Yona Photo

In winter, the herdsmen usually tend their cattle on the plain and in the desert; in spring they move to the mountain slopes; in summer, they go higher to the alpine meadows; and in autumn, they return to the lowlands.

The Ili Grassland lies in a fold of the Mt. Tianshan, one of the largest mountain ranges in Asia.

Between the plain and the mountains are scattered barren desert, grassland, meadow, bush and forest areas.

The Ili Grassland boasts fertile soil and a mild, humid climate, with more rainfall in the mountains than in the river valley.

The Kazakh is an ancient breed of horse believed to be a descendant of the Asiatic Wild Horse and originating in Kazakhstan of the former USSR. They are used mainly as a riding horse, and are known for their hardiness and stamina.

The Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture is west of Mongolia, south of Russia and east of Kazakhstan.

Unlike the grasslands in Inner Mongolia, their counterparts in Xinjiang are located at high altitudes, either on mountain plateaus or slopes, or at the foot of the mountains, neighboring large woods and deep valleys.

Sayram Lake or Swan Lake (Chinese: 塞里木湖; pinyin: Sàilǐmù hú) is located in the Bortala Prefecture near the Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang, China. In the Kazakh language Sayram means ‘blessing’.