"Here at Tourist Culture Square in Turpan, the 17th Annual Grape Festival is underway. This year's theme is "Going with the Olympics --Entering Mysterious Turpan".

At the opening ceremony, the song and dance with national flavors, the folklore performance themed with famous scenic spots in Turpan as well as Mexirap performance feast the eye of tourists.Some visitors here have just come back from Beijing Olympic Games.They join in the happy Mexirap and celebrate the grape harvest with the local residents.

Chi Chongqing, Party Secretary, XJ Tourism Administration
"This session of grape festival gives priority to culture to attract the visitors relying on tourism, it is so inviting with profound culture."

"urpan is honored in China as the home of the grape, and the area has thousands of years of grape planting history. Here at a spot designated for grape tasting, we find more than 60 varieties of grapes participating in the competition."

Tourist From Harbin
" I have been to this place for over 20 times.I like the seedless grape very much and I have also tasted some new strains of grapes.  "

During the festival, the Kumtag grand performance and the 5th International Sand Carving Festival will also be held here, together with other activities to show the unique landscape and culture of Turpan on the ancient silk road.

The Turpan Silk Road Grape Festival has been successfully held for 16 years from 1990, aiming to mark the opening of silk road for 2100 years. The Grape Festival has promoted the rapid development of the local economy and tourism.

Turpan Prefecture received more than 594-thousand tourists in the first half of 2008, generating 113 million yuan in revenues.