Shihezi
Shihezi is a sub-prefecture-level city in Northern Xinjiang, China.
It has a population of 380,130 according to the 2010 census. The city is also home to Shihezi University, the second-largest comprehensive university under the Project 211 in Xinjiang.
Getting to Shihezi
Take the train west from Urumqi, it runs every 20min from about 8am to 10pm at night, you can pay from ¥30-36, but there is no real speed difference, mostly its just how much leg room you want on the bus. It takes from 2.5 to 3 hours depending on traffic. There is now also a train line, fast train (a little over 2 hours) is ¥24 for a hard seat, slow train (about 3 hours) is ¥12 but they leave far less frequently.
Worth seeing
Peoples square at night, mountains behind the city rise to 16,000 feet. Mushroom lake
Things to do
Visit the university and the medical college, look for English students to talk to.
Where to eat
The finest watermelon in Xinjiang.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.