Wait for the Fruit Season to Smell Sweet

The author visited Akshun City ten years ago but only passed through briefly. Later, he discovered that his favorite wine grapes, Munag, were grown in the surrounding area of Akshun.

He always had a wish to see what the growing season of Munag grapes was like, and how it differed from White Seedless, Mamishi, Rose Fragrance grapes.

Last June, he had a few days' vacation and called his friend who worked in Akshun City. Unfortunately, his friend was returning from Akshun. He jokingly told his friend, 'It doesn't matter, I'm not here to see you, just let me borrow the car. ',

His wife said Akshun was known as the 'Land of Dates,' and she loved eating dates, but she had never seen large vineyards. 'It's not a family matter,' she said, 'let's go together.'

They flew to Akshun and stayed overnight. The next day, they drove to Akshun along the Tuyuhe Highway.

While eating at a restaurant in Kashgar, they were delayed, and when they got closer to Akshun, it started to rain. Knowing that the southern Xinjiang is drought-prone, this was a truly unique experience.

After checking into the hotel, they were already at midnight. Guided by the hotel security guard, Niyaz, they found a bustling night market, which excited a foodie like the author.

What surprised him even more was that they could pay for everything at the night market with a scan.

The next day, they followed Niyaz's guidance and visited a vineyard in the village of Tiejin, Akshun Akzhaq Township.

The vineyard wasn't large, but it had many types of grapevines.

This vineyard seemed to be managed more meticulously than the vineyards the author had seen before, with higher trellises and no dense weeds underneath, very clean. When the grapes were ripe, you could easily pick them from the vine with a slight bend.

Pomegranates.

Peaches.

Oil Peaches.

Dates. The author had previously seen dates mainly displayed in pots outside Uyghur restaurants. Seeing so many tall dates was a surprise. It's no wonder it's called the 'Land of Dates.'

The entire vineyard seemed to be run by a Uyghur couple.

The female owner was very enthusiastic, she told them that they had two children, and the girl in the picture was the eldest, and a little boy was his father's electric car. The female owner said that when the grapes were ripe, they could sell for 4-5 yuan per kilogram.

The wife took some candies and several bottles of mineral water from the car to the female owner, and then said goodbye and went to another nearby date orchard. They met a young Uyghur while walking around the date orchard, and he told them that all the dates belonged to his family. He also told them that several years ago, he had worked as a taxi driver in Urumqi, and he was familiar with the names of the bridges, alleys, medical college, railway station.

They didn't expect that while chatting with the young man, the female owner from the orchard came riding a motorcycle with two children, inviting them to her home, saying that her husband scolded her for being frivolous, and it was impolite to not invite guests to their home for a visit.

'Akshun's noodles are delicious, I make the best Akshun noodles in this village, come home with me, I'll make you real Akshun noodles.'

The author only thanked her, and could only lie, saying that they were going to Bachu. They would come back in September, to eat Munag and Akshun noodles. She reluctantly left the date for her wife, 'If you can come, you must come, if not, call me, and tell me the address, I'll send you the grapes. '

Unfortunately, they couldn't go to Akshun in September, but they remembered to bring candies and fruit juice every time they traveled. 'Xinjiang is vast, the people are kind, and it's touching to meet people and things. '

Akshun, located in the Akshulisu Kyrgyz Autonomy, is the westernmost region of Xinjiang, located on the upper reaches of the Tarim River, across the Tian Shan Mountains, the Pamir Plateau, and the Kunlun Mountains, and the edge of the Tarim Basin. It has a long history, the Kyrgyz people are one of the ancient nomadic tribes in China, and the epic of the Kyrgyz heroes 'Manas' is one of the three major ethnic minority epics.

It's a famous land of fruits and vegetables, Munag grapes are also known as winter grapes, gobi grapes, originated in the surrounding area of Akshun, with a cultivation history of over 1000 years. They are late-ripening, eaten fresh, and can be stored, which are characteristic of Xinjiang, with strong regional characteristics.

Most importantly, Munag is the author's favorite grape, even the fruit.