is recorded that, the temple was found by Faxian master which is passing here in 401 AD, and was called as “Zanmu Temple” by him and write it in book, here scenery is very beautiful.
Address: East Bank of Karakash, Layika Township, Hotan City
Arrival method: Take a shuttle bus to Layika Township from Hetian Bus Station and walk for about 10 minutes. You can also rent carriages and motorcycles in the township; 50 to 100 yuan from the Hetian Chartered Tour. The Grottoes are very close to Sangushu. Nearly 200 yuan for chartered tours
Opening hours: 10:00-19:00

Grapevine promenade

The Hotan grapevine promenade is more than 1,500 kilometers long and has created a miracle in the history of viticulture. It has become a major landscape of the Gobi Oasis.
Address: Baghdad Town, Hotan County
Arrival method: Take a shuttle bus to the town of Bageqi Hetian Bus Station
Opening hours: 10:00-20:00
The Baghdad town government phone: 0903-2948112

Takla Makan Desert

Desert Vista “Platform” is north of town at the speed checkpoint, where the cross-desert highway enters the desert properly. It is free to walk up to the “platform,” a scenic vista point situated on top of a large dune, and Down to the restrooms. Camel rides are also available on request, for a fee. Can combine with a trip to Rawaq, which is accessible by turning off the highway north of the desert viewing platform.
Travelers on the Silk Road had to cross the Takla Makan desert, a bleak region of drifting sand dunes in northwestern China. The Takla Makan Desert, the center of Tarim Basin in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is known as the Sea of Death from which Nobody can escape. In this huge, barely inhabited desert, streams flow into the basin losing them and evaporate, never reach the sea. simultaneous, poisonous snakes and frequent sand storms are always experienced, and explorers have to bear lots of tortures such as as water Shortage and great temperature difference between boiling heat and freezing cold from day to night.
Address: S210 Highway 629 km Provincial Monument
Arrival method: Take a taxi from the city to about 20 yuan

Sangzhu rock painting

Historically, Sangzhu had been a trail to Tibet and India. Rock paintings are more than 3 meters long and 1.3 meters high, carved in a smooth red-brown sandstone. There are various portraits on the screen, and there are symbols like words on the upper left. The main manifestation of rock paintings is the hunting life of ancient people.
Address: Wulaqi Village, Sangzhu Township, Pishan County, Hetian District
Arrival method: Take a shuttle bus to the township of Mulberry in Hetian Bus Station, and then rent and return to the location of the rock paintings.

Rawaq Stupa

It is better preserved than most buildings at Melikawat but smaller and northeast of town, east of the cross-desert highway. A visitor center is under construction, but until it is completed then 20¥ ticket fees are paid on entry to the stone path leading To the boardwalk around the stupa. In mid-2017, the direct road was under construction but the site was accessible via the cross-desert highway, demarcated by a large sign to direct drivers who may not be familiar with the route.
Address: North of Tamuaigele Village, Buya Township, Luopu County, Hotan Region How to get there: 200 yuan for a round trip from Hotan
Tickets: 20 yuan

Ancient City of Mallikurwatur

Located on the west bank of the Jade Dragon Kashgar River, the Ancient City of Mallikurwatur is about 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of Hetian (Hotan) City. Ten kilometers (6 miles) long from north to south and two kilometers (1 mile ) wide from east to west, it was built 1,500-1,600 years ago, with the Kunlun Mountain to the south.
Jade articles, pottery and a large number of old coins like Wu Zhu Qian (five zhu money) coin in the Western Han (206 BC-24 AD) Dynasty and Kai Yuan Tong Bao coin of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were excavated Then, therefore, some experts determined that this was the capital city of the Tian Kingdom in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220). Conjectured to be the Palace or the living place of the officials and nobles. While, relics of murals and figures of Buddha, especially a fine clay Buddha’s head were also discovered to the south of clay platforms, where there was presumed to be a Buddhist temple .In addition, ancient tombs and buildings along with three mysterious caves are also worth visiting in the ancient city.
The ancient city of Mallikurwatur is an important town in Yutian, the ancient country of west land. Yutian is one of the four garrison commands of Anxi, the other three being Qiuci, Shule and Yanqi. Yutian had well-developed handicraft industry because it attained The silkworm raising technique from central plains earlier than the other three countries. It was once the centre of Mahayana Buddhism and also achieved better completion in music, painting and drama. Due to all of these and as a big town in Yutian, the ancient city Of Mallikurwatur is asked to be a prosperous city in that period.
Address: Next to the village of Mailike Awati Village, Malik, Tossa Township, Hotan District
Arrival method: From Hetian chartered round-trip about 100 yuan, there are motorcycles in the ancient city can be rented, 15 yuan
Tickets ranging from 25 yuan: 10 yuan

