The Thousand Buddha Caves or Bezeklik
Location: between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan), Xinjiang
Transportation: Bus service
Culture/History Rating: 3/5
Scenery Rating: 2/5
Hotels: N/A
Summary:
Description:
| The Hongshan Park lies at the intersection of Hongshan Road and Riverside Road, in City Urumqi of Xingjiang Province. The mountain has other two names: tiger head mountain and tiger head peak. It is 1.5 kilometers long, one kilometer wide and 910 meters above sea level. When the sunlight hits the hills of Hongshan, the rocks of the mountain reflected a bright red color, so that people call it Hongshan ("Red Mountain"). |  |
 | Numerous legends are associated with the mountain, including a few scary tales about a dragon that inhabits the hillside! There is a nine-storey pagoda named Zhen Long Ta at the top of the mountain. It was build in Yuan Dynasty (1277 ~ 1367A.D.). It is called "Zhenlong Pagoda," meaning "Pagoda to Suppress Dragons." According to historical documents, the Urumqi River at the foot of the Hong Shan Park overflowed in 1785 and the year after. Some superstitious people at that time rumored that it was the evil done by a vicious dragon and that the Hong Shan Park and the Yamalike Hill would join to each other blocking up the river and Urumqi area would turn into a vast expanse of water. In 1788, Shang An, the governor of Urumqi, had two pagodas built at the top of each hill to suppress the dragon. Now the pagoda still remains intact. |
| There used to be a number of historical sites on the hill. As early as the time of the nomadic Oyrat Tribe, an "Ebo" was built at the top of the hill; "Ebo" is the name for a kind of cairn used by the tribesmen to worship and offer sacrifice to their gods. During the Qing Dynasty, the Temple of the Jade Emperor was built at the top of the hill as well as the Temple of the Great Buddha; the Palace of the Dipper and the Temple of Ksitigabha were built at the foot of the hill. These splendid temples attracted a great number of visitors and made the hill a holy place where worshipers chanted the Bud dhist sutra and conducted religious services. |  |
 | Unfortunately almost all these magnificent buildings were burnt down in wars among warlords and nothing was left except a shaky temple gate and the pagoda standing at the top of the precipitous Hong Shan Park. After 1949, people drew water up to the hill, planted more trees, and built roads at the foot of the hill. Now visitors can climb to the top and have a panoramic view of Urumqi.Today, Hong Shan Park is regarded by the local people as the symbol of the city. |