Tangbula Grassland

Tangbula Grassland is located in Nilka County of the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture. Archaeological and historical records indicate that nomadic tribes, including the Wusun, Xiongnu, and later Turkic and Kazakh peoples, grazed their herds here for centuries. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Tangbula was part of the frontier territory through which envoys and caravans passed along branches of the ancient Silk Road, linking Central Asia with China’s western regions. In the Tang and Yuan periods, the area became a strategic pastureland used by imperial administrations to supply horses for frontier garrisons. Horses still thrive here, no longer carrying soldiers clad in iron, but laughing children as an extra source of revenue for local animal farmers.