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Saturday, June 24, 2017, 17:45
Pushing the limit
By China Daily
Saturday, June 24, 2017, 17:45 By China Daily

The 5,500-kilometer Taklimakan Rally is the longest annual off-road endurance race in Asia.

They came from far and wide in pursuit of adventure, and the competitors in the annual 5,500-kilometer Taklimakan Rally got that and a lot more, the least of which was the exquisite beauty of the ever-changing landscape of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The route for the rally, held over 13 days from June 10, stretches from the region's north to the south, taking in the Taklimakan Desert, the Tianshan Mountain, the oasis of the Junggar Basin with its abundant rain, and the Altai Mountains. First held in 2005, the rally is the longest annual off-road endurance race in Asia. The Taklimakan area covers 330,000 square kilometers and temperatures there can reach 67 C with a 40 C day and night temperature difference.

A car overturns in the sand on June 18 during the seventh stage of the rally in Kumtag Desert, Shanshan county, Xinjiang. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

During the 374-km gravel road, the fourth stage of the rally, Liu Kun and Fang Ming from China head all the way. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

Zhou He drives a motorcycle through waterway on June 11. Slippery road and foggy weather made the race more challenging. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

Su Haotian drives his car across a quagmire on June 11. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

Armand Hernandez from Spain drives through the Populus euphratica shrubs. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

French contestant Pascal Thomas's windowpane was damaged on June 11. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)

The rally concludes in a typical Yadan landform on June 20. (Photo by Jiang Wenyao / Xinhua)


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