On January 23, a Sino-Japanese expedition set out on camelback
and foot on an attempt to cross the Taklamakan Desert from west to
east along the 39th parallel. As the crow flies, the trip is 846
kilometers; on foot it was closer to 1,500. The trek took 73 days,
with supplies being replenished four times.
The team comprised 29 members. The 14 from Japan included 11
elderly adventurers and three reporters from NHK TV. The oldest
trekker in the group was 78 and the youngest, 54. The Chinese side
had 5 regular members and 10 camel handlers. With no tour guide,
the team used GPS to determine their location and kept in touch
with the outside world by satellite telephone.
At Daliyaboyi, near Hotan, and the desert highway of Tazhong,
three of the Japanese members withdrew owing to illness or
business. The NHK reporters and two of the Chinese members also
withdrew because of official business.
The expedition was organized by the Xinjiang International
Travel Service, a subsidiary of the China Youth Travel Agency, and
the Japanese Expedition Association.
Zheng Hui, manager of Xinjiang International Travel, said that
crossing the Taklamakan Desert was a great challenge and the
expedition unprecedented. The successful crossing was not only a
challenge to the trekkers in extreme natural? conditions, but
also an opportunity for Xinjiang to explore desert expedition
tourism.
Located in the center of Xinjiang's Tarim Basin, the Taklamakan
Desert runs 1,000 kilometers from east to west and 400 kilometers
from south to north. Its total area is 337,600 square kilometers,
making it second in size only to the Sahara in Africa. In the Uygur
language, "taklamakan" means "get in without coming out," so the
desert is often known as the "Sea of Death."
Near the end of the 19th century, European explorers broke the
first trail across the Taklamakan Desert along the 39th parallel.
In the 1990s, Sino-British and Sino-US teams crossed the
less-challenging southern edge of the desert.
(China.org.cn Wang Qian April 6, 2004)