Flaming Mountains
( 2005-09-13 )

TheFlaming Mountains is situated on the northern edge of theTurpanBasin in Northwest China'sXinjiangUygur Autonomous Region. Along the Turpan-Shanshan road there is about a hundred-kilometer chain of red mountains, which stretch in an east-west direction, with a width of about 10 kilometers from south to north. The mountains are an average 500 meters above sea level, with the highest being 850 meters.

The barren mountains are mainly composed of red sandstone. In the severe heat of summer, the mountains seem to be on fire in the burning sun and become a purplish-brown color, and the red sandstone gives out red light just like fire, hence the name of Flaming Mountains.

The Flaming Mountains are very popular thanks to a classical novel -- The Journey to the West -- by theMing Dynasty(1368-1644) writer, Wu Cheng'en, and its charming hero -- the Monkey King. In the legend, it is said the Monkey King stirred up trouble in Heaven and was kicked off the oven for making immortal pills. Charcoals fell from the sky to where the Flaming Mountains now lie -- in the middle of the Turpan Basin.

According to the Uygur version, a viciousdragonlived deep in Tianshan Mountain and ate little children. A Uygur hero fought gallantly against the dragon for three days and three nights and cut the dragon into eight parts. Before being killed, the dragon flew around the mountains, dyeing the mountains red form the blood that dripped from its death wounds. The eight scars turned into the eight valleys in the Flaming Mountains, including the famous Grape Valley.

Scientific explanation cites tectonic plate movement on the earth's surface during the formation of the Himalayas 50,000,000 years ago. Situated on the north route of the ancientSilk Road, the Flaming Mountains have many cultural relics and often-told ancient tales.

The mountains constitute the hottest place in China, with not a single blade of grass to be seen for miles. The summer air temperature reaches 47℃, and it is said that at the top of the mountains the air temperature is as high as 80℃.

In recent years, the number of visitors to the mountains has been on the increase and clamoring to go on the Flaming Mountains tour has risen.