Paotai (Chinese: 炮台镇; pinyin: Pàotái Zhèn) is an unincorporated town (非建制镇) located in Shawan County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, it is known for the seat of 121st Regiment headquarters of the 8th Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The town is 213 km away from Urumqi in the east, 78 km from Shihezi in the southeast, 110 km from Karamay in the northwest, and 120 km from Kuitun in the southwest. The county-level road of Guxin Line (县道古新线) and the Keyu Expressway (克榆高速公路, Karamay - Yushugou) cross the territory, and connected with contact line, its traffic is very convenient.[1]
The territory of the town is also the area of reclaimed land for the 121st Regiment. It has an area of 704.74 square kilometers with a population of 38,320 (as of 2010 census[2]). The name of Paotai (炮台) was the homophonic Chinese word of "bortai" (博克泰) from the Mongolian language, meaning land with deers (有鹿的地方). The town was named for the first time in 1982 census.[3]