Aerial drone photo shows cars moving along the Duku Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo: Xinhua)

Busy roads, fully booked hotels, and tourists with diverse accents are a common sight in Aksu, located in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This vibrant scene marks the peak of the tourism season, as the renowned Duku Highway - one of China's most beautiful roads - opens to the public, drawing visitors from all corners of the country.

The Duku Highway spans 560 kilometers, linking Dushanzi in northern Xinjiang with Kuche City in the south. The route traverses diverse landscapes, including glaciers, forests, and grasslands. Due to snowy weather and icy conditions, the Duku Highway experiences a "hibernation period" that typically starts in October and lasts until June of the following year.

In recent years, the road has enjoyed increasing popularity among Chinese tourists seeking to explore the unique beauty of nature through driving, attracting millions of visitors annually.

For local families, the road also brings more opportunities. They set up booths to sell food and souvenirs, and establish guesthouses to serve tourists from around the world, which greatly enhances their income and contributes to high-quality development of the region.

During a visit to Aksu, a Global Times reporter spoke to local officials, business owners, and residents to learn how the region develops tourism and promotes its openness while still preserving traditional culture to attract tourists.

Road to prosperity

The Tianshan Mountains, which stretch for 1,700 kilometers and have an average altitude of over 3,500 meters, divide the vast land of Xinjiang. This natural barrier has created distinct natural and cultural landscapes on the northern and southern sides of the Tianshan, but have also hindered economic and cultural exchanges between these regions in the past.

In 1983, the Duku Highway was completed, traversing the Tianshan Mountains and reducing the original distance of over 1,000 kilometers between northern and southern Xinjiang to just 561 kilometers. Now the road is open to tourists for several months each year for them to enjoy the unique natural landscape along the stretch of road.

About 50 kilometers north of Kuche city, there is a community called Kang village. This is the first village that the Duku Highway passes through when entering southern Xinjiang, earning it the nickname "first village of the Duku Highway."

Kang village used to be deeply impoverished. Despite being located along a major tourist road and near national geological parks, its development remained relatively slow. The income of the villagers mainly depended on traditional farming and animal husbandry, along with some scattered part-time work.

In recent years, with the continuous popularity of tourism along the Duku Highway, Kang village seized the opportunity and leveraged its rich tourism resources. The village implemented a rural tourism project, developing itself into a national 3A-level tourist attraction. As a result, the villagers have started to benefit from the inflow of tourists.

Aihemaiti Mijiti, 42 and a resident in Kang village, works as a truck driver at a nearby coal company, earning over 10,000 yuan ($1,376) per month. He has two children who are in junior high school and senior high school.

In 2019, his family spent 50,000 yuan to open a guesthouse, managed by his wife, Ayixiamu Dawuti. During the tourist season, starting from June to October each year, they are able to earn an additional 10,000 yuan. His family also purchased a small car worth 62,000 yuan.

"Nowadays, almost every household in the village has a car," Aihemaiti Mijiti said, adding that he is quite happy with his current life.

Nueryemu Ruzi, a resident in Kang village, told the Global Times that the village has uniformly renovated their homes, and every household now lives in spacious, well-appointed houses.

Her family has a house over 200 square meters, with several guest rooms, and their yard is used for gardening and growing vegetables. The village has set up services like "Aige Farmhouse Cuisine Delivery" and "Aige Farmhouse Specialty Food" to serve tourists. During each tourist season, her family earns an additional 20,000 yuan.

During the conversations, most local citizens can speak Putonghua. For those elderly residents who cannot speak Putonghua, local officials have arranged people to help in translation so that there are no difficulties for tourists visiting and living in those guesthouses.

Ayinuer Tayier, an official in Aige township, explained that there are over 39 guesthouses in Kang village, each earning more than 3,000 yuan per month. In addition, there are places for people to enjoy the joys of farm life as well as restaurants offering diverse local cuisines for tourists.

Approximately 4 kilometers from Kuqche City, the village of Kumuairike in Yixihala township has also become a popular village online in recent years. When visiting this 'celebrity village', specially designed farm stays and guesthouses featuring a traditional style lined along the clean roads. Houses in the village seem no worse built than those found in the rich villages of East China.

Aimaijiang Kuerban, 48, is the owner of Baiyuan Farmhouse in Kumuairike village. This farmhouse, renovated from a self-built house in 2019, covers 24 acres with 44 indoor and outdoor private dining rooms, accommodating up to 1,000 people at a time.

