Xinjiang Province: News & Discussions

[AndrewJin]

Looks pristine and wild.

At the first opportunity, I wish to visit, either. But first, XiZhang (Tibet).

Take a train from Beijing/Shanghai/Xi'an/Lanzhou/Xining to Lhasa!
Don't forget take a train from Lhasa to Shigatse, but when coming back to Lhasa from Shigatse, rent a car to the scared lake of 羊卓雍错 & glacier of 卡若拉。

 

[B+ Dracula]

Hopefully you will have a chance to see at least some of these majestic mountains, bro:

Multiple mountain ranges cut through or border Xinjiang including the TianShan, Kunlun and Pamir among others.

TianShan Range (新疆天山)


When flying in and out of Urumqi, it’s the TianShan range that you’ll see out your window. The Tian Shan, which slices through the middle of Xinjiang, was named to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2013.

Pamir Mountains (帕米尔)


The Pamir Mountains, located on the western edge of Xinjiang near the city of Kashgar, are a stunning backdrop to places like Tashkorgan’s Stone Fort, which you see above.

Karakoram Mountains (喀喇昆仑山脉)


For anybody who has traveled along the famous Karakoram Highway, you know just how incredible the Karakoram Mountains are. The Karakoram range is home to K2, the second highest peak in the world and it also has the highest concentration of 8,000m+ peaks in the world.

Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山)


The Kunlun Mountains are the range that runs the border between Xinjiang and Tibet. You’re likely to see this range if you ever have the chance to travel the Tibet-Xinjiang highway, the highest paved road in the world.

Flaming Mountains (火焰山)


Barely high enough to be classified a “hill”, Turpan’s Flaming Mountains are still impressive none-the-less for their unique display of color and design. If you’re brave enough, you can even participate in a half-marathon race across the Flaming Mountains.

Iam hiker, I done most of Hiking in Islamabad trails (visited other areas too).....I do it for fun with NO intention to take that skill to Professional level.......I know how much iam attracted towards those Master God Creation.....Mountains are PEG of the World....I always get attracted towards it....keep it on

 

[AndrewJin]

Share some picture of the Kanas Monster!
Kanas Lake Monsters | Wondermondo

I guess they were hiding under the ice when I visited them!

Xinjiang is very diverse, there are more than ten ethnic groups living in different prefectures of Xinjiang.

 

[aks18]

i am planning this trip for 2016 you guys making me double mind now

most interesting thing is Bus fare is just 30 dollars to go china on bus from sost dry port

 

[AndrewJin]

i am planning this trip for 2016 you guys making me double mind now

Bro, why not have a journey along Silk Road from the ancient capital of Xi'an where u can try a variety of Muslin food in the Muslin quarter, and then take a train to Xining where u can ride around Qinghai Lake, take the newly built HSR through Hexi Corridor, stop in Dunhuang for the World UNESCO heritage site Mogao Cave, at last enjoy the mighty snowy in mountains and Kanas Natural Reserve in Northern Xinjiang!
My Adventures Across China | Page 13

Dunhuang, Silk Road

 

[aks18]

Bro, why not have a journey along Silk Road from the ancient capital of Xi'an where u can try a variety of Muslin food in the Muslin quarter, and then take a train to Xining where u can ride around Qinghai Lake, take the newly built HSR through Hexi Corridor, stop in Dunhuang for the World UNESCO heritage site Mogao Cave, at last enjoy the mighty snowy in mountains and Kanas Natural Reserve in Northern Xinjiang!
My Adventures Across China | Page 13

Dunhuang, Silk Road
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i have traveled till Pak china border khunjrab pass on Karakoram Highway .. it will be real fun to visit china by bus and then take on to railways and other transport service to see rest of places now i am working on this plan with more dedication now

before i was planning till Urumqi city then to take railway to visit rest of china kindly if any one here could give a brief plan of visiting china by road from pakistan side it will be highly appreciated

 

[TaiShang]

Surviving Turpan’s 29km Death Race
October 8, 2014 |

On September 21st, 2014, three hundred runners gathered in Turpan, Xinjiang to take part in the Sixth Annual International Cross Country Desert Challenge. Stretching up to 29 kilometers, the race took participants through Turpan’s Flaming Mountains, a series of fiery colored hills with rugged terrain, sharp rocks, deep caverns, and wide stretches of desert.




On the morning of the race, all the runners woke up early at 5:30 local time for a final chance to load up on carbohydrates before the race. Upon entering the dining hall, a local I had met the day before said to me while juggling a couple full plates of food, “Duo chi yi dian” or eat a lot of food.

That was the mindset of all the runners as the hotel staff struggled with cooking food faster than the rate it was being consumed. When everyone had their fill, we all boarded the bus to head to the starting line.



