Red Hill, also known as Tiger Head Hill or Tiger Head Peak, is considered a symbol of Urumqi, owing to its uniqueness; it is located at the heart of the city and the mountain peak stands 1391 meters above sea level.
When the sunlight hits the hills of Hongshan, the rocks of the mountain reflected a bright red color, so that people call it Hongshan ("Red Mountain"). It is 1.5 kilometers long, one kilometer wide and 1 km wide from east to west with an altitude of 910 meters above sea level. On the opposite side less than 1 km away from the Red Hill is Yamalik Hill.
There used to be a number of historical sites on the hill. As early as the time of the nomadic Oyrat Tribe, an "Ebo" was built at the top of the hill; "Ebo" is the name for a kind of cairn used by the tribesmen to worship and offer sacrifice to their gods.
The park is a pleasant place to visit. You can see it for the first time since the moment you enter this modern city, Urumqi. The view from the mountaintop of the surrounding mountains and breathtaking climb worthwhile.
Red Hill is a symbol of Urumqi, it is called as "the eyes of Urumqi ". The body of the mountain is made up of aborigine rock.
Legend has it that in the past, an evil dragon that fled was captured by the Heavenly Queen Mother of Heaven West in this area for causing damage to the city.
The Queen Mother sliced the dragon in two with her sword. Then, each part of the dragon became one of the hills while the sword became the Urumqi River. Now the legendary Red Hill is a park opened to locals and visitors. Visitors can look out over Urumqi from the top of the hill.
After many years of development, the Red Hill has become “Red Hill Park” whose view is very beautiful. It has a legend that in 1785 and 1786 the city suffered from severe rive flood, caused, it was supposed, by a vicious dragon.
In 1788, Shang An, the governor of Urumqi, had two pagodas built at the top of each hill to suppress the dragon. Now the pagoda still remains intact. In the Qing Dynasty, Temple of the Jade Emperor and Temple of the Great Buddha; Palace of the Dipper were built at the foot of the hill. Those splendid temples used to hold Buddhist activities and attracted swarms of worshippers.
Unfortunately almost all these magnificent buildings were burnt down in wars among warlords and nothing was left except a shaky temple gate and the pagoda standing at the top of the precipitous Hong Shan Park. After 1949, people drew water up to the hill, planted more trees, and built roads at the foot of the hill.
In recent years, the Statue of Lin Zexu, a national hero of the Qing Dynasty, was established, which added to the beauty of the Red Hill. Standing in the Far-Viewing Pavilion on top of the Red Hill, and you can get a complete view of the city of Urumqi.
Today, Red Hill has been developed into the gorgeous Red Hill Park. Contemporary entertainment services and ethnic performances bring a fresh and energetic atmosphere to the park. Red Hill is mysterious and sacred. Local people regard it as a holy place and worship it regularly.