Ili Prefecture Overview

Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture (伊犁哈萨克自治州) was established in November 1954 and occupies a distinctive position within China’s administrative system. It is the country’s only autonomous prefecture that administers both prefecture-level regions and county-level divisions, and it is also commonly described as China’s only sub-provincial autonomous prefecture. The prefectural capital is Yining City.

The term “Ili” can refer to two different statistical areas. The entire autonomous prefecture includes Tacheng Prefecture, Altay Prefecture and 11 directly administered county-level divisions. In tourism and everyday usage, however, “Ili” often refers specifically to the directly administered Ili River Valley area, excluding Tacheng and Altay. Population, area and economic statistics therefore vary according to the reporting scope.

Basic Information

Geography

The full Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture extends across northwestern Xinjiang, incorporating the Ili River Valley, the Tacheng Basin, parts of the Junggar Basin and the Altai Mountains. Through its administration of Tacheng and Altay, the autonomous prefecture borders Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia, with a combined international boundary of approximately 2,019 kilometres.

The directly administered Ili area lies mainly in the western Tianshan Mountains and the broad Ili River Valley. This landscape is enclosed by mountain ranges but remains open toward Central Asia in the west. Moist air can enter through this opening, giving the valley more precipitation and greener landscapes than most other parts of Xinjiang.

The prefecture proper borders Kazakhstan to the west, Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture to the northeast and Aksu Prefecture across the Tianshan Mountains to the south. Its geography includes river valleys, forests, alpine meadows, agricultural plains, mountain basins and high-altitude pastoral areas.

Climate

Ili is widely known as the “Jiangnan Beyond the Great Wall” and the “Wet Island of Central Asia.” It is one of the wettest and most ecologically productive areas in Xinjiang. The average annual temperature in the directly administered prefectural area is approximately 8.8°C, while average annual precipitation is around 365.5 millimetres. The frost-free period generally ranges from 112 to 177 days, depending on elevation and location.

The Ili River Valley has relatively mild summers, cold winters and clearly defined seasons. Spring brings rapidly changing weather and flowering grasslands, while summer is warm and comparatively humid. Autumn is cool, colourful and usually stable, and winter brings persistent snow to many mountain and valley areas.

Climate differences within the prefecture are significant. The western plains and low valleys are warmer and suitable for agriculture, while Zhaosu, Tekes, Xinyuan, Gongliu and Nilka include high-altitude areas with cooler summers, earlier winters and greater temperature variation.

The Ili River Basin has an annual surface-water runoff of approximately 17.1 billion cubic metres, representing a substantial share of Xinjiang’s water resources. Its forests, wetlands, rivers and mountain snowfields make the region an important ecological barrier and water-conservation area.

Adjacent Cities, Regions and Countries

The full autonomous prefecture connects with Kazakhstan in the west, Russia and Mongolia through the northern Altay area, and several regions of Xinjiang in the east and south. Within the directly administered Ili area, the most important external connections are with Kazakhstan, Bortala and Aksu.

Ili’s location made it an important section of the northern Silk Road and continues to support its position as a gateway for China’s westward opening. The region contains several national first-class ports, including Khorgos Port (霍尔果斯口岸), Dulata Port (都拉塔口岸) and Muzart Port (木扎尔特口岸).

The China–Kazakhstan Khorgos International Border Cooperation Center (中哈霍尔果斯国际边境合作中心) is the first cross-border economic cooperation zone established between China and another country. It supports commerce, cultural exchange, shopping and the development of authorized cross-border tourism.

Transportation

Ili has developed an integrated “fast access and slow travel” transport system combining aviation, railways, expressways, national highways and scenic self-drive routes.

Aviation

The directly administered area has three principal airports: Yining Airport (伊宁机场), Nalati Airport (那拉提机场) and Zhaosu Tianma Airport (昭苏天马机场). Together, they provide access to the prefectural capital, the eastern Ili Valley and the highland areas around Zhaosu.

Yining Airport functions as the primary aviation gateway. Domestic routes connect Ili with Urumqi and other major Chinese cities, while the regional airports help reduce long road transfers within the prefecture.

