Tuva Village is located in the area of Kanasi Lakedeep in the Altai Mountains of Burqin County，Xinjiang.The narrow canyon between two peaks isjust big enough for 80-some dwellings.The Tuva peoplehave made their living from raising sheep and cattle andhunting for many generations.Deep in the dense forest，they seldom have contact with the outside world andhave clung to their traditional lifestyle.Since the famousscenic spot of Kanasi Lake northwest of the village wasopened up to tourists，people have been gradually learningabout this tranquil and beautiful village.
The Tuva people are herders who belong to one of the oldest ethnic minorities in northern China.The total currentTuva population of Kanasi Village and the neighboringHemu Village is a little over 2，900.The Tuva language，which belongs to the family of Turkic languages，is oneof the rarest currently used languages in China，thoughMongolian has become more common in schools for Tuvapeople.The Tuva people believe in Tibetan Buddhismand most still believe in shamanism.They customarilycelebrate the traditional Mongolian holiday of Aobao，aswell as the local Zoulu（Beginning of Winter）festival andthe Han Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival.
The Tuva language does not have a written form andtherefore has left no written history and local records sayvery little about them.A common local opinion holds thatthey are descendants of people Ghengis Khan left behindon his westward march.Looking at the modern Tuvapeople，it can be seen that they physically resemble Mongolianpeople，and that their clothing，accessories anddaily habits are basically the same as well.In terms of religious belief，the Tuva and Mongolians both currentlybelieve in Lamaism and both have retained some customsfrom shamanism.The great majority of Tuva peoplebelieve they are connected to Ghengis Khan and all Tuvahomes display his picture.
The dwellings of the Tuva people are unusual.Theyare all made of wood and a single color.In addition，becausethe small wooden cabins are all perfectly lined up，it gives the village a very neat and orderly look.Moreover，the houses are all surrounded by picket fences makingthe village strongly resemble a village in northernEurope.Behind the Tuva village stands Friendship Peakon the Sino-Russian border with its snowy peaks.The villagearises every day at the crack of dawn，and the rays ofthe sun turn the forests of white birch trees on the slopesto gold while the cattle and sheep casually mill about，making a fascinating scene.Wooden bridges，runningwater，villages，white birch，cattle ship constitute the mostbeautiful scene here.
The Kanasi Tuva Village and Kanasi Lake complementeach other.The area is surrounded by verdant mountainsand limpid streams，and the beautiful environment is aunique attraction of the scenes of humanity and ethniccharacter of the Kanasi tourist region.Tourists comingfrom afar can not only appreciate the exotic beauty of thenatural scenery，but also visit the natives of the village ofthe Tuva people and learn about the unique folk customsof the Tuva.The Tuva often say of the area that it has“seven months of winter and five months of summer.”
Winter snow cuts off the village from the outside andthey often fill their days drinking.Someone once took asurvey that indicated the people of the village consume45 tons of alcohol during the winter.
