The Duku Highway in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, deemed the country's most beautiful scenic road, is welcoming a growing number of visitors from around the world who are coming here for the breathtaking views along the route.
The 561-km road, connecting Dushanzi in the north of Xinjiang and Kuqa City in the south, runs through glaciers, forests, grasslands, and wind-eroded desert landforms known as yardangs.
The journey through the heart of Xinjiang's landscapes promises a unique and unforgettable experience of all four seasons in just one day, making it a must-visit for road trip enthusiasts.
Among the most prominent tourist attractions are the striking, surreal, red-colored yardangs formed by crustal movement and wind erosion over millions of years in arid or semi-arid regions creating the shapes of ridges, hills or castles.
For many tourists, this showcase of nature's beauty offers a perfect backdrop for taking pictures.
"A turn on the road revealed us these rolling red landforms. They are truly spectacular -- a masterpiece of nature's craftsmanship," a Chinese tourist said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
To ensure visitors can fully enjoy the landforms, either with a panoramic view or a more immersive experience, the scenic area offers both sightseeing vehicle tours and slow camel rides.
Andrew Hank, a tourist from Chile, told CCTV that he had explored many of Xinjiang’s landscapes in less than three days and looked forward to taking in other types of natural scenery.
"I saw not only the red landforms, but also the rivers and vast plains. It has been such a wonderful experience that I found myself deeply in awe of these amazing views. There are so many landscapes for me to appreciate and savor. This is only my third day in Xinjiang and we still have 20 days left for our trip here. I think the surprises will keep coming for us every day, and it will be a marvelous, fantastic, and spectacular experience," he said.
Half of the Duku Highway runs at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, with one-third of it running along steep cliffs and the entire route traversing four snow-covered mountain passes and crossing 10 rivers. The highway usually only opens fully between June and October every year, with traffic controls in place during winter snowfalls and icy temperatures.
Tourists flock to scenic highway in Xinjiang as travel season begins
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