When we arrived outside the Flaming Mountains, the area was already buzzing with energy. Runners were warming themselves up and reporters on the scene were busy trying to get a few interviews in before the beginning of the race. There was a cold wind, but the summer heat was bound to kick in as the morning drew on.

Reporters on the scene were busy trying to get a few interviews in…

A brief ceremony to commemorate the event was held where all the participants were grouped into each other’s respective country with their nation’s flags waving to represent them. The atmosphere was full of determination on part of the athletes and as I awaited the start, I began to feel the adrenaline kick in.

After the sound of the starter pistol, I made my way toward the race’s first and most intimidating obstacle, running up one of the many Flaming Mountains. At the mountain’s slope, the hike before me appeared steep and in many places appeared dangerous. One misstep could easily leave a person falling into the deep caverns alongside the trail.



As all of us Westerners were of mixed athletic abilities, the race forced us to break away from our cultural comfort zones and work together with runners of separate nationalities to press on. As I fell into the back of the pack, I was surprised to find that most of the runners I was running alongside with were not Chinese, but Central Asian. Moreover, we all interestingly used Chinese instead of English to communicate with one another.

Feeling curious about the Central Asians in the race, I asked a number of them what exactly brought them to Xinjiang. While taking a quick breather after reaching the summit of the mountain, I met Zarina, an ethnically Russian young woman from Uzbekistan. Having previously worked in Moscow with many Chinese, she came to Xinjiang to learn Mandarin for her job. For a good while, she talked to me about her positive impression of China and how she studies Chinese eight hours a day to make the progress necessary for her job in Moscow.



At one point, Zarina grew tired and wanted to walk, so I pressed on ahead leaving her behind. When I encountered another runner moments later, I greeted him and immediately took him as Chinese due to his strong fluency in Mandarin. Surprisingly, he was from Tajikistan and was also here in China to study Mandarin. He told me, “In Tajikistan, if you have strong abilities in Chinese, you can earn a lot of money.” He said his ambition is to become a translator.



Eventually,I fell behind my new Tajik friend before I could get his name. At several points, I saw him alongside the mountainside. But being a race, I am sure he had no intention to wait for me. The trail continued to curve alongside the many cliffs and caverns and it eventually led me to a deep ravine that I had to cross. Going down was easy but emerging from the ravine was strenuous.

Once I reached the top I took a seat next to another pair of Tajiks, a man and a woman, who were just as exhausted as I was. The man, whose name was Akbar, said he too was also in Xinjiang studying Chinese. When I asked him about his dream, he said, “I want to go into the mineral business with China.”

Hearing from all these Central Asian students with ambitions related to China surprised me very little. In recent years, China has poured tremendous amounts of money into Central Asia making it the region’s largest foreign investor. China is booming with opportunity and from what I gathered from the race, Central Asians are flooding to it in excitement.

After chatting for five minutes, Akbar decided to run after his racing partner who ran off after he and I started talking. While watching Akbar move further away into the distance, Zarina caught up with me along with two Chinese men from Urumqi and a foreign Kazakh student who studies at Xinjiang Normal University.



Two hours after the race began, we reached the 10K marker. Feeling that I would not make it to the 15K marker, I took this as my crown achievement of the race. We took a few victory photos together and then continued on the path leading us out of the Flaming Mountains and into the Gobi Desert. Thirty minutes later, a jeep stopped to pick us up informing us that the three hours allotted for the race had expired.

For one weekend, everyones paths, local and international, converged in Turpan

Following the race, the participants were all taken to Grape Valley for the closing ceremony. Nice words were said, trophies were given, and toasts were made with new friends. All of us Westerners ended up performing quite well. The French woman, Mimi, took second in the women’s division and four of us in total ran the entire 29 kilometers within the time limit.

When the ceremony concluded, I exchanged phone numbers with a local professional athlete from Urumqi. Hoping to meet again either in Urumqi or even in America, he said to me, “Duo yi ge pengyou, duo yi tiao lu.” A new friend leads to a new road.

In my mind, this was the big theme of the race. For one weekend, everyone’s paths from both local and international converged in Turpan. During the height of the Silk Road, many paths from all over Asia converged through Xinjiang where goods and ideas were traded. Based off the large turnout of participants from all over Central Asia in the race, it looks like Xinjiang is once again regaining its former international prestige.

 

[EagleEyes]

Don't engage in posting graphic photos or videos. It will cause immediate permanent ban.

 

[Devil Soul]

Chinese army for bringing 'modern civilisation' to Xinjiang
REUTERS
BEIJING: China’s military must bring “modern civilization” to the restive southern areas of the Xinjiang region, where Muslim ethnic Uighurs are in majority, and help develop its economy, two senior army officers wrote in an influential journal.

