Keketuohai: A winter fairyland in NW China's Xinjiang

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Snow has turned a small town in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region into a white fairyland, attracting flocks of tourists.

Keketuohai, a town of Fuyun County, Altay Prefecture, is a national geological park. It is inhabited by herders of the Kazak and Mongolian ethnic minorities and is noted for the changing beauty throughout the year.

Shenzhong Mountain in Keketuohai National Geological Park. /VCG Photo

Featuring beautiful natural scenery such as valleys, rivers, peaks, forests, mines, and seismic belts, the park was listed as a UNESCO World Geopark in 2017.

Keketuohai in the Kazak language means green woods. But in the Mongolian language, it means blue river bends due to the fact that the gorgeous Irtysh River flows through it.

In the winter, the river still runs through, with vapor rising into the air to create a sense of mystery. Mountains stand aloft against the white background of snow and rime, just like an exquisite ink wash painting.

The mountain ski area in the geopark. /VCG Photo

Keketuohai was once a celebrated mining area, and the No.3 mineral vein here used to be the top national secret and the greatest treasure. It has 86 kinds of minerals while there are only 140 kinds of minerals known in the world.

Today, a ski resort has been put into use in Keketuohai, attracting ski lovers from all over the world.