This image was photographed in Kumtag Desert in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. This desert of 1880 square km is part of the Taklamakan Desert. In folk etymology, Taklamakan Desert said to mean "place of no return" or "once you get in, you'll never get out", depicting its harsh and extreme environment. In early Tang dynasty in 7th century, Xuanzang, the Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India for cultural exchange between Chinese and Indian Buddhism, passed through Kumtag Desert on the way to/from India. His story has inspired the famous novel "Journey to the West" written about 900 years later. #visitchina #visitchinatoday #scape_captures #earthescope #earthofficial #epic_captures #unescoworldheritage #ig_landscape #ig_shotz #landscape_photography #landscapelover #landscapephoto #lanscapephotography #natgeo #natgeoadventure #natgeohub #natgeomyshot #natgeotravelpic #natgeoyourshot #ourplanetdaily #unesco #splendid_earth #unescoworldheritagesite #southernchinaairlines #airchina #easternchinaairlines #hainanairlines #xinjiang #dessertphotography #bactriancamel