Majestic peaks of Xinjiang Tianshan Mountains under clear blue sky, featuring pristine alpine meadows and dramatic mountain ridges.

Xinjiang Tianshan Is Easier to Reach Than Ever

Xinjiang Tianshan just changed — twice. In December 2025, the world’s longest expressway tunnel opened beneath the mountains, cutting the Urumqi-to-Korla drive from seven hours to three and a half (Xinhua, 2025). Prefer something slower? The New Orient Express has been threading these same valleys since 2021 — a luxury sleeper train that moves at…

A Guizhou golden snub-nosed monkey mother cradles her bright golden newborn infant in the misty forest canopy of Fanjingshan mountain.

Fanjingshan: Home of the Primate Rarer Than a Giant Panda

Fanjingshan does not get the attention it deserves. Most visitors to China head straight for panda reserves or the Great Wall. Yet deep in the mist-covered mountains of Guizhou Province, something far rarer is watching from the treetops — the Guizhou golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus brelichi), a critically endangered primate found nowhere else on Earth….

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