Hundreds have died in violence in Xinjiang in the past few years. The government blames the unrest on Islamist militants and separatists who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.

Writing in the latest edition of the bimonthly Communist Party magazine Qiushi, the commander of the southern Xinjiang military region Li Haiyang and its military commissar Miao Wenjiang said that soldiers must “ardently love” the area.

“We must cherish ethnic unity like we take care of our eyes and ... nestle together with people of all ethnic groups as close as pomegranate seeds,” they wrote.

Experts say employment discrimination, fuelled by an influx of ethnic majority Han Chinese taking up jobs, has fuelled resentment and unrest among Uighurs in Xinjiang.

Beijing has begun to pay more attention to the region’s development, particularly in the southern areas dominated by Uighurs and religious conservatives.

The article said soldiers must help develop the economy in southern Xinjiang, and encourage the people to “move toward modern civilization and move away from religious extremism”, by providing villagers access to science, culture, law and health.

Every year all military units must contribute funds to help resolve problems like a lack of drinking water or difficulty in seeing doctors, the article said.

The article also called for greater emphasis on education, saying children should “study, live and grow up” in schools.

Uighurs have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam but many have begun adopting practices more commonly seen in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, such as full-face veils for women, as China has intensified a security crackdown in recent years.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

 

[William Hung]

As long as they are bringing it without coercion, then it should be OK. It needs to be done in a sensitive way in which the consent, dignity, worth and value of the locals are respected.

If not, then just remember, even the imperialists of yester centuries justified their colonies with the "bringing modern civilisation to the primitives" excuse.

 

[TaiShang]

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Located in Burqin County of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Wucaitan, or Rainbow Beach, is a sightseeing spot known for its unique landforms created by years of wind and water erosion. Featuring blue sky, colorful beach and clear water, Wucaitan is one of the most famous attractions in Xinjiang. [China.org.cn]

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[Indika]

“These knives are not illegal, and they're a part of Uighur history,” he said. “But if the police search you and find one, especially for young men, it will bring you a lot of hassle. So people don't buy them because it's not worth the trouble."

Are the knifes equivalent to kirpans carried by Sikhs in india ?

Behind the veil: China's hardline policies hurt minority businesses in Xinjiang - World - DAWN.COM

This photo shows Uighur women wearing headscarves while shopping at a bazaar in Hotan, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP

This photo shows a woman repairing a roof in the old city in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP

This photo shows workers using modern bricks and mud-based cement to repair a wall in the old city in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP

This photo shows Uighur women wearing headscarves while shopping at a bazaar in Hotan, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP

This photo shows a woman repairing a roof in the old city in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP


KASHGAR: The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers.

As violence increased last year in China's far western region of Xinjiang, home to mostly Muslim Uighurs, authorities banned veils and other Islamic coverings — wreaking havoc on her business.

“We're all branded as terrorists because of a few bad people,” said Gulnur, who is Uighur. “The Chinese don't understand that we're not all the same.

“Regulations like this will only alienate people,” she added.

It is an example of the challenges Beijing faces pacifying the region, where Uighurs accuse the Chinese government of discrimination and restrictions on language, culture and religion.

Read more: China pushes Uighurs to give up fasting in Ramazan

Xinjiang shares a border with Afghanistan and Pakistan and is culturally closer to Central Asia than China's Han heartland.

Authorities blame the violence — which has increased in intensity and spread beyond the region in recent years, with more than 200 people killed in 2014 — on Islamist separatists.

In the past year many forms of Islamic dress have been banned and beards ruled out for young and middle-aged men as Beijing works to root out what it calls “religious extremism”.

Posters throughout the region list the prohibited “five abnormal appearances": face veils, burqas, young women in tight headscarves, the beard restrictions, and any clothing with a crescent moon and star logo akin to the Turkish flag.

One propaganda image shows a woman in her 30s with a simple head covering looking in a mirror and seeing a smiling face, while a veiled female is confronted with a skeleton on fire.

Taxis throughout the region are not allowed to pick up customers wearing banned items. The city of Karamay has barred them from public transport, and Turpan has stopped burqa sales.

This photo shows a Uighur woman wearing a lace veil at a market in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP
At a bazaar in Hotan, Patigul showed off what was once her most popular item: a 15 yuan ($2.40) white lace veil covering the bottom half of a woman's face and held in place by surgical mask-style straps.

“The government has been discouraging wearing veils for years, but we never expected a complete ban and it's hurt business,” she said. “We weren't prepared, and suddenly couldn't sell about half our inventory."

Bearded beauty
A man from Kashgar was jailed for six years in March for growing a beard and his burqa-wearing wife sentenced to two years, reports said.

Beijing — which says it has brought Xinjiang development and higher living standards — insists that more conservative forms of dress are foreign imports from the Middle East and not part of Uighur culture.

