Xiaolan in Daban and Turpan

When it comes to brain food, the fascinating history of Daban is a good starting point. That brings me to Baishui Fort Relics just five kilometers away from the town.

This site used to be an ancient fortress in Tang Dynasty, now local government has rebuilt it into a theme park where you can get a pretty good insight into local people's life style.

Guarding the middle route of the Silk Road thousand years ago, Baishui Fort is located right on the demarcation line of North and South Xinjiang.

Nowadays you can still identify the rammed earth walls of the fortress built on a single piece of black rock, surrounded by the Baishui Creek, or White water Creek.

There's plenty to see and shop around on the other side of the White water Creek. Take this woolen blanket store for example. The family comes from Hetian, a place that boasts the best weaving technique in Xinjiang.

"Look at that, this is the signature texture of Xinjiang, Adelais silk. The color is almost dizzying!"

"What do you think? A good alternative to my drab color, right?"

Meaning batik in Uigur, Adelais is a favorite of Uigur women; and it's got another name - the colorful wing of cuckoo.