Alashankou
Encyclopedia
Alashankou or Alataw Pass is a border town in Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
. It is a port of entry
by both railroad and highway from Kazakhstan
as part of the Eurasian Land Bridge
. The town is named after the Dzungarian Gate
(Ala Shankou in Chinese), a pass connecting the two countries through the Dzungarian Alatau
mountains. West of the pass, the port of entry on the Kazakhstan side is Dostyk. Alashankou is 73 kilometers from Bole
, 460 kilometers from Ürümqi
, and 580 kilometers from Almaty
.
Alashankou is one of China's national first-class ports of entry. The volume of imports and exports passing through Alashankou accounts for 90% of the total for all of Xinjiang, and is second to only Manzhouli
, Inner Mongolia
among land ports-of-entry in China.
and the People's Republic of China
to connect Kazakhstan with Western China by rail was achieved in 1954. On the Soviet side, the railway reached the border town of Druzhba (Dostyk) in 1959. On the Chinese side, however, the westward construction of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway was stopped once it reached Urumqi
in 1962. Due to the Sino-Soviet Split
, the railway link was not completed until September 12, 1990. The highway port of entry was opened in December 1995.
The railway networks of the two countries use different gauges (China, like most of Europe, uses the standard gauge
of , but Russia uses the broader Russian gauge
of ), so there are breaks of gauge. It is proposed to build a standard gauge Transcontinental Railway to link Europe and China to bypass these two breaks of gauge. This project was signed in 2004.
On July 10, 2010, Bole Alashankou Airport
was opened with scheduled flights to Ürümqi.
Börtala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture
Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture , short for Bortala , is a Mongol autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 27,000 square kilometers. Bole is its capital...
, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is a port of entry
Port of entry
In general, a port of entry is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has a staff of people who check passports and visas and inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. International airports are usually ports of entry, as are road and rail crossings on a...
by both railroad and highway from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
as part of the Eurasian Land Bridge
Eurasian Land Bridge
The Eurasian Land Bridge, sometimes called the New Silk Road, is a term used to describe the rail transport route for moving freight and passengers overland from Pacific seaports in Siberia and China to seaports in Europe...
. The town is named after the Dzungarian Gate
Dzungarian Gate
The Dzungarian Gate is a geographically and historically significant mountain pass between China and Central Asia. It has been described as the "one and only gateway in the mountain-wall which stretches from Manchuria to Afghanistan, over a distance of three thousand miles." Given its association...
(Ala Shankou in Chinese), a pass connecting the two countries through the Dzungarian Alatau
Dzungarian Alatau
The Dzungarian Alatau is a mountain range that lies on the boundary of Xinjiang region of China and Kazakhstan. The range is named after Dzungaria. Length: cca...
mountains. West of the pass, the port of entry on the Kazakhstan side is Dostyk. Alashankou is 73 kilometers from Bole
Bole, Xinjiang
Bole or Bortala is a county-level city in Xinjiang. The area is 7517 km² and the total population is 403,700 . Bortala means "brown grasslands/steppe" in Mongolian. Bortala is the seat of Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, which borders to Kazakhstan. Bortala has a railway and highway...
, 460 kilometers from Ürümqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
, and 580 kilometers from Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
.
Alashankou is one of China's national first-class ports of entry. The volume of imports and exports passing through Alashankou accounts for 90% of the total for all of Xinjiang, and is second to only Manzhouli
Manzhouli
- Administration :Manzhouli is divided into ten subdistricts and one town. Six of the subdistricts of Manzhouli are grouped into a district. Technically however, only a prefecture-level city can have districts, so Manzhouli's lone district is not officially listed.- History :In ancient times the...
, Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
among land ports-of-entry in China.
Transport
The agreement between the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
to connect Kazakhstan with Western China by rail was achieved in 1954. On the Soviet side, the railway reached the border town of Druzhba (Dostyk) in 1959. On the Chinese side, however, the westward construction of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway was stopped once it reached Urumqi
Ürümqi
Ürümqi , formerly Tihwa , is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country....
in 1962. Due to the Sino-Soviet Split
Sino-Soviet split
In political science, the term Sino–Soviet split denotes the worsening of political and ideologic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War...
, the railway link was not completed until September 12, 1990. The highway port of entry was opened in December 1995.
The railway networks of the two countries use different gauges (China, like most of Europe, uses the standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
of , but Russia uses the broader Russian gauge
Russian gauge
In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
of ), so there are breaks of gauge. It is proposed to build a standard gauge Transcontinental Railway to link Europe and China to bypass these two breaks of gauge. This project was signed in 2004.
On July 10, 2010, Bole Alashankou Airport
Bole Alashankou Airport
Bole Alashankou Airport is an airport serving Bole, the capital of Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. It is located 18 kilometers east of the city center and 50 kilometers south of the Alashankou border crossing with Kazakhstan...
was opened with scheduled flights to Ürümqi.
See also
- Alashankou railway stationAlashankou railway stationAlashankou railway station , also known as Alataw Pass railway station is a railway station in Börtala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region....
(Chinese side) - Dostyk (Kazakhstan side)
- Lake AlakolLake AlakolAlakol Lake is a lake located in the Almaty and Shyghyz provinces, east central Kazakhstan. Its elevation is 347 m above sea levelThe lake is the northwest extension of the region known as the Dzhungarian Gate , a narrow valley connects the southern uplands of Kazakhstan with arid northwest...