Ancient City of Yotkan

Today, the only remaining clue to the whereabouts of this ancient city available is a stone stele that informs the visitor that the site is a cultural relic of the Xinjiang region. Located 10 km(6.2miles) west of Hetian, Yotkan was an important city In the ancient and prosperous Yutian, a state in the Western Region that from 60 BC was under the sovereignty of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 24 AD).
A swamp with an area 10 square kilometers (3.86square miles) and a depth of 5 meters (16feet) covers the remains of Yotkan. Many relics have been excavated including pottery figurines, and other wares showing strong Persian and Greek influences. Other important finds Has been of bronze Buddhas, oracles, various ancient coins, books items of gold and jade that all tell of the past glory of the wealthy city that once stood at this spot. Among the gold items found is a duckling similar to that discovered in the Dunhuang Mogao Caves.
As Islam predominates in the area today, Yutian was once the center of Buddhism in the West Region. It is interesting that among the finds at this site has been Christian coins and a cross. These seem to confirm visits by Christian Missionaries, a fact that Underlines the cultural and religious importance of the city.
Address: Ellaman Village, Baghdad Town, Hotan County

Ancient City of Niya

In 1959, a wool pile carpet fragment was unearthed at the site of Niya, China, on the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert found along the Silk Road. The fabrication of the fragment was has been dated back to about 100 BC. The Niya Site Is one of the most important archaeological sites in Tarim Basin and is actually the site of Jingjue Kingdom in the Han Dynasty and during the Wei and Jin period.
Address: In the desert 20 km north of Aska village in Minfeng County

Itinerary

Small circle of Xinjiang

Route: Urumqi – Dushanzi – Salimu Lake – Yining – Nalati Prairie – Jorma Prairie – Gongnaisi Forest – Bayinbuluke – Kuqa – Aksu – Kashi – Tashkurgan – Hotan – Luntai – Korla – Turpan

Big circle of Xinjiang (30 days)

Route: Urumqi – Wucao Bay – Fuyun – Coco Tuohai – Burqin – Kanas – White Haba – Urho – Sayram Lake – Yining – Nalati Prairie – Jorma Prairie – Gongasi Forest -Bayinbuluke – Kuqa – Aksu – Kashgar – Taxkorgan – Hotan – Luntai – Korla – Turpan

Activity

Across the Taklamakan Desert
The time of about 20 days from late October to mid-November is the golden season through the Taklamakan Desert.
Route: Hetian – the junction of the Moyu River and the Baiyu River – Mount Mazhatag – Alar – Aksu
From Hotan City to Mazhatag Mountain, you can walk without a road. In the desert, you have to travel slowly. You need to go for a day and camp in Mazatag Mountain in the evening. The next day, follow the Hetian River to Aksu. From Hetian charter a SUV, the price is relatively expensive, the entire 7500 yuan. All the way along the Hetian River bed, except for the flood season in July, August and September, it is suitable for other months.

Food

Xinjiang’s flavored foods such as roasted whole lamb, mutton kebabs, gong pit meat, grilled buns, pilaf rice, and glutinous rice can be tasted in Hetian. However, this type of grilled egg snack is unique to Hotan.

Accommodation

Thereare many choice for hotels in Hotian and not expensive.

Shopping

Jade, sheep, silk, carpet, Uighur medicine medicine, gelatin, pomegranates, yams, apricots

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