Music leads the way part two: Kuqa and Korla

For a thousand years, the Kuqa dancing and singing has been famous all over China. It has been immortalized in poetry. The songs and dances might not be quite the same today, but the talents have passed down along with a continuous quest for beauty.

For a brief time, the desert is a great playground, and it's splendid, but think twice if you feel like moving in as a permanent resident.

In his book, Wang Luobin says that I walk along the border of the desert year round, my feeling is that the more harsh the environment is, the more imaginative the people are. Now coming to think of that, I think it's quite true. Look around, the vast desert, not one drop of water, but think of the wonderful Uygur music.

I've lost the track of time, don't know how many hours have gone by. I wonder if they have only sand around here?

The answer is certainly no. There's a lot of water too, at least around here. This is the biggest fresh water lake in China, the Bositeng Lake, less than an hour's drive outside Korla city. The lake covers a total area of 1150 square kilometers. Under a cloudy sky, the lake glows here in the desert.

It's hard to believe there is such vast water amid the vast desert. And that is the big Bositeng lake, certainly, it has a little brother, the small Bositeng lake.

The little brother bristles with reeds. A ride in a fast boat on a waterway like this with the Gobi mountains looming is quite a cool experience. You have everything you need for a sandy seaside resort, the sunshine, the blue water, the golden beach. So don's forget to bring the bathing suit.

One explanation for the source of this water is that it comes from the snowmelt at top of Tianshan mountain. Yet it remains a mystery as to how such an amount of water accumulates amid the vast desert.

From the great lake, we head further northwest to the legendary Bayibuluke grasslands. This time the ride takes us some eight hours.

Each land has its own character and that character influence the people living on it. This is Bayibuluke grassland and it's the Mongolians living here. So, we need to listen to some Mongolian music.

Just like the music, the land is boundless and lends you a sense of cutting free.

The Bayinbuluke grassland is the biggest highland grassland in China. In Mongolian language, Bayinbuluk means Rich spring water. The green grassland amidst the snowcapped Tianshan mountains is the home of the Mongolians.

We have everything the Mongolians offer to their guests. And some bread. But the most precious gifts are their songs.

The songs are soaring and uninhibited. Somehow you get the feeling that only people living a carefree life on such boundless fertile land could express themselves in such a open way.

This grassland is not exactly the kind that's knee-deep in grass. That's because it's at such a high altitude. The grass won't grow tall here. Yet the local people are very proud of it. They say it's very nutritious. They'll tell you their lambs grow robust and strong on it.

The treasured centerpiece of the Bayinbuluke is the Swan Lake. A huge area of wetland swamp made up of many lakes, this is where thousands of swans come to spend the summer before they migrate to the south. You know why the swan make this place their home? The local people told us proudly that's because the swans only stay at the most beautiful place.

During the past few days, I have spent many many hours on the bus, a car or a jeep, have eatern many sweet sweet water melons and of course, listened to many great music. And I imagine the journey of the lone music collector Wang Luobin. He must have had a different experience but I believe we all have a great time.

Editor:Chen  Source:CCTV.com