Hemu Village, the first village in China

Hemu Village is a village under the jurisdiction of Burqin County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Located on the Kanas Lake in Burqin County, Xinjiang, it is the concentrated living place of Tuwa people. It is the farthest and largest of the three remaining Tuwa villages (Hemu Village, Kanas Village and Baihaba Village), with a total area of 3,141 square kilometers.

The most striking thing about Hemu Village is that the small wooden houses, herds and snow peaks, forests, grasslands, blue sky and white clouds form a unique natural and cultural landscape. These cabins have become the symbol of Tuwa people, and most of them are buried in the soil to resist the cold during the snow-closed period of nearly half a year, which is particularly primitive and simple, and has the traditional characteristics of nomadic people. The roof is generally nailed with wooden boards into a herringbone canopy, and the house is made of single-layer logs with a diameter of 31 to 41 cm, which is both warm and moisture-proof.

The sun slowly sinks into the shoulder of the opposite snow-capped mountain, and the golden afterglow of the forest on the hillside behind it fades little by little. The quietly flowing river draws winding thin lines on the grass, and the snow on the top of the mountain in the distance paints the last bright color on the river with its reflection. There are several cows lazily eating grass by the river, and there is no one over the playground surrounded by the blue wooden fence. A lonely basketball stand stands silently in the breeze, and several white ones wander under the frame. The villagers are busy with dinner in their homes, the horses have already returned to the pen, and the children are playing on the grass in front of the house. Everything is going on in an orderly way in peace and tranquility. Without haste and noise, Hemu is still a beautiful dream in a quiet small mountain village.