Things to do in Kuqa
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Top 10 attractions in Kuqa
Old City of Kuche
Kuqa Old City is a national historical and cultural city, with the majority of its residents being Uyghurs. The ancient buildings within Kuqa Old City have absorbed cultural elements and architectural styles from Central China and Europe, while also integrating traditional Western Region architecture, painting, and song and dance arts, retaining their traditional layout and historical appearance to this day.Kuqa · 2.9 km from downtown
Resitan Road
Restan Road is a street full of local characteristics, attracting many tourists to explore. As one of the important commercial streets in Kuqa, it combines modern and traditional elements and displays rich cultural heritage. Walking along Restan Road, tourists can find a variety of shops and stalls selling local specialty goods such as handicrafts, traditional costumes and spices. The buildings on both sides of the street are mostly Uyghur style, with bright colors and exquisite decorations, adding a unique charm to the street. Restan Road is also a good place to taste Xinjiang cuisine. Street restaurants and snack stalls offer a variety of authentic flavors, allowing tourists to enjoy the fun of food after shopping. Restan Road is located in the city center and is within walking distance of other major attractions in Kuqa. Tourists are recommended to go there in the evening to experience the lively atmosphere of the street and enjoy the night light landscape. Whether it is shopping, tasting food, or experiencing local culture, Restan Road provides tourists with a rich experience and is an ideal starting point for exploring Kuqa.Kuqa · 2.7 km from downtown
Dalongchi Scenic Area
Starting from Kuqa, go north along Duku Highway for 120 kilometers and enter the hinterland of Tianshan Mountains. Before crossing the Tielimai Tida board, there are two mountain lakes, one big and one small, on both sides of the road, which are the big and small dragon pools. The water surface area of Dalong Pond is about 2 square kilometers. It is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The mountains are covered with snow, which does not melt all year round. Above the snow line, there is a precious Chinese medicinal material - snow lotus. At the foot of the mountain are green cedars and cypresses, green grass, flocks of cattle and sheep, and the herdsmen's yurts are dotted among them, and occasionally you can see snow chickens, yellow sheep and snow leopards. The water in Longchi is mainly supplied by snowmelt in Tianshan Mountains and rainfall in the mountains. When Xuan Zangxi, a famous eminent monk in the Tang Dynasty in my country, went to India to study Buddhist scriptures, he once passed by Dalongchi. There is a vivid description of the Great Dragon Pond in his book "The Great Tang Western Regions".Kuqa · 86 km from downtown
Qiuci Ancient City
Qiuci Kingdomwas one of the ancient states in the Western Regions; its residents were skilled in music, andQiucimusic and dance originated here. Qiuci Ancient City is located in Pilang Village, approx. 2 km west of Kuqa County. During the Han and Tang dynasties of China, the central government usedQiucias a political center, establishing administrative bodies to manage the Western Regions. In the third year of the Yongyuan era of Emperor He of the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 91), Ban Chao was appointed as the Protector General and moved the Protectorate of the Western Regions toQiuci. Qiuci Ancient City has a perimeter of nearly 8,000 m, with the north wall 2,000 m, south wall 1,806 m, east wall 1,646 m, and west wall approx. 2,200 m. Except for the east, south, and north walls, which are still identifiable, the west wall has completely disappeared. The entire city is an irregular square, with walls approx. 2–7 m high, built of rammed earth, with a battlement every 40 m or so. In 1985, the famous Chinese archaeologist Mr. Huang Wenbi conducted excavations here, unearthing artifacts such as stone tools, bone tools, painted pottery shards, copper items, Han Wuzhu coins,Qiucismall coins, and Kaiyuan Tongbao coins. Qiuci Ancient Citywas a great state in the ancient Western Regions, located at the transportation hub between the East and West on the Silk Road. As early as the 3rd century, Buddhism spread toQiucivia the Silk Road and became widely disseminated in theQiuciregion. Activities such as building temples, carving caves, sculpting statues, painting, and worshipping Buddha by monks and laypeople were already very frequent. By the time Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang passed throughQiucion his journey to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Buddhism inQiucialready had "over 100 temples, more than 5,000 monks, and was studying the Sarvastivada school of Hinayana Buddhism". The historically famous translator Kumarajiva was fromQiuci. Ancient Qiuci Kingdomwas once hailed as the "Buddhist Capital of the Western Regions" and the "Musical Capital of the Western Regions". The Qiuci grotto art and Qiuci music and dance that originated here once widely influenced the Central Plains, Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Among them, theQiucigrottoes are hailed as one of the "Four Great Buddhist Grottoes of China".Kuqa · 1.3 km from downtown
Kuqa Old City International Bazaar
Kuqa Old City International Bazaar is a lively spot in Kuqa, located at Tuanjie New Bridge. The bridgehead was once an ancient ferry crossing and a bustling hub of the ancient Kingdom of Kucha. It remains vibrant today and is a great place to experience local culture. Under the bridge, you will find countless donkey carts where people sell all kinds of daily necessities.Kuqa · 2.1 km from downtown
Duku Highway Endpoint Monument
