China’s 2nd-Largest Grassland — Bayanbulak, Xinjiang | Duku Highway

Driving the southern section of the Duku Highway (G217) through the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China, the landscape suddenly opens into the vast grasslands of Bayinbuluk. Here, winter temperatures can fall to −40°C (−40°F), the mountain road can close for months, and Bayinbuluk Town has a population of only around 2,400. This is also home to China’s Torghut Mongols, a people with a remarkable migration story. In 1771, Torghut Mongols led by Ubashi Khan made an epic journey east from the Volga River region of what is now Russia, returning to the lands of their ancestors. Some were eventually settled in the Bayinbuluk region, where their descendants have continued their pastoral traditions. Life here is shaped by grassland, livestock, seasons and enormous distances. A commonly cited local figure puts grassland availability at around 4,000 mu per person — approximately 267 hectares or 660 acres. This refers to the scale of the grassland resource, not necessarily privately owned land. Then the road belongs to the sheep. The car stops. The sheep keep coming. For a few minutes, an ordinary drive becomes a glimpse of life on a working grassland — where livestock still has the right of way. Maybe good luck starts here. Bayinbuluk means “Rich Springs” in Mongolian. The region is also associated with the Tongtian River in Journey to the West, the film Pegasus, and the famous Nine-Bend-and-Eighteen-Turns of the Kaidu River. The Duku Highway is part of China’s G217 national highway, crossing the Tianshan Mountains between northern and southern Xinjiang. Its extreme terrain and seasonal weather mean that the route is generally open for only part of the year. This is a real-time drive through the southern section of the Duku Highway. No narration. No background music. No scripted scenes. Just the road, the mountains, the grassland, the animals, and the real sounds of Xinjiang. 📍 4K 30fps | 1h 18m | Real Driving | Real Road Sounds ⏰ CHAPTERS 00:00 Highlights 00:35 Bayinbuluk Town 36:40 The Tianshan Mountains Reveal Themselves 54:55 Black-Headed Sheep Take Over the Road 58:01 Police Reminder: Drive Safely 1:04:28 Aksu Boundary 🗺️ ABOUT THE JOURNEY 1 Girl · 1 Car · Across China Passenger seat is yours. Let’s go. 📍 Stop 156: Bayinbuluk | Total: 14,050 km ◀️ Last Stop: China–Mongolia Border Highway ▶️ Next Stop: Ahe Highway ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🛣️ THE DUKU HIGHWAY — THREE SECTIONS The Duku Highway crosses the Tianshan Mountains from north to south. Each section has its own terrain and landscapes. Northern Duku: Dushanzi → Qorma Steep mountain roads, dramatic elevation changes and sharp hairpin turns.    • 400 Hairpin Turns & Four Seasons in One Da...   Central Duku: Qorma → Nalati → Bayinbuluk Deep canyons, snowy mountain passes, alpine meadows and the vast high-altitude basin around Bayinbuluk.    • Open Only 4 Months a Year | World-Famous A...   Southern Duku: Bayinbuluk → Kuqa A different world of deep canyons, dramatic rock formations and the changing landscapes of southern Xinjiang. This is the drive featured in this video.