Mount Flame, A Mountain Full of Myth
Flaming Mountains is located in the northern edge of the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang Province. Ancient known as “Red Rock Mountain”, Uygur language called “kyzyl Le Tage” which means Red Mountain. Mount Flame is form by red sandstone, it cross from Piqan County Langang River in the east to Turpan Taoer Ditch in the west, just like a red dragon, goes from the west to the east, lying in the Turpan Basin. The length of Mount Flame is 98 km from east to west and 9 km from north to south. At the average of 500 meters height, the highest peak is near the Tuyu Ditch of Piqan County, 831.7 meters above the sea level.
There is an old saying goes: The famous of a mountain is not because of its high. Mount Flame is just a good sample. Although Mount Flame is only hundreds of meters high, it is full of myth because of the story from the famous novel Journey to the West. When Xuanzang go on a pilgrimage for Buddhist scriptures, he has to cross Mount Flame, however, the place is too hot to cross, then Monkey King borrow the Palm-leaf Fan blow out the flame and lets Xuanzang cross the mountain.
Mount Flame has its special physiognomy natural condition. And by the well known story from Journey to the West also makes Mount Flame full of myth.