"On busy days, we can serve 10 whole sheep in a single day," he said. In 2023, Baiyuan Farmhouse received about 100,000 tourists from across the country, earning over 800,000 yuan in net income and providing jobs for more than 40 villagers.

Formerly a truck driver, he told the Global Times that his experiences traveling around the country made him realize and grab this business opportunity. He noted that preferential government policies and the booming tourism market contributed to his success.

An employee from Yixihala township explained to the Global Times that in order to promote tourism, Kumuairike village has integrated land resources, reused idle land for guesthouses and farm stay facilities. Currently, the village has 32 guesthouses and 19 farm stays.

Statistics show that from January to June, Kuche City welcomes a total of 3.2316 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 29.50 percent. Tourism revenue reached more than 1.66 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.25 percent, according to media reports.

Growing investments

In late spring and early summer of 2019, the local tourism industry experienced rapid growth in both Kucheng City and Baicheng Country, leading to a situation where finding accommodations became difficult.

However, the following year's COVID-19 pandemic brought the thriving tourism market to a sudden halt. During the post-pandemic period, Kuche City and Baicheng County have been pushing for transformation, seeking breakthroughs by focusing on local and unique tourism products.

Building on the foundation of cultivating horticulture, animal husbandry, courtyard economy, and tourism guesthouses, the local tourism industry is shifting from small-scale operations to more large-scale and technical operations, attracting significant investment.

Wang Wendong, who oversees the famous 'Big and Small Longchi Pond' scenic spot, told the Global Times that the number of vehicles visiting the venue has doubled this year to more than 10,000 compared to the same period in 2019. In addition to local vendors, people from other parts of China have also come here to set up booths and establish businesses.

In Kang village, a professional tourism development company was established, investing 30 million yuan to construct the Jiuyan spring scenic area. The company also hosted events like the Kang village garden carnival to attract tourists. Villagers are hired to offer services like horse riding, camel riding, barbecues, boating, and specialty dining at Jiuyan spring wetland, allowing them to "get rich without leaving the village."

Li Gang, Kang village's Party chief, explained that since the trial operation of Jiuyan spring scenic area began on June 1, approximately 120 jobs have been created. "During peak times, we have over 12,000 tourists, and we feel overwhelmed [by such large number of tourists]," he said.

In Xinjiang and other regions, the South American white shrimp, known for its thin shell, plump body, delicious taste, and rich nutrition, is highly popular, but fresh shrimp is rarely available on the market.

He Binghui, who has experience in running stores, delivering goods, and farming, decided to venture into seafood farming. In 2023, he invested over 4 million yuan to lease two solar greenhouses in Kumuairike village to raise white shrimp, successfully creating artificial seawater with the help of a number of specialist partners.

"Our farmed South American white shrimp can sell for 128 yuan per kilogram in the market. The growth cycle of these shrimp is very short; they can be harvested in three months," said He.

He added that they first purchase white shrimp eggs from Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces, raise them in nursery ponds for about a month, and then transfer them to grow-out ponds for another two months before they are ready for market. The shrimp are in high demand locally. "We plan to continue expanding our operation to help local villagers prosper together," he said.

More to come

In 2023, the Aksu authorities convened a meeting, proposing to develop the region into an integrated cultural and tourism industry development base in Xinjiang. The Aksu region aims to deeply explore its rich traditional culture and unique local cultural resources, actively developing cultural and historical sites and natural landscapes in Kuche City and Baicheng County. The region is vigorously cultivating new forms and models of cultural tourism.

Several interviewees told the Global Times that they are confident that the tourism industry will further flourish and bring more opportunities to the local people.

According to media reports, the G3033 Kuitun to Dushanzi to Kuche Expressway project, attracting total investment of about 100 billion yuan, has been incorporated into the national highway network adjustment plan. The feasibility study report for the project has been completed, and construction is expected to commence by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Due to natural factors such as snowfall and frost in the Tianshan Mountains during winter, the existing Duku Highway has to enforce traffic control from early November to the following May or June, with closure periods lasting up to 8 months. The new Duku Expressway, however, will enable year-round, all-weather traffic.

The Duku Expressway is currently the largest single investment highway project in Xinjiang's construction history. The project spans approximately 460 kilometers and will be built to four- and six-lane highway standards, with a design speed of 100 to 120 kilometers per hour. The total travel time will be about 5 hours.

"The new road will undoubtedly enhance tourists' experiences and bring more opportunities for the region and its residents to prosper," Wang told the Global Times.