To surmount the dry heat and miles of sand, Turpan, perhaps, was the most challenging part of the Journey to the West for traders and travellers in the Silk Road. Even we only stayed there for one entire day, we could already feel our sweat drizzling and our longing craving for a set of juicy grapes. Outside this city lies an impregnable mountain range blanketed by perpetual snow, with Tianshan that separates the northern and southern part of Xinjiang. Monkey King and monk Xuanzang should be proud of themselves for how much they endured and what they had achieved.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://bauhiniahk2014.wordpress.com/2021/09/10/turpan-%e5%90%90%e9%ad%af%e7%95%aa-chinas-flaming-furnace/