Railway

Yining Railway Station (伊宁站) and Khorgos Railway Station (霍尔果斯站) connect the region with Urumqi and the national railway network. Khorgos also serves as an important international freight gateway connecting China’s railway system with Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Europe.

Rail travel has become an increasingly important way to enter Ili, particularly for visitors travelling from Urumqi. Travellers can continue from Yining or Khorgos by bus, private vehicle or organised tour.

Road Transport

The G30 Lianyungang–Khorgos Expressway provides the principal east–west road connection, while the G217 Duku Highway (独库公路) links the region with central and southern Xinjiang when seasonal conditions allow.

The road network also connects Yining with Khorgos, Huocheng, Gongliu, Xinyuan, Nilka, Tekes and Zhaosu. Although the main roads are generally well developed, tourism areas are widely dispersed, making private vehicles, licensed charter services and organised tours the most practical options for regional exploration.

Population and Ethnic Groups

The directly administered Ili area has a population of approximately 2.85 million. The wider autonomous prefecture contains a larger population when Tacheng and Altay are included, so official figures should always be read according to their statistical scope.

Ili is home to approximately 47 ethnic groups, including Kazak, Han, Uygur, Hui, Mongolian, Xibe and Russian communities. Its remarkable ethnic diversity has earned it the description “an ethnographic museum of the East.”

Kazak communities have preserved pastoral traditions closely associated with horses, livestock, seasonal migration, music and oral literature. Uygur communities contribute oasis agricultural traditions, architecture, crafts and cuisine, while Xibe culture reflects the history of westward military migration and frontier settlement. These traditions coexist with the cultures of Hui, Mongolian, Russian and other communities.

History and Culture

Ili occupied a strategic position on the northern routes of the ancient Silk Road. During the Han dynasty, Zhang Qian’s missions to the Western Regions and the marriage alliance involving Princess Xijun and the Wusun kingdom connected the Ili Valley more closely with the Central Plains.

During the Qing dynasty, the establishment of the office of the General of Ili made the region an important administrative and military centre for the governance of Xinjiang. Frontier defence, trade, migration and agricultural settlement shaped the prefecture’s cultural landscape over subsequent centuries.

The region’s cultural identity reflects a long interaction among pastoral, agricultural, military-settlement and commercial traditions. Kazak music and horsemanship, Uygur neighbourhood culture, Xibe archery and westward-migration traditions, Russian architectural influences and Hui food culture together form Ili’s multicultural character.

The famous song Night on the Grassland was created in Kokdala (可克达拉), while the planned urban layout of Tekes, often called China’s “Bagua City,” reflects another distinctive element of the prefecture’s cultural geography.

Economy

In 2024, the full Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, including Tacheng and Altay, recorded a gross regional product of approximately RMB 327.04 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 6 percent. The service sector contributed approximately RMB 157.27 billion, accounting for about 48.1 percent of total output.

The directly administered Ili area recorded a GDP of approximately RMB 180.67 billion, with year-on-year growth of 5.6 percent. This distinction between full-prefecture and prefecture-proper figures is important when comparing economic statistics.

Ili is an important production base for grain, oil crops, vegetables, fruit and livestock products. Its comparatively abundant water resources and fertile valley soils support large-scale agriculture and animal husbandry. It is also China’s leading lavender-producing region.

Industrial development includes coal and coal chemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals, electricity generation, agricultural processing and manufacturing. Border ports and development zones support international logistics, cross-border e-commerce, processing trade and financial services.

Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the service economy. Accommodation, transport, restaurants, cultural performances, rural tourism and self-drive services provide employment and create additional markets for agricultural products and traditional handicrafts.

Ili Tourism Bureau and Inbound Tourism Development

The Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism (伊犁哈萨克自治州文化广播电视和旅游局), referred to here as the Ili Tourism Bureau, is responsible for regional tourism planning, destination promotion, cultural-resource protection, industry supervision and international tourism cooperation.

The bureau is implementing a “Tourism-Led Prefecture” strategy centred on building Ili into a world-class tourism destination and developing a cultural-tourism industryism industry cluster valued at hundreds of billions of yuan. Ili has also been designated as one of Xinjiang’s four regional centres for cultural and tourism industry development.