Face veils represent a “cultural reverse”, Zeng Cun, the Communist Party secretary of Kashgar reportedly said in March.

“We have to take strides forward as a secular, modern country,” he added.

France and Belgium have enacted similar bans on veils, provoking widespread debate unseen in China.

But a traditional Uighur saying declares: “The beauty of language is in its expressions, the beauty of a man is in his beard,” and analysts say the Xinjiang measures risk backfiring.

Read more: Burqa banned in China's Xinjiang

“There is clearly a stronger emphasis now among Uighurs on maintaining the religion and practicing Islam as the state insists on ruling what is culturally acceptable,” said David Brophy, a professor at the University of Sydney and Uighur expert.

“Islam is a central part of people's identity as Uighurs."

In cities across Xinjiang, Uighurs and Han Chinese residents live almost entirely separately, with a heavy security presence in places frequented by Han and tourists.

In some places the very fabric of Uighur city life has fallen victim to government regulations.

At 40, Abdul Resli has been a traditional builder for more than half his life and has 20 men working for him in Kashgar's old city.

This photo shows workers using modern bricks and mud-based cement to repair a wall in the old city in Kashgar, in China's western Xinjiang region. The Silk Road trading centre of Kashgar has been Muslim for centuries, but despite hordes of people thronging the main bazaar, Gulnur's headscarf shop had barely any customers. — AFP
But the area has been largely demolished and rebuilt in government-mandated redevelopment over the last decade, putting artisan brick makers out of business and leaving him fewer homes to work on.

Authorities say the works are to improve safety standards, but Abdul says earthen brick walls have stood for 500 years.

“I can't trust the quality” of newer bricks, he says. “But it's what I've been told to use."

'A lot of hassle'
Officials across Xinjiang declined to discuss the ban on Islamic clothing or its effects on small businesses when contacted by AFP.

The increase in violence has also hurt businesses itself, with tourist numbers down nearly five per cent last year and the Xinjiang government acknowledging that “influence from terrorist attacks” was a factor.

Eminjan, a seller of traditional knives with a thick mustache, said most of his business dried up after a group of Uighurs stabbed 31 people to death at a train station in Kunming in March last year.

Take a look: Xinjiang separatists kill 29 in China rail attack: Xinhua

Like many interviewed for this story, he preferred to identified by only one name for fear of government reprisals.

“These knives are not illegal, and they're a part of Uighur history,” he said. “But if the police search you and find one, especially for young men, it will bring you a lot of hassle. So people don't buy them because it's not worth the trouble."

 

[TaiShang]

Xinjiang Offers Discount Meat ahead of Major Festival
2015-07-14

Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region have began selling discount meat to residents ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a large festival that marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which falls on Saturday.

From Monday to Friday, authorities are expected to offer around 1,000 tonnes of fresh mutton through nearly 200 sales points in 39 counties administered by 11 prefectures and cities, according to a spokesman with the region's commerce department.

The meat was priced between 40 to 44 yuan (6.5 to 7.2 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, which is 10 to 15 yuan cheaper than market prices, said the spokesman.

It is a long-held tradition for Xinjiang authorities to supply cheap meat prior to major festivals, such as Eid al-Fitr. In the past, however, frozen meat was offered.

This year, the government will supply fresh mutton in order to bolster confidence of local animal husbandry, as the market price for beef and mutton have remained relatively low since the second half of last year.

 

[TaiShang]

Xinjiang's glacier in danger as tourists flout ban

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is shrinking. [File photo/China.org.cn]

The regional government marked out a protection zone covering 948 square kilometers in the Tianshan Mountains on April 23 last year in a bid to reduce the impact of human activities on the glacier.

Travel agencies canceled glacier tours, but that didn’t stop the tourists coming and a group of herdsmen saw an opportunity to supplement their incomes, the newspaper said.

"On average, we accept at least 20 to 30 vehicles of people every day, which can bring up to 3,000 yuan (US$483)," one herdsman said, adding that they also sold medicinal herbs.

According to Xinhua news agency, the 4.8-million-year-old glacier has shrunk from 1.95 square kilometers in 1962 to 1.62 square kilometers in 2014 and is retreating by up to eight meters a year.

Li Weidong, vice secretary general of the Xinjiang Ecological Society, said tourism was also threatening the existence of Ili pika, an endangered mammal.

Melting glaciers were driving the animal to live at higher altitudes and over-digging of herbs had deprived them of food, Xinhua said.

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo/China.org.cn]

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo/China.org.cn]

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo/China.org.cn]

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo/China.org.cn]

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Glacier No. 1 in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [File photo/China.org.cn]

 

[TaiShang]

At times intense tourism might lead to unaccounted environmental pressures.

No wonder XinJiang is so popular.