Hemu Village, Xinjiang: Sunrise, the Hundred Year Old House & Hongbasi Grassland on Your Third Day

Our third day in Hemu Village started with a 5:15am alarm for Hemu Village sunrise at Hadeng Viewing Platform, and it didn’t go to plan. This guide is the honest version: what actually happens on an overcast morning, the routing tips that only come from scoping the platform out in daylight first, plus the rest of a full day, the Hundred Year Old House, a pet reindeer, and Hongbasi Grassland’s sunset platform.

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Quick Facts: Hemu Village Sunrise (Day 3)

Chasing Hemu Village sunrise, we woke at 5:15am and reached Hadeng Viewing Platform before first light, but heavy rain the day before left it overcast. No sunrise, but the morning fog eventually broke through. Current guides say arrive by 5:30am in summer for a 6:00-6:30am sunrise, earlier than the 7-7:30am we’d guessed.

Hemu Village Sunrise: What Actually Happened

We aimed to be at Hadeng Viewing Platform by 6:30am, guessing sunrise around 7-7:30am. Current published timing says summer sunrise is actually 6:00-6:30am, with a 5:30am arrival recommended. We were later than we should have been, though it didn’t end up mattering.

Because Hemu is such a small village, it was hard to find an accurate sunrise time before we went. We left the hotel around 5:45am and walked over to Qiaotou (桥头, Qiáotóu), about a 10-minute walk on a dirt path. It was pitch black out, so our headlamps made a real difference walking through thick mist and fog.

Closer to Qiaotou there were plenty of local dogs out and about. We overheard another tourist say hotel staff had mentioned the dogs know to follow the crowd up to the platform, since they usually score snacks off tourists.

Check the signage carefully near the platform, it’s easy to take a wrong turn in the dark. The fog was so thick that most people were just following the lights of whoever was ahead of them. We’d scoped out the route the afternoon we first arrived. We knew the group in front of us had drifted onto the horse bridleway instead of the walking path. We split off toward the correct steps. About 20 people ended up following us instead.

The Quieter Viewpoint Most Visitors Miss

The main platform was packed. Since we’d already scoped it out, we knew to walk left once up there, away from the direction most people face for the village view. Keep going 10-15 minutes past a giant swing until you reach a platform near where people mount the horses. It has the best views on a clear day, of both the village and the river below. You can’t see the river from the main platform, and this spot is noticeably less crowded too.

Unfortunately it stayed overcast from the heavy rain the day before. No sunrise for us. We hoped for morning fog (晨雾, chénwù) instead, which is also meant to be lovely. By 7am the sky had brightened but the sun never broke through. We waited in the cold. Eventually the cloud cover lifted enough below to give us a glimpse of morning fog and a bit of blue sky.

If you’re heading up on a cloudy or wet day, be prepared to see nothing at all, or wait a long while for any real view. That’s the honest reality of Hemu Village sunrise-chasing: the weather decides, not the guidebooks.

Breakfast

We headed back down around 8am as breakfast service started. Same as the two days before, we took our vouchers to the restaurant two doors from the hotel. Buffet-style Chinese breakfast: congee (粥, zhōu), millet congee (小米粥, xiǎomǐ zhōu), tea eggs (茶叶蛋, cháyè dàn), steamed buns (馒头, mántou), assorted cooked vegetables, sweet potato, and corn.

The Hundred Year Old House (百年老屋)

The Hundred Year Old House sits in a fenced wooden area among guesthouses and snack shops, easy to walk past if you’re not looking for it. Entry is free, included under the main village ticket. It’s been run since 2018 by a local operator, 阿达力别克·他布斯扎肯木拉提, who displays old photographs and artifacts documenting Hemu’s changes over the decades.

After breakfast we hopped on a blue park bus to the Hundred Year Old House, in a fairly built-up commercial stretch. You need to look around a bit to spot it. It’s tucked in among guesthouses and coffee/snack shops, signed as the “Hundred Year Old House Museum.”

Inside, the history is all in Chinese, but a local told us Hemu Village today is roughly 60/40 Mongol to Kazakh. More precisely: Hemu’s core historic population are Tuvan people, administratively classified as Mongol-Tuvan, and it’s one of only three Tuvan villages left in China. Current figures put Tuvan residents closer to three-quarters of the village, with the rest mostly Kazakh.

A Pet Reindeer in the Garden

There was also an adorable reindeer hanging out in the garden outside, clearly a local pet rather than anything wild. Small numbers of reindeer are kept by local Tuvan households around Hemu, a leftover of an old taiga-herding tradition shared with Siberian Tuvan peoples. Today they’re mostly kept for the cultural connection rather than working herds.

