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The Xinjiang Autonomous Region within China, and the enormous Gobi desert that it contains form a very interesting place to visit. Unfortunately, like Tibet, this is a part of China that most tourists never see. Unlike the much-visited eastern seaboard of China, the far-west regions are entirely different. This includes the Gansu province that adjoins Xinjiang. The landscape is extremely rugged, and the population density is much lower. There are enormous desert areas, with some almost impassible except by camel. There are mountain chains and huge sand dunes. The cities that are encountered, such as Dunhuang, Hami and Urumqui, are like oases in the desert, with sand dunes up to the city limit and vast stretches of open land between the towns. As with most extensive desert regions, it is scorching hot in the summer, and much too cold in the winter. It is generally a harsh land. The ancient silk road passes through many points of this region, and there are many interesting artifacts that remain to document this. The region is rich in Muslim and Buddist culture. You have truly not seen China until you have visited the three western Regions of Xinjiang, Gansu and Tibet.
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