A Guide to the Blue Hour and Culinary Delights in Hot Spring County

Hot Spring County Blue Hour Guide and Food Experience

I just got back to Urumqi last night, and the one thing stuck in my mind is: the blue hour at Hot Spring County was just awesome! No filters on the photos, p1-p3 are straight out of the camera next to Lianhua Pool hot spring, and honestly, any random shot looks like it came with a film preset. Here’s a recap of my two-day, one-night trip, totally casual—just copy this if you want!

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Lianhua Pool Hot Spring: 0 Yuan for Swans + Blue Hour

Best Time: 17:00-20:00
I arrived around 5 PM, and the sunset was totally blocked by the mountains behind, so the sunset itself was nothing special (don’t get your hopes up). But 20 minutes after sunset, the blue hour kicked in like a switch; the mountains turned a purple-blue hue, and the water was like a mirror. I was still sitting in the pool when I looked up and almost forgot to take photos.

Cost: 0 yuan, the pool is only about four or five square meters but super quiet! When I was there, it was just me and a couple.
Gear:

• Bring your own towel for drying your feet; it’ll be rough without paper towels.
• Grab a couple of small bread rolls for 2 yuan at the supermarket to feed the swans. These 🦢 have great appetites, totally not picky like the ones at Selimu Lake; once you tear off a piece of bread, they’ll circle around you.

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Two Big Meals

1. Chao Pai Little Knife Meat Pilaf Restaurant 📍Main Road of Hot Spring County

• Iron Pot Braised Chicken (¥128/pot): Just right for four people, but the two of us were totally stuffed. The chicken was super tender, and the naan around the edge soaked up the juices, but it was greasy, so I recommend pairing it with Uusu beer to cut the heaviness.
• Just search the restaurant name for directions; there’s parking right outside.

2. Nur Beef Noodle 📍Open 24 Hours

We originally planned to head out to赛湖 at 4 AM the next day, but ended up discovering this gem instead.

• The broth tastes heavily of chicken fat, but it’s satisfying without making your mouth dry. You can get an extra serving of noodles for free.
• I got a small bowl for ¥15, added beef for ¥10, and honestly, it felt way better than the braised chicken.

Pro tip: At 11 PM, the place was full of drivers just getting off night shifts. Watching them inhale their food was wilder than any eating show!

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Hotel Experience

We had originally planned to stay at Wanxin Zhige but didn’t book ahead—major rookie mistake. When I called, they said there was a burst pipe, so the whole area (Pattaya, Shengquan Resort) was out of hot springs.
We ended up at Shengyuan Mountain Hotel for ¥380.

• The room was clean but pretty basic, and the hot spring water had no sulfur smell, so it wasn’t great.
• The front desk girl casually revealed that Wanxin Zhige is the only true hot spring without added tap water, and the water is directly at 60°+, no cooling system. The staff pre-fills the pool, and you have to wait two hours for it to cool down.
  Conclusion: Book Wanxin ahead of time! Add them on WeChat to lock in a room.

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Straightforward Two-Day, One-Night Itinerary

Time	Stop	Notes
D1 10:00	Depart from Bole or Yining	Take the highway straight to the north gate of赛湖
11:00-15:00	First half of Selimu Lake	Enter from the north gate → Ding Jiang Terrace → Kele Yongzhu, bring whole wheat bread for the swans; they only recognize that flavor; there’s a regular little fox NPC at the intersection, toss it a yolk, it’ll definitely eat it
15:30	Head straight to Hot Spring County (40 minutes)	Buy 2 bags of bread and 1 towel for drying feet along the way
17:00-20:00	Lianhua Pool Hot Spring + Blue Hour	Stay ’til your fingers wrinkle, then head out
20:30	Chao Pai Braised Chicken for dinner	If you don’t have enough people, get takeout for midnight snack
23:00	Nur Beef Noodle for a late-night soup	Noodle + beef combo before crashing
D2 4:30	Check out and rush to赛湖 north gate	Go left on the lake road, don’t head to the south gate! Left side is less crowded and darker scenery; sunrise will explode in the center of the lake

Fuel + tolls for the whole trip were under ¥200, remember to refill when your tank is half full; there are no gas stations in the mountains.

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One-liner takeaway

The blue hour in Hot Spring County is like a cheat code, doesn’t cost a dime, and leaves your skin glowing. Friends helping out, don’t forget towels and whole wheat bread, and if you miss out on Wanxin, just settle for Shengyuan Mountain. Don't be like me, only to get reality checked at the front desk.

(The End)