Get to know Kokdala
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- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Xinjiang
- Chinese name
- 可克达拉市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 979.71 km²
- Population · 2020
- 69,524
- Administrative seat
- Jinshan Subdistrict
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
Economic Daily places Kokdala between Yining to the east and Khorgas (霍尔果斯) to the west, with the Dulata port (都拉塔口岸) to the south and the Keguerqin range (科古尔琴山) of the northern Tianshan to the north. The wider 4th Division lies on the northern side of the western Tianshan (天山), hemmed in by mountains on three sides and bordering Kazakhstan to the west. The new town reaches south to the bank of the Ili River.
History
One root of the 4th Division is the 717th Regiment of the 359th Brigade of the Eighth Route Army (三五九旅七一七团), formed in 1937. In 1954 the whole 15th Division of the PLA 5th Army was demobilised to farm and guard the border in the Kokdala area. In 1958 the director Zhang Jiayi (张加毅) filmed the documentary 'Green Plain' (绿色的原野) here and, moved by the story of a young land-clearer, wrote the words of the song 'Night on the Grassland' (草原之夜) on a cigarette packet; Tian Ge (田歌) set them to music that night. The State Council approved the city in March 2015, formed from the 63rd, 64th and 68th Regiments and parts of the 66th and 67th.
What to see
In the new town, east–west streets are named after rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow River, north–south streets after mountains, and the main avenue is 717 Avenue (七一七大道), after the old regiment. Other landmarks include the cable-stayed Kokdala Bridge (可克达拉大桥), Zhuque Lake (朱雀湖), the Wanghe Pavilion (望河亭) and some 29 parks. Zhenjiang Road (镇江路) and Beigushan Road (北固山路) recall paired aid from Zhenjiang (镇江), the Jiangsu (江苏) city assigned to support Kokdala.
Local products
Lavender is linked to Xu Chuntang (徐春棠), a graduate in fragrance technology from a Shanghai light-industry school who was posted to the 4th Division's Qingshuihe Farm (清水河农场) in 1963 and raised a few dozen seeds from France; Economic Daily credits him with making the Ili valley China's largest lavender-growing base. Economic Daily also counts Yilite (伊力特) baijiu, developed by the Corps in its early pioneering years, among the six emblems of Kokdala.
Highlights
- 717 Avenue 七一七大道: Main avenue named after the 717th Regiment of the 359th Brigade.
- Kokdala Bridge 可克达拉大桥: Cable-stayed bridge that serves as a city landmark.
- Zhuque Lake 朱雀湖: Lake in the new town, one of its green spaces.
- Lavender 薰衣草: Xu Chuntang raised French lavender seed at Qingshuihe Farm after 1963; the Ili valley became China's largest lavender base.
Sources for this guide
走进可克达拉 · Economic Daily
可克达拉“三味”-新华网 · Xinhua (Xinjiang channel)
第四师可克达拉市建置沿革 - 历史沿革 - 第四师·可克达拉市 · 4th Division / Kokdala City People's Government
师市概况 - 第四师·可克达拉市 · 4th Division / Kokdala City People's Government
可克达拉市 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Kokdala
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Kokdala 可克达拉市
Local life & food
Kokdala local specialties
可克达拉市特色美食 · 9 specialties to discover
Ili Smoked Horse Meat 伊犁熏马肉
Ili Smoked Horse Meat (伊犁熏马肉) is horse meat salted and dried over pine smoke by Kazakh (哈萨克族) herders in the Ili (伊犁) region to last through the winter.
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Horse Sausage 马肠子
Horse Sausage (马肠子) is a Kazakh (哈萨克族) sausage of horse rib meat packed into horse intestine, made in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州) of northern Xinjiang.
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Polo rice 抓饭
The rice is rich and separate-grained, with sweet carrot, savory meat and occasional fruit sweetness rather than a sticky porridge texture.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
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Grilled Lamb 烤羊肉
Grilled Lamb (烤羊肉) is listed among the local specialties of Karamay, Xinjiang. The name includes 羊肉 (lamb or mutton). 烤 describes roasting or grilling.
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Nang bread 馕
Thin nang is crisp, while thicker bread has a soft, chewy center and toasted crust. Fresh warmth brings out the wheat and topping aromas.
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Baked samsa buns 烤包子
The shell is crisp and firm, while the center is juicy, onion-sweet and richly savory.
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Naryn Noodles with Boiled Meat 纳仁
Naryn Noodles with Boiled Meat (纳仁) is a dish of noodles or flat noodle pieces cooked in meat broth and served under chunks of boiled meat and onion.
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Salted Milk Tea 奶茶
Salted Milk Tea (奶茶) is brick tea mixed with boiled milk, hot water and salt. The Keketuohai Scenic Area Management Committee in Altay calls it the most important item of Kazakh food and drink, and in Ürümqi (乌鲁木齐) Xinjiang milk tea (新疆奶茶) is one of the common drinks.
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More dishes from across Xinjiang are in the Xinjiang food guide.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 可克达拉市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Xinjiang
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 可克达拉市 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.