Urumqi is a city of innumerable treasures and unique artifacts very distinctive of the northwest Chinese Province of which it is capital.

Urumqi' s long association with the Silk Road is evident in many of its most popular attractions. The recently opened Xinjiang Silk Road Museum is an excellent place to start for anyone interested in the history of the most intriguing trade route in the world. The exhibits include recreations of scenes charting the history of the Silk Road, sculptures, frescos, and a number of archeological finds. The annual Silk Road International Clothes Festival pays tribute to the enduring influence of this ancient highway. The name may be ancient, but the Clothes Festival is a thoroughly modern affair encompassing fashion shows and industry fairs.

Festivals take place throughout the year in Urumqi, so if the clothes festival is not your cup of Cha, you may be more drawn to the atmospheric Ice & Snow Festival held every year, when exhibitions of local culture spring up alongside ice-sculpture.

Cultures and traditions of many of the ethnic groups living in Urumqi today are well represented at various spots such as the Xinjiang Folk Custom Museum or the Southern Mosque whose glazed roof is dotted with a collection of 22 exquisite flying dragons. Possibly, the most moving memorial to the modern history of Urumqi rests in People' s Park, where a monument commemorating the ''martyrs of the revolution'' is a prominent feature.

The sublime beauty of the landscape around Urumqi has secured it a place as a popular summer destination for thousands of years. Southern Pastures and Heavenly Mountain are two particularly evocative destinations nearby, which can easily be reached from the city for a day trip, but truly deserve longer exploration.

The Silk Road International Clothes Festival is a major event for this town, taking place in the warm summer month of July. Visitors after a more traditionally Chinese festival to visit might like to come during the winter: December to March - in order to experience the Silk Road Ice & Snow Festival .

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