kanas river – milky way, originally uploaded by Xuan Rosemaninovich.

This region is the Four Corners of Asia – where China, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan all meet within 20 miles. It is one of farthest, most inaccessible frontiers of China (takes five hours plane + 18 hours bus from Beijing), yet it is also proudly unique in many ways. Part of the Siberia ecosystem, the nature is pristinely preserved, and is one of the few places in China you can still enjoy a walk in the primary forest. The Kanas River, as shown here, merges downstream into the Irtysh River, and eventually the great Ob, is also the only river system in China that flows into the Arctic Ocean.