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| Introduction |
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Turpan Prefecture is located in the middle part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Tianshan Basin. It covers an area of 69,621 sq km. Its population was 0.61 million at the end of 2009. The population of Uygur and Han ethnic groups accounted for approximately 70% and 23% of Turpan's total.
Turpan has an extremely arid climate with plenty of wind and sunshine. The temperature difference between day and night is very large. The average temperature is 14°C. The abundant sunshine offers melons and grapes ideal conditions to grow. The fruits here are famous for their high sugar content, especially the grapes. Turpan is praised as a Hometown of Grapes.
Turpan is rich in natural resources. In addition to solar energy, mineral resources such as oil, natural gas, coal, gold, iron, copper, Glauber's salt, granite, potassium saltpeter, saltpeter sodium and boron soil are abundant. Tuha Oilfield, which has an annual crude oil production capacity of three million tons, is located in Turpan. In addition, Turpan has the only potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate mineral resources in China.
Turpan has a convenient transportation system. State Highway 312 (which runs from Shanghai to Yining) and State Highway 314 (which runs from Urumqi to Khunjerab) intersect in Turpan. Additionally, the Lanzhou-Urumqi Railway and the Urumqi-Kashgar Railway run through the prefecture. There is no airport in Turpan. However, Urumqi Airport, only 230 km from Turpan, is within two and a half hours drive.
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| Economic Features |
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Turpan realized GDP of RMB 18.5 billion in 2010, representing a rise of 5.8% year on year. The prefecture's GDP accounted for approximately 4.6% of Xinjiang's total.
The agricultural sector generated value-added output of RMB 2.43 billion in 2010, accounting for 13.1% of the prefecture's GDP. Grape output amounted to 820,000 tons, while the output of raisins contributed over one half to China's total.
Secondary industry (industry and construction), the largest contributor to the prefecture's economy, realized value-added industrial output of RMB 11.95 billion, accounting for 64.5% of Turpan's total. Oil and gas exploration, ferrous metal mining, coal mining, electricity, non-metal mining, and non-ferrous metals mining are the major industries of the prefecture.
Turpan has four provincial industrial parks, namely Shanshan Petrochemical Industrial Park, Shanshan Stone Material Industrial Park, Energy Heavy Chemical Industrial Park, and Turpan Daheyan Economic Development Zone, and two prefecture-level industrial parks, namely Turpan Shenhong Chemical Industrial park and Turpan Fresh Fruits Processing Trade and Logistics Park.
The service sector generated value-added output of RMB 4.15 billion, accounting for 22.4% of the prefecture's total GDP in 2010.
Tourism is an important pillar of the service sector. During 2010, 4.06 million tourists visited the prefecture, up 120% year on year, while tourism income totaled RMB 770 million, representing a rise of 120% compared to the previous year.
In 2010, the total value of imports and exports amounted to US$9.3 million, down 13.2% year on year. Exports down 28.6% to US$6.52 million, while imports up 75.5% to US$2.78 million. The prefecture's major export goods are raisins, sodium sulfide and building materials. Japan, ASEAN member nations and Hong Kong are the major export destinations of Turpan.
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| Cultural Highlights |
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Turpan boasts a profound historical culture. There were people living in this area as early as 6,000 years ago. In the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD), the prefecture was known as Gushi, and in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was named Turpan.
Situated at the junction of East China and West China, Turpan has been a key point on the Silk Road since ancient times. Local culture is a blend of western and eastern culture. There are a lot of ethnic groups living in this region, including the Uygur, the Han and the Hui.
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| Tourist Attraction |
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Tourist attractions in Turpan include Grape Valley, the Sand Therapy Center, Flaming Mountain, Emin Minaret, Jiaohe Ancient City, Aydingkol Lake, Gaochang Ancient City, and Bizalkik Thousand Buddha Caves.
Sand therapy, which has a history of hundreds of years in Turpan, is said to be a good way to treat rheumatism and skin ailments.
Since a lot of ethnic groups live together here, tourists can easily find folk snacks including Kebabs, Zhua Fan (Rice Eaten with Hands), Nang, traditional Xinjiang Pan Cakes, and Roast Lamb. Traditional handcrafts such as carpets, clothes, caps and knives are exquisite and worth collecting.
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