Xiaohe Cemetery

Xiaohe Cemetery is an ancient burial site in the desert featuring about 140 upright wooden posts made from poplar that rise 2 to 5 meters above ground. Each grave contains a boat-shaped wooden coffin wrapped in cowhide, spread across an oval sand dune.

The site was established about 4,000 years ago with burial patterns from the early Bronze Age. Its first systematic study began in the 1930s through international researchers.

The cemetery reveals burial practices that connected both Indo-European and East Asian populations in ancient times. The graves show through their construction and contents how different groups coexisted and interacted in this region.

The graves sit in dry desert conditions that keep the structures remarkably well preserved, and the sandy terrain makes sturdy shoes a good choice. Visitors should prepare for extreme heat and limited shade.

Researchers discovered in 2024 a cheese piece roughly 3,600 years old, counted among the oldest preserved cheese specimens in human history. This find shows that dairy processing in this ancient society was already quite advanced.

Location: Ruoqiang County

GPS coordinates: 40.33620,88.67154

Latest update: December 8, 2025 19:57