BEIJING: Tour guide Dilinur Tursunjan, 26, from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said she is looking forward to visiting her friends in Taiwan and seeing the place in person.
Dilinur served a family from Taiwan who were touring northern Xinjiang in October last year and southern Xinjiang in March. After spending almost a month together, they have established an emotional link “even closer than friendship”, she said.
Recently, a video of Dilinur introducing the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel to the family went viral, receiving millions of views and likes on social media platforms.
“Because the people need such a well-traveled road, our motherland can make high mountains give way, and rivers bow down. It is not that piercing through the Tianshan Mountains is easy, but that on the other side of Tianshan lie the people,” Dilinur said in the video.
Her comments became a hot topic for days, touching a lot of netizens.
The Tianshan Mountains, stretching 2,500 kilometers, separate northern and southern Xinjiang. The 22.13-km tunnel, the world’s longest expressway tunnel, opened to traffic in December 2025. It shortens what was once a three-hour mountain drive to just 20 minutes.
Dilinur told them that constructors braved an altitude of 4,000 meters, overcoming not only the frigid, oxygen‑deficient environment, but also complex geological conditions, where hazards such as collapses, rock bursts, and water inrushes could occur at any time. Yet Chinese builders, applying a number of world‑class innovative technologies, successfully drilled through the tunnel in just 52 months.
“I’m deeply impressed by the tunnel’s story when searching for materials. I’m very proud of this mega project, so all of the words are from my heart,” she said.
Born in Artux in southern Xinjiang, Dilinur went to northern Xinjiang for the first time when she was admitted to the Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics in Urumqi, which is about 1,500 km away. It used to take more than 20 hours for her to travel via railway, or 18 hours via expressway, which has now been reduced to about 13 hours.
“Now it’s more convenient for me to go back home. Tourists can also spend less time on the road and more time at attractions,” she said.
She believed that being a tour guide can realize her dream of seeing a broader world, so she found a job at a travel agency in Urumqi after graduating in 2022.
She said the tunnel promotes exchanges of people and goods between different areas of Xinjiang, and shows the country cares for people in Xinjiang and is taking efforts to create better conditions. The video was taken by the Taiwan woman surnamed Lin, who knew Dilinur from her Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok) account, and asked to tour with Dilinur.
During the first trip, they traveled to Sayram Lake, Kanas, Hemu, and Ghost City. On the second trip, they visited the Pamir Plateau, Baisha Lake, the Kashgar Ancient City, and Karakul Lake. The tourists saw snow mountains, rode yaks, watched singing performances, and danced together.
Lin said she saw videos such as sunset at Sayram Lake and the vast desert of Xinjiang. Yet, seeing them in person is more beautiful, and Xinjiang is safe, and people are very kind.
Dilinur invited them to her home, treating them with homemade mutton, fig jam, noodles and yogurt. They chatted happily and forgot time. When they returned to the hotel, it was already 1 am.
In a video of their gathering, Lin said, “It was truly a rewarding trip coming here this time. I was especially touched when visiting Dilinur’s home; it felt just like being at home. I’d only ever seen scenes like this on TV — so many things prepared to host us.”
Dilinur invited them to her wedding, and Lin asked to wear Uygur clothes when that happened.
The last day of the trip, Lin called the tour guide, saying that she wanted to stay two more days with Dilinur to tour in Urumqi, so they took part in the Roza Festival, or Eid al-Fitr and visited the Grand Bazaar.
“They treated me like real family,” Dilinur said, adding that Lin massaged her cervical and lumbar spine and always praised her.
From their description, Dilinur also knew that Taiwan has beautiful nature and a lot of seafood. She said she hoped she could visit Taiwan too one day.
Dilinur shares her story with tourists and advises about travels in Xinjiang, winning her 500,000 fans on Douyin.
“I hope more people know the real Xinjiang, which is different from what is told by Western media,” she said.
Lin told Dilinur they wanted a third trip, and at that time, it would be better if there were a direct flight from Taipei to Urumqi. Now they had to transfer via Hong Kong. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
