In 1993, I visted Turpan in Xinjiang and saw the exit of one of the many qanats there. Turpan is in a depression that is more than 100 meters below sealevel. Th

In 1993, I visted Turpan in Xinjiang and saw the exit of one of the many qanats there. Turpan is in a depression that is more than 100 meters below sealevel. The depression is rather flat, so you barely notice that you are that low. It is also a rather dry place with about 15mm of rainfall per year and very cold winters and very hot in the summer. Not so strange, as it is very far from any ocean. Turpan is famous for its grapes. During the summer they let grapes grow over streets and path ways to benefit from the shadow.