This is an interactive 190-gigapixel panorama (190 billion pixels). Scroll the mouse wheel or pinch to zoom from the full scene down to people, urban texture and tiny details that a normal photo cannot show.
Urumqi Zhongtian Plaza Panorama | 230m Rooftop View Over the Silk Road City Beneath the Tianshan | 360° Gigapixel Panorama
From the city's highest point, overlook the Silk Road gateway beneath the Tianshan — and find a hometown in every pixel.
The story
Urumqi: A Silk Road City Beneath the Tianshan
Urumqi is one of China's westernmost major cities and the most important first stop for travel in Xinjiang. It connects the northern and southern Tianshan Mountains, and bridges the ancient Silk Road with the modern world. For many, the journey into Xinjiang begins the moment their plane descends toward Diwopu Airport. For the photographer, however, Urumqi is more than a city — it is an inseparable memory of home. Born here, he later left Xinjiang to study and work elsewhere. Returning after many years, even the dry, crisp air and a sip of Tianshan snowmelt water were enough to feel that nothing had truly been left behind.
Xinjiang's First Gigapixel Exploration
Photographing Xinjiang was the first step in the "Great Beauty Xinjiang" gigapixel project. In May 2021, the region was in late spring — a season when Urumqi frequently experiences strong winds, with possible rainfall at night and clear skies returning by day. After the rain, the air became exceptionally transparent, allowing this panorama to capture over 500 square kilometers of urban area while keeping the Tianshan mountain range 40 to 50 kilometers away in sharp, clear silhouette. As you zoom in, what emerges is not just architecture, but every inch of a real western Chinese city's texture.
Zhongtian Plaza Rooftop: Shooting from the City's Highest Point
To achieve the best urban perspective of Urumqi, the shooting location was chosen at the rooftop of Zhongtian Plaza — at the time, the city's tallest building. Standing atop the tower, the team photographed in all four directions, capturing a total of 5,266 images. For the photographer, this was not merely a technical endeavor but an emotion impossible to conceal when facing one's hometown. The lens recorded not just a city, but the very land where he once lived.
People's Park: A Green Memory at the City's Heart
In this panorama, you can search for Urumqi's most familiar urban symbols. Directly below lies People's Park, a hidden green space at the city center. The park features gardens reminiscent of Jiangnan landscapes and a statue of the poet Li Bai. Within the park, Lanyuan memorializes the Qing Dynasty scholar Ji Xiaolan, who was exiled to Xinjiang for about two years after leaking confidential news, and left behind works such as "Miscellaneous Poems of Urumqi," adding a literary chapter to this frontier city's cultural legacy.
Red Hill Park: Urumqi's Most Familiar Landmark
If People's Park represents the city's inner tranquility, Red Hill Park is Urumqi's most recognizable natural coordinate. The hill's distinctive purplish-red rock is one of the city's most identifiable natural features. From its summit, one can overlook the entire city. A local legend tells of Red Hill and Yamalik Mountain as two dragon peaks — ancient people believed they were the lairs of red dragons and built pagodas on each to suppress the dragons and lock the waters. Can you find both dragon-suppressing pagodas as you zoom into this panorama?
The Distant Tianshan and the Legend of the Jade Pool
Looking eastward, the snow-capped Bogda Peak rises in the distance. On the mountainside lies Heavenly Lake, known to the ancients as the "Jade Pool" — legendary home of the Queen Mother of the West and celebrated as the "Pearl of the Tianshan." To continue exploring Xinjiang through gigapixel photography, you can also enter a separate 45-gigapixel panorama of Heavenly Lake, experiencing this mythical landscape across the changing seasons.
Silk Road Vibrancy: The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
To truly feel Xinjiang life, the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is unmissable. It is not only a place for visitors to find ethnic food and goods, but also an important window into Urumqi's urban culture. Every evening, the bazaar square fills with local residents dancing — people in traditional ethnic costumes move freely to the music, their gestures bold and expressions vivid, radiating the warmth of the Western Regions. In this panorama, you see not just a city, but the people who live in it.
How to Explore
Begin by locating the purplish-red form of Red Hill and its dragon-suppressing pagoda, then identify the green outline of People's Park. Turn eastward to find the snow line of the distant Tianshan Mountains and Bogda Peak. Finally, zoom into the city's heart to discover the Grand Bazaar complex. Each level of zoom reveals a western city that connects the ancient Silk Road with the modern world.
Comments (0)
Loading comments…
Frequently Asked Questions
How many photographs were used to create this 190-gigapixel panorama?
The panorama was stitched from 5,266 high-resolution images captured individually, achieving a resolution of 190 gigapixels and covering over 500 square kilometers of urban area.
What is the relationship between this panorama and the 45-gigapixel Heavenly Lake panorama?
Both belong to the 'Great Beauty Xinjiang' gigapixel project. The Urumqi panorama looks eastward from the city toward Bogda Peak and the Tianshan, while the Heavenly Lake panorama looks back from Mayashan toward Urumqi, nearly 50 kilometers away. Together they provide complementary city-to-nature perspectives of the northern Tianshan foothills.
Why was Zhongtian Plaza chosen as the shooting location?
At approximately 230 meters, Zhongtian Plaza was the tallest building in Urumqi at the time, offering the best 360-degree overview of the city. The team set up equipment on the rooftop and photographed in all four directions to capture the full urban area and the distant Tianshan Mountains.
Why is Urumqi called 'the city farthest from the ocean'?
Located deep in the Eurasian interior, Urumqi is roughly 2,500 kilometers from the nearest ocean and is often described by geographers as one of the world's most landlocked major cities. This unique continental position gives Urumqi its dry, crisp climate and significant day-to-night temperature variation.
City Secrets Challenge
CITY SECRETS CHALLENGE
Uncover the stories behind the city — every answer holds a piece of urban memory.
Question 01 / 06