Niúquānzi

Niuquanzi lies in the bleak country of the Mazong Mountains, north of the Hexi Corridor. Low hills flank a broad basin of gravel and sand, with dry gullies crossing the desert floor. The surrounding ranges stretch toward the Mongolian frontier and the eastern edge of the Lop Nur depression. Vegetation is sparse and distances are great, although scattered springs and patches of grass break the long stretches of exposed ground in the wider mountain region.