The last stop on your westward journey along the Silk Road is Urumqi, (Wulumuchi in Chinese) the capital of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Urumqi, meaning “fine pasture” in Mongolian is now a town of one and a half million inhabitants and is world’s furthest city from the sea. Since the northern route of the Silk Road passed through Urumqi, it was a heavily guarded fort in the Han Dynasty, and remained so for many centuries. Today, the city is the most Chinese of the Silk Road cities and the most modern. It has few historical sites to offer tourists, except for Urumqi Museum which houses some valuable relics unearthed along the Silk Road and a large collection of ancient mummies.

Tianchi, or “Heavenly Lake ” is located about 30 miles from Urumqi at an elevation of 6,435 feet above sea level. The desert gives way to beautiful alpine vegetation and the clear waters are flanked by rugged pines and cypresses. In winter, it provides an ideal alpine skating rink. In fact, China's winter skating games have been held there.