This summer, Xinjiang is ablaze with tourism fervor, attracting visitors from across the country to explore its diverse landscapes and vibrant cultural heritage.

While the majority of visitors have gravitated toward Altay, Ili, or Kashgar, the three most sought-after destinations in Xinjiang, other cities and prefectures in the Uygur autonomous region have been striving to capture a larger portion of the flourishing market.

Among these locales, Hami in the eastern part of Xinjiang stands out as a destination that has opted for an innovative approach to enhance its reputation among tourists. In the past three years, the prefecture with an area of more than 137,000 square kilometers — slightly smaller than Shandong province — has used stargazing as a way to promote its rich tourism resources.

While the Perseids meteor shower peaked during the second weekend of August in the past three years, the government of Hami prefecture cooperated with China Image Group and the China StarVision Alliance, a platform for nearly 1,000 Chinese astronomy photographers and businesses related to dark sky tourism, to organize an annual festival, titled "Sweet Whispers to the Galaxy".

Stargazing at relic sites

In 2022 and last year, a group of CSVA astronomy photographers and livestreaming engineers visited spectacular landforms hidden in the Gobi Desert, lakes on the grassland or alpine meadows on the eastern Tianshan Mountains. Taking photos of or livestreaming the Perseids meteors raining down the night sky against spectacular and diverse backdrops, they promoted a few of Hami's natural attractions to millions of people.

"Hami is already considered as one of the country's top destinations for dark sky tourism," said Wang Junfeng, an experienced astronomy photographer, online influencer and one of the co-founders of CSVA. Since 2020, Wang has paid regular visits to Hami to take photos at its various landmarks and is also one of the organizers of the festival.

Jiang Chenming, another CSVA co-founder and an experienced astronomy photographer who was invited to attend the festival, told China Daily: "The annual Perseids meteor shower is like a New Year celebration for the country's stargazing enthusiasts. This year I am sure that I will meet some of our CSVA members stargazing at some scenic areas in Hami."

He did. At the Dahaidao scenic area, a site hidden in the Gobi Desert and known for extensive mesa landforms, he met two groups of CSVA members who visited Hami to witness the peak of the meteor shower.

Different from the previous two years, this year's event brought dozens of astronomy photographers and reporters to a few of the prefecture's little-known historical sites.

Among them include the Baiyanghe Han (206 BC-220) and Tang (618-907) Ancient City Ruin, the Taku Karez site and the Liaodun Fire Beacon Tower, three relic sites under national first-class protection.

"We expect to make more people know that besides diverse natural attractions, Hami also boasts a rich and well-protected cultural and historical heritage," said Liu Xuehua, an official of the Publicity Department of the Hami Prefecture Committee of the Communist Party of China. "They are valuable evidence of the country's long history of governance and jurisdiction in the region."

Welcoming the meteor shower

The festival kicked off at a stretch of the Gobi Desert, dozens of kilometers away from any human settlements and without mobile signals, in Yizhou district of Hami city on Aug 9.

"Hami has vast wild areas without any light pollution. In addition to its arid weather, it's a perfect place for us to welcome the meteor shower here," Wang said. That night the photographers recorded dozens of shooting stars and many worked till dawn.

On the evening of Aug 10, Zhou Bo, an astronomy photographer and also co-founder of CSVA, arrived at the Taku Karez site in Erpu town, Yizhou district. He joined hands with three CSVA engineers to livestream the event online from the ancient karez well.

The karez well, part of an irrigation system dating back over 2,000 years, consists of a vertical shaft connected to an underground channel. The channel, connected with a network of underground channels, is supplied with water from the melted ice and snow in the Tianshan Mountains.

The underground structure prevents water from evaporating. Water from the well, flowing into ditches and then pouring into a big pond at the historical site, has nurtured many poplar and jujube trees and turned the area into a lush park.

The live broadcast, hosted by knowledgeable Zhou, allowed millions of viewers to revel in the beauty of Hami's starry sky. "Through such live events, we hope to draw more attention to Hami's dark night tourism resources and let more people personally experience its charm," Zhou said. "Hami not only has sweet melons but also incredibly beautiful starry skies and rich cultural heritage waiting for people to explore and discover."

On Aug 11, the group moved their campsite to a meadow near the Liaodun Fire Beacon Tower.

In the rugged terrain of the Sandaoling mining area in Hami city lies the ancient fire beacon tower. Constructed with packed earth and wooden beams, the tower reaches a height of about 6 meters, with a base measuring 7.2 meters north to south and 6.4 meters east to west. Divided into two levels, the upper level features lookout holes, offering a vantage point over the vast and barren plain.

In ancient times, the beacon towers, scattered throughout the region of Hami, formed a crucial part of the military defense system. They played a pivotal role in safeguarding the Silk Road, ensuring its smooth operation and serving as a testament to the governance and jurisdiction of Xinjiang by the central government.

Dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and later refurbished during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Liaodun tower stands as a testament to the significant position held by Hami along the ancient Silk Road, said Liu, the official. The fire beacon tower complex in Hami comprises a total of 106 towers, scattered across the prefecture's Hami city, Barkol Kazak autonomous county and Yiwu county.

As night fell, photographers adjusted their equipment to capture the moments when the starry sky enveloped the ancient structure.

Even though the sky became a little cloudy in the wee hours, the photographers could still take timelapse photos of clouds gathering and rolling above the tower.

Photos and video clips of the historical site under the night sky were published by local media outlets and began to appear on Chinese social media platforms.

"The fire beacon tower exudes a strong sense of the times, embodying the vicissitudes of culture and history. When we photograph the galaxy and stars, we view this vicissitude from a cosmic perspective," Jiang said. "Here we can experience a strong sense of transcending time and space."

Perfect ending

On Aug 12, the group moved to Dahaidao. In the evening, while livestreaming the Perseid meteor shower, the photographers suddenly realized there were not only shooting stars falling across the night sky, but also a rare pinkish aurora dancing in the northern sky.

The astronomic wonder mesmerized the photographers and their excitement was livestreamed across multiple online platforms, attracting over 5 million viewers to collectively marvel at the beauty and mystery of the night sky in Hami.

"Near midnight on Aug 13, a geomagnetic storm occurred, granting us the rare opportunity to witness the aurora. With the aurora's enchanting display, the meteor shower became even more breathtaking," Wang said. "It's truly a perfect ending for this year's festival."

According to data from the culture, sports and tourism bureau of Hami, the prefecture received more than 8.46 million tourists in the first half of this year, a 9.6 percent increase compared to the same period of last year.

chenliang@chinadaily.com.cn