SAPPHIRE WATERS: Bosten Lake in Xinjiang is becoming a popular destination for tourists (CFP)

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The Eurasia Expo is grasped by many places in Xinjiang as a good way to promote tourism.

Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, or Bazhou, is the largest prefecture in China, covering more than 460,000 square meters. Bosten Lake, situated at the northeastern rim of Tarim Basin in Bazhou, used to be little known outside the area, but it is gaining its popularity in recent years.

Bazhou specifically opened an area for Bosten Lake in the pavilion at the expo, displaying the unique landscape of the lake area.

During the Expo, the lake welcomed more than 1,000 visitors from all over the world each day.

Randall Farman from Seattle, the United States, came with his wife. "It is so beautiful here and we came all the way from America and are convinced it is the best choice," said Farman.

"We swim and eat fresh fish," said Farman's wife Robw Farman. "People here are very nice and we will definitely come back with our friends."

Figures from the local government show that from January to July, Bosten Lake welcomed 676,000 visitors, an increase of 29.5 percent from last year.

Eleven recreational vehicles (RV) were on display at the expo, marking the first year for the product to be shown there.

ALONE ON THE SAND: A camel runs in Kumtag Desert in Xinjiang (YU FEI)

"We think RV is quite suitable for traveling in Xinjiang as the region is such a vast place," said Su Yanzhen, Manager of Continental RV Club in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, who provided all 11 RVs. "The price of an RV varies from 80,000 yuan ($12,700) to 1.48 million yuan ($235,000) and they are designed to meet different demands."

The Tourism Bureau of south China's Guangdong Province organized a train tour for 500 tourists from Guangdong, Hunan and Hubei provinces. The train departed from Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong, and ran along the ancient Silk Road for 13 days. In Xinjiang, the train had two stops at Turpan and Urumqi, respectively.

Ruoqiang County, once home to the Loulan culture and desert scene, is also a shining spot in Xinjiang. Loulan was an ancient kingdom based around an important oasis city along the Silk Road in the 2nd century on the north-eastern edge of the Lop Desert.

"We will develop Ruoqiang's tourism and let more people around the world know about our history and culture," said Dang Feng, Party chief of the county.

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