Huola Mountain Ancient Silk Road Village Scenic Area is located in Naimen Modun Town, Hejing County, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction, covering an area of about 1,500 mu, with a construction area of about 20,000 square meters in the core area. Its feature lies in the integration of Silk Road culture, Mongolian culture, and the style of ancient Western Regions villages. There are more than 30 traditional dwellings over a hundred years old, with ancient alleys totaling about 1.2 kilometers. It has natural and cultural landscapes such as thousand-year-old elm trees and beacon tower ruins, serving as a living museum displaying the historical culture of the northern route of the Silk Road.
History and Culture
The history of Huola Mountain Ancient Silk Road Village can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, being an important post on the Silk Road. According to textual research, the Huola Mountain area where the ancient village is located was once the territory of Yanqi, one of the thirty-six states in the Western Regions. The Yanqi Dudu Prefecture was set up here in the Tang Dynasty, and it became a nomadic settlement for the Tuerget tribe after their eastward return in the Qing Dynasty. Because the ancient village is located at the transportation hub of the northern Silk Road, it was once a hub for business travel and cultural integration, still retaining traces of the integration of diverse cultures such as the Central Plains, Western Regions, and Mongolia.
In 2017, the local government carried out protective development of the ancient village. On the basis of preserving the original architectural pattern, it restored ancient dwellings, ancient alleys, beacon towers, and other ruins, and excavated and sorted out the folk culture of the Tuerget tribe, Silk Road commerce and trade culture, etc. The scenic area was officially opened to the public in 2020, becoming the first cultural tourism scenic area in Xinjiang themed on Silk Road ancient villages. In 2022, it was listed as an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage protection base.
Main Attractions
Thousand-Year-Old Elm Group
Located in the central area of the ancient village, there are 12 ancient elm trees with a tree age of over a thousand years. The largest one has a trunk diameter of 1.8 meters and a crown coverage area of about 500 square meters. The ancient elm group is regarded as the "sacred tree" by local villagers. An Aobao for praying by Tuerget herdsmen in the Qing Dynasty is preserved under the trees, being a dual symbol of the ancient village's ecology and culture.
Silk Road Ancient Alleys
The ancient village has three main alleys, with a total length of about 1.2 kilometers, paved with pebbles and loess, and adobe dwellings with a hundred years of history on both sides. The alleys retain the pattern of "front business, rear residence" of Silk Road posts. In some dwellings, remains such as horse troughs and cargo cabinets used by merchants in those days can still be seen. The longest "Commercial Road Alley" is 480 meters long, being the core area for visitors to experience Silk Road customs.
Beacon Tower Ruins
Located on the hillside of Huola Mountain north of the ancient village, it is a part of the military defense system of Yanqi State in the Han Dynasty. The existing beacon tower is about 8 meters high, with a bottom side length of 12 meters and a top side length of 6 meters, built with rammed earth and red willows. Cultural relics such as Han Dynasty bronze arrowheads and Tang Dynasty Kaiyuan Tongbao were unearthed at the site, being important physical materials for studying the military history of the Silk Road.
Tuerget Folk Museum
Renovated from a hundred-year-old noble dwelling of the Tuerget tribe, with a construction area of 800 square meters, it houses more than 300 cultural relics, including saddles, leather boots, embroidered costumes, etc., from the eastward return period. The museum displays the nomadic life, religious beliefs, and eastward return history of the Tuerget tribe through scene restoration. The treasure of the museum is a "Tuerget Eastward Return Route Map" drawn in the 18th century.
Food
Spicy and Hot Mutton Trotters
Selected grassland lamb trotters are braised with more than 20 kinds of spices such as Chinese prickly ash, chili, and cinnamon. Each mutton trotter weighs about 200 grams, with a soft and waxy taste that falls off the bone, spicy but not dry. It is the most popular snack in the ancient village, with a daily average sales of over 500 portions.
Mongolian Milk Grit
Made from fresh mare's milk or cow's milk through fermentation and solidification, it is divided into sweet and salty flavors. Each piece of traditional milk grit weighs about 50 grams, rich in protein, and can be preserved for more than 3 months. It is a traditional dry food for Tuerget herdsmen, and visitors can experience the production process in the handmade milk grit workshop in the scenic area.
Silk Road Baked Buns
The filling is made by mixing mutton, onions, and carrots. Each bun weighs about 150 grams and is baked in a nang pit for 15 minutes, with a golden and crispy outer skin and juicy inner filling. The baked buns inherit the pasta craftsmanship of Western Regions merchants. The "Silk Road Food Workshop" in the scenic area supplies 300 pieces daily in limited quantities.
