Spring in Pamir, Karakoram Mountains, Encountering the World's Most Beautiful Peach Blossom Village
In April, the Pamir Plateau is still covered in ice and snow, but Tashkulkurgan Tajik Autonomous County (commonly known as 'Taq' County) has awakened from the snow and ice, nestled among the mountains. In the depths of the Karakoram Mountains, the Yel River Valley has taken its first steps out of the long winter, with peach blossoms blooming across fields, along the roadside, and on the mountainsides. Snow-capped mountains, peach blossoms, Tajik houses of stone, leisurely cows and sheep, smoke from cooking fires, create a mysterious 'Shangri-La' scene.
The Pamir Plateau, known as the 'Crown Jewel', is also referred to as the 'Father of All Rivers' and the 'Source of All Waters'. During the Yuan Dynasty, Marco Polo recorded the Pamir Plateau in his 'Travels of Marco Polo' as follows: '…riding northeast for three days, the entire route was in the mountains, and the elevation was very high, so much so that people thought it was the highest place in the world. When you reach the peak, you can see a plateau with a river on it. The grassland is beautiful and rare, and the horses here become fat in ten days. There are also many kinds of water birds and wild sheep.'
Taq County's 'Big Flower Village' – Daxiang, was once one of the ancient Silk Road routes. Many years ago, when merchants traveling the most dangerous sections of the ancient Silk Road suddenly came across a fairy-like peach blossom village! To this day, visiting Daxiang still requires a jeep ride, because the road is still very dangerous, with few signs of life along the way, surrounded by icy and snowy mountain ridges. The Pamir Plateau is traditionally known for its cold, bleak and desolate scenery. However, the spring in Xinjiang starts with Daxiang. From the end of March to early April, the 196 kilometers from Taq County to Daxiang via the Tashkulkurgan River Valley turns into a magnificent peach blossom corridor. As the jeep approaches Daxiang, you can see the blooming pink peach blossoms far away along the roadside. The village in the depths of the Kunlun Mountains is very quiet, except for the occasional calls of birds and the bleating of sheep and cows owned by the villagers. The villagers work and rest under the peach trees, offering visitors a feeling of being in a Shangri-La, lost and bewildered.
Daxiang is a pristine village located in the heart of the Pamir Plateau, surrounded by the Karakoram Mountains. It is one of the few places in the world where the ancient Tajik tribes have been preserved, known as the 'Eagles of the Pamir Plateau'. They are pure, hardworking and resilient. Whether adults or children, they always approach others with the most sincere and enthusiastic hearts. When visiting Daxiang, you can stop any worker to take a picture, and you will be taken to a village for a meal. You can choose to accept it or not, but it is recommended to bring a small gift to give to them and share the joy together. The British in 'A Man in the Highlands' once declared that people cannot survive in areas above 4000 meters, but the Tajik people of the Pamir Plateau have lived extraordinarily gracefully at an altitude of five to six thousand meters with thin air, and many centenarians have even appeared there.
To visit Daxiang and see the peach blossoms, you typically travel to Daxiang and then return to Taq County. We decided not to take the return route and instead followed the Tashkulkurgan Ancient Road to reach Chaslaphe and then to Charbon, crossing the Charbon Pass to reach Ingishi. This is the ancient Silk Road south route, with the Tashkulkurgan Ancient Road connecting Taq County to Sachi County. This road has been used since ancient times, and was used by Xuanzang when he returned after translating the scriptures. It is still a very dangerous road for few people to travel. The current road is about 150 kilometers of sand and stone, with very bumpy road conditions, winding and climbing through bridges and even crossing through cliffs. The road is as dangerous as the 318, 219, 317 and Pc lines.
Xinjiang is the largest province in China in terms of peach tree cultivation area, mainly distributed in four areas: along the Daxiang section of the Pamir Plateau; Tuergen Township in the Ili region; Toksoun County in Turpan; and the Daxigou area of Horqin. The most beautiful peach blossoms are in the Pamir Plateau's Daxiang. The ancient peach trees in Daxiang are several hundred years old, and the smallest peach tree needs two people to embrace, and the largest peach tree needs four or five people to embrace. In this 'Peach Blossom Village' – Daxiang, a forgotten village in the world's highest plateau, you can see the beautiful scene of 'Peach Blossoms Under the Mountain, Snow on the Mountain, Sheep and Horses Full of Fruit' . Do you not want to see the world's most beautiful peach blossom village?
