Explore the region
About Bayanbulak Grassland
Bayanbulak Grassland (巴音布鲁克) is a high grassland in the central Tianshan (天山), in the north-west of Hejing County (和静县), Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture (巴音郭楞蒙古自治州), Xinjiang, 360 km from the prefectural capital Korla (库尔勒). Its Mongolian name means 'rich springs', and its 5A scenic area is built around the meanders and marshes of the upper Kaidu River (开都河).
The grassland fills two high intermontane basins, the Great and Little Yulduz (大、小珠勒都斯), divided by the Erbin Mountains (额尔宾山), which run 170 km east to west. The grassland lies at an average of 1,500 to 2,500 m, and the surrounding mountains all rise above 3,000 m. More than a thousand springs and the snowmelt feed the Kaidu, the main river of Bayingolin, which winds between the basins and leaves oxbow lakes and marshes behind it. The pasture is alpine steppe, alpine meadow and alpine marsh.
Qing records call the area Yulduz (裕勒都斯), after the river's older name. In 1771 Ubashi (渥巴锡) led the Torghut (土尔扈特) Mongols back from the lower Volga, and in 1774 his people moved onto the Yulduz grassland, which the Qianlong Emperor had granted to Ubashi. At the 2001 census the area was a largely Mongol community, with several Tibetan Buddhist temples and a naadam festival held on the fourth to sixth days of the sixth lunar month. Herders raise Yanqi horses, Bayanbulak large-tailed sheep, Chinese Merino sheep and yaks.
The scenic area covers 1,259.47 km² and was named a national 5A tourist attraction in October 2016. Its core is Swan Lake (天鹅湖), which the Hejing County government calls the largest national swan nature reserve in China; the Bayanbulak National Nature Reserve is a component of the Xinjiang Tianshan World Natural Heritage site. Records for the grassland list 128 bird species. Its views include the Kaidu's "Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns" (九曲十八弯), and the grassland was the main location for the rally scenes of the film Pegasus (飞驰人生).
What to look for
- The "Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns" (九曲十八弯) of the upper Kaidu River (开都河)
- Swan Lake (天鹅湖), described by Hejing County as China's largest national swan nature reserve
- Zhaksitai bird-watching platform (扎克斯台观鸟台)
- Baxilike viewing platform (巴西里克观景台)
- Tagleng Mountain (塔格楞山), the grassland's holy mountain
- Bayanbulak Town (巴音布鲁克镇), one of the three parts of the scenic area
Location & getting there
Getting to Bayanbulak Grassland
- Search for 巴音布鲁克 with 巴音郭楞蒙古自治州 and 和静县.
Find Bayanbulak Grassland
巴音布鲁克 · 和静县
No reliable map pin yet: search by the Chinese name.
Sources & visit information
Written from the linked sources and fact-checked against them on 2026-09-23. Opening hours, admission and access arrangements are not covered; confirm current visitor information with the site.
Some facts checked against Wikipedia contributors, "巴音布鲁克草原" · CC BY-SA 4.0.
Image credits & notes (1)
- The Kaidu River winding through Bayinbuluke grassland at sunset, Hejing County · 和静县巴音布鲁克草原，夕阳下蜿蜒的开都河Photo: lwtt93 from Shanghai, China · CC BY 2.0 · taken 2009-06-28Resized for the web; the photo itself has not been edited. Thumbnails may show a cropped view.
.jpg){kind=link}