One of the wonders of the world, the fire has been burning for 50 years and has not been extinguished, which is locally called 'Hell's Fire'

Turkmenistan, the second largest Central Asian country after Kazakhstan, declared independence on October 27, 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. On January 6, 1992, Turkmenistan and China established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level. In 1995, it became a permanent neutral country with the consent of the 50th United Nations General Assembly.

It is not easy to become a permanent neutral country. Not only does it require affirmation and commitment from other countries, but it cannot participate in any form of military or political group. It also needs to be strong enough, or at least self-sufficient. At present, there are more than 200 countries in the world, only 7 countries have become permanent neutral countries, namely: Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Costa Rica and Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan is the youngest permanently neutral state, but their vision is not small: the priority of its national plan is to reach the level of the developed world and ensure a high standard of living for its inhabitants.

However, in the minds of many people, there is a very interesting concept: "Retreat does not lock the country"

The so-called retreat means that it is very difficult to travel here. At present, the reason why many countries play tourism brands is very simple, which is to attract foreign tourists to spend and earn foreign exchange. However, Turkmenistan is not short of money. On August 1, 2017, Turkmenistan announced a decision: from that date, foreign citizens and stateless persons living in hotels and private residences in Turkmenistan will pay a tourist tax of $2 per day.

Tourist tax is a very new term. This is to tell you not to do any walking tours here, in-depth tours or something.

Also, while foreigners are harsh here, Turkmenistan is very relaxed about its own tourism. According to local labor laws, each unit has the right to decide the number of working days per week according to its own situation. With a vacation, you can travel.

The so-called not locking the country is the policy of the people to open up to the outside world. Although Turkmenistan does not allow foreign tourists to enter at will, it does not refuse to do business with foreign countries

Turkmenistan is rich in resources, with natural gas reserves reaching 22.8 trillion cubic meters, ranking third in the world, after the Middle East and Russia. Oil and gas exports are the backbone of Turkmenistan's national economy. Turkmenistan has a very developed textile industry and high-grade products. 90% of its products are sold to developed countries such as the United States, France and Germany.

For this "closed country" place, Chinese tourists are flocking here because there is a "gate to hell"

Hell's Gate is a scenic spot. 80% of Turkmenistan's land is covered by the Karakum Desert. The gate of hell is located near the southern town of Davaza. In the vast desert, the dark night, from a distance, there is a striking fire. This is the gate of hell

The fire started in 1971. At that time, the Soviet geological exploration team discovered abundant natural gas here. During the construction process, the drilling equipment suddenly collapsed, and a large pit with a diameter of more than 70 meters appeared under the residual frame, and the odor drifted. To prevent an accident, the exploration team lit a fire. Surprisingly, it hasn't gone out so far. Hence, it has become a place to be explored by travel lovers.