Hemu Village

Hemu Village is a small village situated in Kanas Nature Reserve in Altay, northern Xinjiang. It is the most remote and largest of the three habitats of the Tuvas, an ethnic group who still live a simple, ancient lifestyle by grazing animals and hunting. Their other two locations are Kanas Village and Baihaba Village. Moreover, Hemu Village is widely considered the most beautiful village in China because of its fascinating natural beauty in autumn.   

Location Map of Hemu Village

The best time for a visit is September when the leaves turn golden or brown, making Hemu a glowing world and a wonderful place to appreciate natural beauty. June to August is also nice period. The grasslands are at their greenest and are adorned with wild flowers. 
 

All the houses in Hemu Village are made of wood. The wood house is a classic symbol of the Tuvas. Half of the house is underground to protect against the severe cold on snowy days. The roof is generally nailed with wood; the walls of the house are made of stacked logs with a diameter of 30 or 40 centimeters making houses both warm and moisture-proof. The door of each house is open to the east. When building a new house, it is customary for the owner to put white drapery on the beams, as a prayer for best wishes.
 

Opposite the residential area of Hemu, visitors can walk along the Hemu River, whose waters come from the melting snow on Youyi Mountain. On sunny days, the river seems to exude a light green glow in the bright sunshine and turns a refreshing blue in the evening. Birch forests stand on either side of the Hemu River with clusters of wild flowers on the ground. There are two bridges over the river, and people like to call them the Hemu Bridges: one is for visitors to walk on, which is the only way to get to the Hemu viewing platform. The other is mostly for local herders and their sheep or cattle to cross.
 

Around Hemu Village, there is a large swathe of Birch Forest. When the leaves turn yellow in autumn, visitors may feel like they are walking in an oil painting or a fairyland.
 

1. Take a flight from Urumqi to Kanas Airport. Then change to a shuttle bus to Hemu Village.

2. Take a long-distance bus from Urumqi Nianzigou Long-distance Bus Station to Burqin County. There is only one daytime bus and one night bus: the day bus departs at 13:00, arrives at 20:00, and costs CNY 150; the night bus departs at 21:00, arrives at 08:00 the next day, and costs CNY 140. Then, take a bus from Burqin County to Hemu Village; there are two buses, one at 7:00 and one at 13:00. The whole bus journey takes about 3-4 hours.