The Duku Highway Terminal Monument is the terminal mark of the Duku Highway. It is located in Kuqa City, at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains and the northern edge of the Tarim Basin, and witnesses the glory and vicissitudes of this heroic road. From the appearance, the overall shape of the monument is simple and solemn. It is made of solid stone to withstand the harsh local natural environment. The words "Duku Highway Terminal" are engraved on the monument. The font is strong and powerful, clearly announcing the end of the road to people, and allowing everyone who arrives here to feel a strong sense of ceremony. The Duku Highway Terminal Monument carries a rich and heavy historical significance. For countless tourists, the Duku Highway Terminal Monument is an important check-in point for their self-driving trip. When arriving at the terminal monument, my heart was filled with awe for this road and gratitude to the heroes who built the road.Kuqa · 12.1 km from downtown
men ba zha
Kuqa · 2.7 km from downtown
Keheidun Beacon Tower
Kuqa · 2.9 km from downtown
Liuxing Street
Liuxing Street is an ancient block in Yining City, Yili Prefecture, Xinjiang, China. It was built in the mid-1930s (1934-1936) and was planned and designed by German engineer Wassli according to the six major policies (anti-imperialism, pro-Soviet, ethnic equality, peace, construction, and integrity) promoted by the Xinjiang Provincial Government at that time. The block is circular in plan, with six main roads radiating outward from the center, dividing the block into six fan-shaped areas, with public buildings such as schools and shops in the center and residential areas on the periphery, forming a unique residential model. Local people affectionately call it "Little Bagua City".China · Yining City
Zhaosu Yuhu Scenic Area
Zhaosu Jade Lake is a magical lake hidden in the heart of the Tianshan glacier. The winding lake water stretches into the distance.Throughout the year, due to different light conditions, the water in the Jade Lake presents different colors, hence the nickname "Color-Changing Lake". The colorful and changing colors of the lake make every tourist who sees it intoxicated, and they all sigh at its magical colors.China · Zhaosu
Free things to do in Kuqa
Old City of Kuche
Kuqa · 2.9 km from downtownResitan Road
Kuqa · 2.7 km from downtownDalongchi Scenic Area
Kuqa · 86 km from downtownQiuci Ancient City
Kuqa · 1.3 km from downtownKuqa Old City International Bazaar
Kuqa · 2.1 km from downtownDuku Highway Endpoint Monument
Kuqa · 12.1 km from downtownmen ba zha
Kuqa · 2.7 km from downtownKeheidun Beacon Tower
Kuqa · 2.9 km from downtownLiuxing Street
China · Yining CityZhaosu Yuhu Scenic Area
China · Zhaosu
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What travelers say about Kuqa
didiann2001June 8, 2025
5.0
Kuche Old Town, Kuche Grand Temple, Qiuci Music and Dance, Qingcheng Lane, Linjilu Memorial Hall, and Kuche Palace are all nearby. You can visit them all at once. It's quite nice and worth a visit!
Old City of Kuche
加纳果August 11, 2023
5.0
The colorful streets of Restan are lined with various shops and delicacies. Next to it is the Qiaotou Night Market, which is very lively after 10 o'clock. This is the essence of traveling to southern Xinjiang, integrating into the local people!
Resitan Road
🐮普拉斯August 19, 2022
5.0
Starting from Kuqa, drive north along the Duku Highway for 120 kilometers into the heart of the Tianshan Mountains. Before crossing the Tielimati Daban, there are two alpine lakes on both sides of the road, one large and one small, which are the Big Dragon Pond and the Small Dragon Pond. The Big Dragon Pond has a surface area of about 2 square kilometers and is surrounded by mountains. The mountains are covered with snow that never melts all year round. Above the snow line grows the precious Chinese medicinal material, snow lotus.
Dalongchi Scenic Area
潇洒1哥October 29, 2020
5.0
This ancient desert city makes people curious and amazed by the ambitions of the people at that time. They were not afraid of hardships, but built it with wisdom and sweat. What it leaves to future generations is a journey of curiosity and admiration, and they can feel the happiness of their current life in the desolation.
Qiuci Ancient City
yuyanjia~October 12, 2020
4.0
Kuqa Grand Bazaar is located at Tuanjie New Bridge. The bridgehead here was the ancient ferry crossing and the most prosperous place of the former Qiuci Kingdom. There are no fixed stalls in the bazaar, all stalls are set up on the ground.
Kuqa Old City International Bazaar
柯少的诗和远方October 20, 2024
5.0
Very worthwhile, the check-in is very filmy and shocking
Duku Highway Endpoint Monument
mopyfish611March 8, 2020
5.0
Only in places like Kuqa can you see such beautiful scenery. You must go there in the evening, which is the best time to take pictures. The desert, the lonely smoke, the blood-red setting sun, a tiny figure, in the vast land, in the long river of history, how insignificant it is...
Keheidun Beacon Tower
- 铮宝麻麻September 8, 2025
5.0
Strolling along Yining's Liuxing Street, sunlight bathes the streets in an exotic atmosphere. Century-old alleys wind like poems, their blue walls and stained glass windows telling the story of time. Uyghur artisans strike bronze instruments, their clinking echoing through time. The aroma of baked buns fills the street corners, and the rhythm of hand drums awakens the dormant bricks and tiles. Every tile here is engraved with a story, and behind every carved wooden door lies a warm smile. The hexagonal streets and alleys, like blooming flowers, quietly embrace diverse cultures.
Liuxing Street
apherAugust 25, 2026
5.0
Jade Lake is truly beautiful on a clear day, and a road trip there is well worth it. Besides getting a close-up view of the lake, you can also drive into the Aheyazi Valley. If you have time, you can visit the Aheyazi River downstream on the way to the scenic area.
Zhaosu Yuhu Scenic Area
