Duku Highway: The Spiritual Journey You Take Only Once in a Lifetime

The Duku Highway, China's most beautiful road on Douyin. A journey, a passerby, a slice of life.

The Duku Highway runs from Dushanzi to Kuqa. An early version of National Highway 217, it cuts through the Tianshan Mountains from north to south, stretching 561 kilometers. More than half of it winds through towering mountains and deep valleys, linking many areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. China National Geography named it the Scenic Highway Across the Spine of the Tianshan Mountains. Tens of thousands of soldiers spent ten years building this road, and 168 of them gave their lives. The terrain is unusual, with many sharp turns and steep slopes. More than 280 kilometers of the highway lie above 2,000 meters. Due to winter snowfall, ice, and other natural conditions in the Tianshan Mountains, it is open for only five months a year. From late September until the following May, traffic is restricted for a seven-month winter closure.

The Nalati Grassland, Qiaerma Scenic Area, Bayanbulak, the Big and Small Dragon Pools, mountain passes, snowy peaks, clouds drifting through the mountains, the country's highest...

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.