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The Mongols of this region are the Torgut or Kalmuck Mongols, who migrated
to Russia from the steppes of Western Mongolia in the 17th century
and settled along the Volga River. Torgut cavalry units were incorporated in
the tsarist armed forces to great effect, but one hundred years later the Torguts
decided to return en masse to Xinjiang. Their journey was fraught with disaster:
they were pursued and harassed by Cossack soldiers and attacked by marauding
tribes. By the time they reached the border, seven months later, only 70, 000
were left - fewer than half of those who had set out. Emperor Qianlong (reigned
1736-96) received the Torguts hospitably, granting them grazing lands in the
Karashahr and Yili regions of Xinjiang and presenting them with gifts of horses,
sheep, cloth, tea and yurts. The Torguts wintered around the shores of Baghrash
Lake and passed the summer in the valleys of the Heavenly Mountains, much as
they do today. In 1934, Sven Hedin and his Swedish-Chinese motor expedition undertook a journey
under the auspices of the Chinese Ministry of Railways to survey road links
between Chinese Turkestan and China proper. At Korla they ran into the desperate
Muslim troops of the young rebel, Genera "Big Horse" Ma Zhongying.
Their five vehicles were commandeered by the retreating soldiers, the expedition
members were rounded up in a courtyard and their hands were tied as they awaited
summary execution. General Big Horse spared the expedition, but held them under
house arrest while he sped away in their vehicles southwest towards Kashgar,
fleeing bombing by Soviet planes undertaken at the request of the Governor of
Xinjiang. Korla Fragrant Pear Flowers
The spring of Korla is almost the spring of the fragrant pear flowers. Looking
far at the thousands miles of fragrant pear trees at the period of middle April,
it is a world of sweetness and purity. The fragrant pears on the great plates
are unforgettably sweet, too!
Ten kilometers from the city of Korla is the renowned kingdom of Korla Fragrant
Pear Flowers----Shayi Dongyuan Yichang. Walk through the garden or visit the
houses of the farmers.
Telephone Number of Shayi Dongyuan Yichang: 0996-2950308
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