First Impressions of the Strange City: An Amazing Discovery. This city, named Tekes, is located in the Yili region of Xinjiang, China. Due to its unique arrangement of buildings, this place is famous for mysterious rumors that intrigue many visitors.
Tekes is a wealthy city situated on the beautiful upper reaches of the Yili River. Surrounding this city are many valleys and sprawling green prairies. The residents of Yili primarily live concentrated in the city’s octagonal center.
From an aerial view, visitors will notice that all roads radiate from the Bagua Square in the middle. Therefore, even for first-time visitors who may get lost, there’s no need to worry too much, as they will eventually find their way back to the square.
Bagua Square features a 50-meter tall tower at the center of the city, from which eight roads extend outward like “rays of light” in a Bagua diagram. Thus, if given the chance, visitors should stay overnight in Tekes to witness how the city transforms into a mystical sight when lit up at night.
Tekes is considered the largest Bagua city in the world, covering an area of 4 km2. Beginning from the center, each main street is approximately 1200 meters long. There are eight roads spaced 360 meters apart from the main belt.
The buildings in this city are not very tall, but they are well-planned, with most being of similar height. The first belt is a large square, while the second and third belts mainly consist of shops and public service buildings. From the third belt onward is where the residents live.
In addition to its unique planning, this city has another special feature: there are no traffic lights at intersections. Tekes has a maze-like layout, with parallel roads that can make locating specific destinations inconvenient.
However, this place has never experienced traffic jams or congestion due to the absence of traffic lights. If you have the opportunity, be sure to visit this intriguing city.
Who Designed It? Kou Zongjun (1879-1949), originally from Shenyang, Liaoning Province, is believed to be the designer of the Bagua city. He was initially a primary school teacher. In 1918, he abandoned his teaching career to take on a significant role in the government. After leaving Shenyang, Kou Zongjun moved to Xinjiang, where he began planning and constructing the city in 1937. Kou Zongjun personally oversaw the planning, design, and construction of the Bagua city of Tekes. The Philosophy of I Ching The Bagua city of Tekes is said to be built according to the philosophy of the I Ching. Kou Zongjun personally selected the land and completed the planning and design based on the Bagua diagram from the I Ching. The Bagua city has a nearly circular shape, with a square park at its center. Eight main roads radiate from the center in all directions. Four ring roads encircle the center, forming three concentric circles spaced 350 meters apart, with the outer rings containing 8 and 16 streets (inspired by the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching). |
