Kunyu
An oasis city below the northern slopes of the Karakoram on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, its farms scattered among the oases of Hotan.
A place shaped through time
Kunyu lies at the northern foot of the Karakoram on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin, covering about 1,780 square kilometres, and its farming and herding settlements are surrounded by the oases of Hotan Prefecture. Meltwater from the Kunlun gathers into rivers that run north into the basin and water a string of oases along the desert's southern rim. The climate is extremely dry, with hot summers, cold winters and frequent spring sandstorms. Its towns are scattered among the oases of Pishan, Moyu and Yutian counties. The belt of oases between the mountain foothills and the sand is what all of its fields and settlements depend on.