Xinjiang Aid Bridge and the Riverside Walk

We took a bus to the Xinjiang Aid Bridge (援疆桥, Yuánjiāng Qiáo). Before reaching it, we looped through an area called the Pasture (牧场, Mùchǎng), a newly built commercial area. Not much to see there beyond some reindeer in a fenced enclosure.

From there we walked across the bridge and along the Riverside Walkway (河滨步道, Hébīn Bùdào) back toward Hemu Bridge near Qiaotou.

Midday Break, Then Mixue Drinks

Given the early start, we took a break back at the hotel to recover. It gets properly hot during the day, around 30 to 38 degrees, dry heat like back home in Australia. Sunset’s been around 9:40pm this whole stretch, so we’ve been out late most nights.

We grabbed 26 CNY (4 USD) of drinks for the three of us at Mixue (蜜雪, Mìxuě) in Food Street (美食街, Měishí Jiē), just before heading to Hongbasi Grassland.

Hongbasi Grassland: The Sunset Platform Wasn’t Ready

Hongbasi Grassland’s mountain backdrop makes the stop worthwhile, but its Sunset Viewing Platform was still under construction when we visited, despite several 2026 travel guides describing it as ready to visit. Trust what you see on the ground over what’s published online.

Once it cooled down around 3pm, we headed to Hongbasi Grassland (洪巴斯草原, Hóngbāsī Cǎoyuán), at the end of Food Street. The grassland itself was fine, nothing amazing, but the mountain backdrop made it worth the stop. We walked up toward the Sunset Viewing Platform (日落观景台, Rìluò Guānjǐngtái). It’s still under construction, no actual platform there yet.

Based on what we could see, the sunset view won’t be that special once it opens either. The mountains block the horizon, the same issue as sunrise here. The sun comes up (or in this case, would set) from behind the mountains. By the time you’d see it, it’s already a blazing ball of light rather than a soft glow.

The Eastern Hadeng Viewing Platform Walkway

We took the bus back to Qiaotou and walked from Hemu Bridge to the Xinjiang Aid Bridge again. This time we went along the opposite side of the river, heading east. Near the bridge we spotted the same local boy from the morning with his reindeer, letting them graze freely in the forest.

From the Xinjiang Aid Bridge you can walk toward the eastern end of the Hadeng Viewing Platform Walkway (哈登观景台步道, Hādēng Guānjǐngtái Bùdào). Compared to the western approach near Qiaotou, the scenery here is far better and partially shaded. We kept walking further along, almost completely empty and quiet. Wooden rest pavilions along the way are perfect for lying down and enjoying the breeze. We didn’t stick around for sunset, turning back once we reached the far end.

Dinner: Hotpot at Xiaolongkan, Again

We went back to the same 小龙坎火锅 branch as the two nights before, close by and reliable after a long day. We used a Meituan voucher for a small discount, bringing the total to 327 CNY (46 USD).

Costs: Day 3 in Hemu Village Tally

Accommodation here closes out the three-night stay at 兰溪酒店 (Lánxī Jiǔdiàn) that started on our first day in Hemu.

Hemu Village Sunrise FAQ

What time is Hemu Village sunrise in summer?

Around 6:00-6:30am in mid-August, though this shifts by season. Current guides recommend arriving at Hadeng Viewing Platform by 5:30am to catch the morning fog before the light window closes. We guessed 7-7:30am and arrived a little late as a result, though it didn’t matter on our overcast morning.

Is Hadeng Viewing Platform a good spot even if you miss sunrise?

Yes. Walk left once you’re up there (away from the main village view) for about 10-15 minutes, past a giant swing, to a quieter platform near where horses are mounted. It has better views of the village and the river. There are far fewer people too, regardless of whether the sun actually shows.

Was Hemu Village settled by Mongol or Kazakh people?

A local told us it’s roughly 60/40 Mongol to Kazakh today. More precisely, Hemu’s historic population are Tuvan people, administratively classified as Mongol-Tuvan, and it’s one of only three Tuvan villages in China. Current figures put Tuvan residents at closer to three-quarters of the village.

Is the Hongbasi Grassland sunset platform open?

Not as of our visit in August 2026, despite several published guides describing it as ready to visit. It was still under construction on the ground. Confirm current status locally before planning a sunset trip around it.

Are the reindeer near Hemu Village wild?

No. Small numbers are kept by local Tuvan households as pets, a leftover of an old taiga-herding tradition. We saw the same reindeer and its handler twice in one day. That’s consistent with a small, known local arrangement rather than a wild sighting.

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