I crossed the border from Kazakhstan to China via Khorgos four days ago.
I took the bus from Almaty (Sayran station) to Yining. I bought my ticket at the station two days before, 12,000 Tenge. Departure at 7 a.m., crossing the border around 12 p.m., arriving in Yining around 8:30 p.m. There's definitely two bus companies and I think the other one has departures at 8:00 and 10:30. In any case take snacks with you!
I chose to sleep two nights in Yining not to rush, but I think it's possible to catch a night train to Urumqi the same day. The Almaty/Urumqi train has still not resumed since COVID.
On the Kazak side it was very easy, passport check and baggage scan. On the Chinese side, you fill out a Health Declaration at the terminals upon arrival. For me it was done on automatic screens where you just scan your passport, I didn't need to use my phone. Also an Arrival Card to fill out. For address and telephone number I put those of my hotel in Yining and it worked. About ten minutes of questions at passport check (What's your job? Why are you unemployed now? How long do you want to stay? What cities will you visit? etc. so be ready to answer a few questions about your itinerary even if it means lying a little, do not say that you'll be staying a while in Xinjiang), fingerprints taken. Rechecked the bags and it was good. No bag or phone searches. Note that most of the staff speak at least a little English, but just in case I advise you to download Chinese as a language on Google trad, so if necessary you can do translation even offline.
We got out of the bus with the bags the first time on the Kazak side, then we got back in, then we came out again on the Chinese side, then we got back up for the rest of the journey to Yining. There are passengers from other buses passing at the same time, so try and remember what the bus looks like, and then the faces of some passengers on your bus
In Yining I stayed at Stop Youth hostel which you can book on Trip, they accept foreigners. Also to note that I've had zero police checks since I've entered the country.
Keep in mind that getting a SIM card in Xinjiang is very challenging. Without internet you won't be able to use WeChat or Alipay not order Didi taxis. It's not impossible to survive without this but it will make your life more difficult, so either be patient and try and get a SIM in Xinjiang (you'll need to translate your passport in Chinese), or have a foreign SIM card that allows cheap roaming in China.
Top tip if some reason you cannot link your bank card to Alipay/WeChat or payment doesn't always work, you can create a virtual bank card with the Shanghai bank by looking for the "Tour Card" mini app on Alipay. You then just have to top up that card and link it to your accounts, works great for me. Also if you have Android, download the Gaode Map/Amap app, it's in Chinese but it has lots of details and includes public transport. And remember to download and install a VPN before you go, Astrill is the one recommend by all expats.
Happy travels !
. Then a big bus left around 18:00 and arrived at the border around 19:00. It took us forever to pass the border but eventually we did it. Then still with the two babushkas and two other women we paid for a minibus directly to Urumqui (there are plenty awaiting at the end off the border process, below the huge gate). With the minibus we left at 21:30 and arrive at 6:00 at the hotel.