World-Class Destination Positioning

The Tourism Bureau aims to develop Ili into an integrated international destination combining natural ecology, multicultural heritage, leisure holidays, self-drive travel, sports, performing arts and border experiences.

Rather than promoting isolated attractions, the strategy seeks to connect urban centres, counties, rural areas, transport hubs and border ports. This approach is intended to increase visitor length of stay, distribute tourism income more widely and strengthen year-round travel.

National-level destination development programmes include all-for-one tourism initiatives in Tekes County, Yining City, Xinyuan County and Huocheng County, together with cultural-industry, ecological-tourism and cross-border cooperation projects across the prefecture.

National Tourism Brand Development

The Tourism Bureau is working to raise the international profile and service quality of several core tourism areas. Development priorities include the proposed upgrading of the Ili Old City–Kazanqi Folk Tourism Area (伊犁老城—喀赞其民俗旅游区), China Tianma Homeland Cultural Tourism Area (中国天马之乡文化旅游区) and Kuerdening Scenic Area (库尔德宁景区) to national 5A-level tourism attractions.

It also supports the development of national cultural-tourism industry demonstration areas, ecological-tourism demonstration zones and international-standard leisure destinations. These projects form part of a broader strategy to create a recognizable Ili destination cluster rather than a collection of disconnected scenic sites.

Fast Access and Slow Travel Network

The Tourism Bureau is developing a transport structure based on “fast access” to the prefecture and “slow travel” within it. Aviation, railways and expressways provide rapid entry, while visitor centres, self-drive camps, recreational-vehicle facilities, scenic service areas and greenways support slower regional exploration.

Eight tourism distribution bases are planned or being strengthened in Kuitun, Khorgos, Huocheng, Xinyuan, Nilka, Gongliu, Tekes and Zhaosu. Twenty-eight tourism service camps are intended to support self-drive travellers and reduce pressure on the principal urban centres.

This network is especially important for international visitors because Ili’s destinations are widely dispersed. Coordinated luggage services, multilingual information, vehicle support and reliable booking systems can make regional travel significantly easier.

Cross-Border Tourism and International Cooperation

Cross-border tourism is one of the Ili Tourism Bureau’s most important development priorities. The mutual visa-exemption agreement between China and Kazakhstan has improved conditions for travel and business exchange, although individual entry requirements, permitted activities and border procedures remain subject to current national regulations.

The Khorgos road port has recorded rapid growth in passenger movement, while the China–Kazakhstan International Border Cooperation Center has become a major platform for cross-border shopping, commerce and cultural exchange.

The Tourism Bureau supports the creation of a National Cross-Border Tourism Cooperation Zone in Khorgos, using the port’s transport connections, commercial facilities and international visitor flow to build approved China–Kazakhstan tourism products.

Ili has also established northwestern China’s first national base for international cultural trade. The cooperation centre is being used to develop new models combining culture, commerce, exhibitions and cross-border tourism.

International Visitor Services

The Tourism Bureau is expanding accommodation and visitor-service capacity throughout the prefecture. The directly administered area has added substantial numbers of new guest rooms and beds, while higher-grade hotels are being developed in major gateway cities and tourism counties.

International payment services are being improved through additional foreign-card POS terminals and foreign-currency exchange points at major tourism facilities. Multilingual signage, foreign-language guides, visitor consultation and digital information services are also important components of the internationalization programme.

Hotels accepting foreign passports remain concentrated in the principal cities and county centres. International travellers should confirm registration capability before booking accommodation in villages or remote pastoral areas.

Culture, Sports and Tourism Integration

The Tourism Bureau is expanding the visitor economy through the integration of tourism with sports, performing arts, agriculture and cultural industries. Regular performances, horse-related events, marathons, self-drive rallies and other activities help extend the tourism season and strengthen destination recognition.

Major initiatives include the Khorgos Border Gate Marathon (国门马拉松) and the Taklimakan Rally Silk Road Gathering Event (环塔丝路集结赛). Cultural performances and ethnic festivals provide additional opportunities for visitors to experience the traditions of the region’s different communities.