Xinjiang Travel Notes: What was once the Gobi Desert later became the city with the largest GDP in the country - Karamay

On the morning of July 14, we set off from Changji City to Karamay City.

On the way, we took a rest under the shade of a tree on the side of the road. The best thing about Xinjiang compared to the mainland is that the tree shade has its own air conditioner, while in the mainland it is always hot and stuffy no matter where you leave the air-conditioned room.

After 330 kilometers and 6 hours, we finally arrived at Century Park in Karamay in the afternoon. After riding in the car all day, I quickly took Brother Chen out for a walk.

I didn’t know how powerful Karamay was until I heard the breeder talk about it while walking.

In 2014, Karamay's per capita GDP was as high as 220,000 yuan, making it the city with the highest per capita GDP in my country at that time.

Later, as oil prices fell, Karamay's total GDP and per capita GDP declined, but per capita GDP has remained among the top 10 in the country for many years.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who doesn't know Karamay is so powerful!

If the GDP is so powerful, the infrastructure construction will certainly not be bad. The streets are spacious and clean. Museums, science and technology museums, swimming pools, large supermarkets, open parks... You can watch the water curtain movie with us in Boao at night. It's comparable to other water curtain movies. It's low-key and luxurious here.

The most noteworthy thing is the public toilets here. We went to about four or five different public toilets in two days. Each one was very clean, without any peculiar smell, and there were dedicated personnel to clean it. Every tissue box was full, and there was absolutely no embarrassment of forgetting to bring tissue. Happening here hahaha!

If there was a little more BGM, going to the public restrooms in Karamay would be a pleasure...

The next morning, our original plan was to go to the Karamay Museum, but we didn’t know until we arrived that it was closed for maintenance, so we went to see the famous No. 1 Well and Dyou Bar.

Interjection: Karamay is really hot. If you sleep in the car at night without turning on the air conditioner, you will be woken up by the heat. It feels four or five degrees higher than Jimusar County. Moreover, it is surrounded by the Gobi Desert and there is no place to escape the heat. I suggest Come and play in spring and autumn.

The big oil bubble in the picture below is the theme sculpture of Ke No. 1 Well. It consists of the Ke No. 1 Well site and more than 200 large and small oil bubble groups and ground oil waves.

Karamay Oilfield is the first large oil field discovered in 1955 after the liberation of my country.

"Karamay" is the transliteration of "black oil" in the Uyghur language. It was named after the discovery site of the Karamay oil field, which is now a natural asphalt hill in the east corner of Karamay city - Black Oil Mountain.

After the founding of New China, from 1951 to 1955, the country sent geological survey teams to conduct geological surveys near Heiyou Mountain many times.

On June 6, 1955, the Dushanzi 1219 Youth Drilling Team came to the vicinity of Heiyou Mountain to determine the location of Well No. 1.

Drilling started on July 6 of the same year, and the well was 626 meters deep. On October 29, the drilling was completed and an industrial oil flow spewed out. The initial daily crude oil production was 3.7 tons, which became the symbol of the discovery of the Karamay Oilfield. Because it was the first well in the Karamay Oilfield, it was named For "Ke No. 1 Well"

From that time on, the 1219 youth drilling team, composed of 36 workers from 8 ethnic groups, marched into this deserted Gobi desert with "no grass, no water, and even birds do not fly" and created an oil town.

Looking at the measuring station in Ke No. 1 Well, the breeder and I began to discuss what kind of difficulties these 36 workers had overcome at that time, and what kind of spirit supported them in persevering. From having nothing to having everything, they should be particularly proud now when they recall the contributions they made in their youth...

The crude oil output of Karamay Oilfield ranks fourth among China's onshore oil fields. It is the Xinjiang Daqing in the "Four Daqings" strategic mission of China National Petroleum Corporation and has important strategic and economic status.

The beginning is simple, and the end is huge.

The picture below is a view of the Karamay Baili Oilfield.

Let’s take a video of the Ke No. 1 Well and Jiabaili Oilfield to deepen our shock at that time.

On the third day in Karamay, yesterday, after passing the Baili Oilfield in the video, we arrived at Devil City.

Devil City is 100 kilometers away from Karamay. It is a typical Yadan landform.

More than 100 million years ago, this was a huge freshwater lake where many dinosaurs lived. After two huge crustal movements, the vast land and sea landscape we see today was formed.

I originally took a video, but the shooting location was not good and it didn’t create a magical and spectacular feeling, so I can only take screenshots to show you.

This is the eagle spreading its wings, which is easier to see.

The horses roar, use your imagination!

Open your imagination and guess what this looks like?

I saw "cluster oil extraction machines" in Devil City, which is a distribution method of oil extraction machines used to protect the landscape.

The Meituan price for Devil City ticket + shuttle bus is 62. It is an AAAA-level scenic spot. There were so many people when we went there, and we had to queue for a long time to take the shuttle bus. Going in summer can really bring out the sun, so it is recommended to visit in spring and autumn.

When we were resting in the town of Hestorogai at noon, we met a kind shopkeeper who let us recharge our batteries.

It’s this rice noodle shop. The rice noodle is delicious and the owner is enthusiastic. Please remember to enjoy it when you pass by here in the future. This is a must-stop place when driving in Kanas.

I finally didn’t need to turn on the air conditioner on the road in the afternoon. There were prairie on both sides of National Highway 217. The breeders sang “The End of the World is My Love...” all the way. Although it was a bit out of tune, it was better to adapt to the situation, hahaha!

I arrived in Fuhai County last night and have been resting all day today to catch up on the homework of the past few days.

From now on, I will be in charge of the travel notes again. Since I still have to edit videos, the travel notes cannot be updated every day. Instead, they will be updated one at a time. Everyone, please continue to support me!