On June 30, 2022, the desert road from Yuli to Qiemo in Xinjiang will be completed and opened to traffic, which is also the third road built in China that runs through the second largest mobile desert in the world.

In order to build the road, in the past five years, more than 1,000 ordinary builders went deep into the desert hinterland with no water, no electricity and no signal, accompanied by sandstorms, high temperature and loneliness, and finally opened up this miraculous "passage of life".

Surveyors work in the desert

Grass squares for sand control and sand fixation, all done by hand

The Yuqie Desert Highway is located in the Bayingoleng Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang. It starts from Yuli County in the north and ends at Qiemo County in the south, with a total length of about 334 kilometers. It passes through Luobu villages and crosses the Tarim River. It is the third road that crosses the "Sea of Death" after the two desert roads in Er-Hotian. After opening to traffic, the distance from Qiemo to Korla will be shortened by 280 kilometers, and the driving time will also be shortened from 12 hours to 6 hours.Editor/Ma Xue