Huola Mountain Wild Vegetable Noodles
Using wild vegetables such as wild leeks and dandelions growing in Huola Mountain, paired with handmade pulled noodles, each portion of noodles contains 200 grams of wild vegetables, paired with mutton minced meat. It is a must-order dish for spring visitors, with the best consumption period from April to May every year.
Tickets
The ticket price is 45 yuan per person. Subject to the actual price of the scenic area. As of June 4, 2025, no official WeChat public account has been found.
Opening Hours
The scenic area is open from April 1st to November 15th every year, from 10:00 to 19:30 (admission stops at 19:00). From November 16th to March 31st of the following year is the winter closure period. In case of bad weather such as rain and snow, the opening hours may be temporarily adjusted, subject to the daily announcement of the scenic area.
Tour Route
Recommended tour route: Take a battery car from the scenic area entrance to the Thousand-Year-Old Elm Group, visit the praying Aobao and ancient elm trees; walk to the Silk Road Ancient Alleys, tour "Commercial Road Alley" and "Herdsmen Alley", and visit 3 restored exhibitions of hundred-year-old dwellings; go to the Tuerget Folk Museum to watch the documentary "Tuerget's Eastward Return" (20 minutes long); walk 1.5 kilometers to the beacon tower ruins on the mountainside to overlook the panoramic view of the ancient village; finally return to the "Silk Road Food Street" in the center of the ancient village for dining, with a recommended tour time of 3-4 hours for the whole journey.
Transportation
- Self-driving: Start from Hejing County Town, drive about 60 kilometers south along National Highway 218, turn into Township Road Y341 and drive 12 kilometers to reach the scenic area, with a driving time of about 1.5 hours. The parking fee in the scenic area is 10 yuan per vehicle per day.
- Tourist bus: Hejing County Town Passenger Station has tourist buses directly to the scenic area at 10:00 and 14:00 daily, with a fare of 25 yuan per person. The return time is 16:00 and 19:00.
- Chartered car: You can charter a local vehicle in Hejing County Town to go there, with a charter fee of about 200-300 yuan per day, and you can also visit the surrounding Baluntai Huangmiao Scenic Area at the same time.
Must-Visit Attractions
- Thousand-Year-Old Elm Group: 12 thousand-year-old elms form an ecological wonder, and the largest elm has a crown of 500 square meters, being a core attraction for photography and understanding local belief culture.
- Silk Road Ancient Alleys: 1.2-kilometer ancient alleys retain the pattern of Silk Road posts, and the "Commercial Road Alley" can see remains such as Qing Dynasty horse troughs, suitable for experiencing hiking exploration.
- Beacon Tower Ruins: Han Dynasty military ruins, the 8-meter-high rammed earth beacon tower is well preserved. Climbing to the top can overlook the panoramic view of the ancient village and Huola Mountain, being a must-visit place for history enthusiasts.
Tour Tips
- It is recommended to wear light hiking shoes. The ancient alleys are pebble roads, and some sections are steep. You can enjoy wildflowers in Huola Mountain from April to May, and the autumn scenery is the best from September to October.
- When visiting the folk museum, you can follow the docent (free explanations at 11:00 and 15:00 daily) to deeply understand the history of the Tuerget tribe's eastward return.
- Catering in the scenic area is concentrated in the "Silk Road Food Street". It is recommended to try Spicy and Hot Mutton Trotters and Silk Road Baked Buns, with an average per capita consumption of about 40-60 yuan.
- The ultraviolet rays are strong in summer, so please carry sunscreen and a sun hat. The mountain weather is changeable, so you can prepare a windproof jacket.
Notes
- Take off your shoes when entering ancient dwellings. Do not touch cultural relic exhibits, and photography is prohibited in some dwellings (with obvious signs).
- The mountain road to the beacon tower ruins is steep. It is recommended to go in a group. The elderly over 60 years old need to be accompanied by family members, and climbing on the ruins is prohibited.
- Respect the local Mongolian customs and do not enter herdsmen's homes at will. When praying in front of the Aobao, follow the tradition of walking around clockwise three times.
- Pets are prohibited in the scenic area. Smoking is prohibited in ancient alleys, and garbage must be put into designated trash cans.
- The last departure time of the battery car is 19:15. Please arrange the time reasonably to avoid walking back to the entrance.