Traveling to Kashgar in Xinjiang China

A Divided Xinjiang

A century has barely passed since various nomadic ethnic groups of Central Asia have been clumped together into the entity that is now known as Xinjiang. Prior to the creation and annexing of this province, the only people who called this arid land home were the herders and traders following the Silk Road. After centuries of living a simple life in the deserts and mountains of Central Asia, the people of Xinjiang have been thrust headfirst into the modern era by the Han Chinese.

As more and more Han immigrate to China’s Far West, they are bringing with them shinning skyscrapers, name-brand goods, and infrastructure which will bring this enormous country closer together. Even though in a city such as Urumqi you will see just as many Han as you would Uyghurs, this is not the reality for the whole autonomous region.

The province of Xinjiang is split into two halves by the Dzungaria and Tarim Basins. In the whole of Xinjiang Uyghurs make up 46% of the population while Han Chinese make up 41%. What you probably don’t know is that north of the Dzungaria Basin Uyghurs are a minority. Due to the various other ethnic groups calling the region home as well as continued immigration by Han Chinese. It is only south of the Tarim Basin where you will find the largest concentration of Uyghur people, and Kashgar is their defacto capital.

Want to read more about traveling to Urumqi? Check out this article here!

The Home of the Uyghurs

While Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang province, it has long ceased being an Uyghur city. After taking the 20-hour train ride from Urumqi to Kashgar (costs 350 Yuan or 50 USD), you will feel as if you are stepping into a whole new world entirely. Even Han Chinese people will feel as if they are outsiders in their own country. Any Chinese you may have picked up during your time traveling through China will immediately be of little use when interacting with the Turkic speaking locals.

Throughout Kashgar, you will see many aspects of traditional Uyghur life shine through and Chineseification of the city. From traditional dresses with patterns often seen in countries such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to old men playing sitars on street corners. Kashgar is one of the few places where you can truly experience authentic Uyghur culture. There is no better place to truly immerse yourself in Uyghur traditions than at the Sunday Livestock Market. This weekly bazaar brings 10,000 people to Kashgar from all over the countryside to barter and sell their animals and wares.

Mongolians also make up one of the ethnic minorities in China. You can read more about them here!

Reclaiming the City

The old city of Kashgar is slowly being encircled by towering neon-lit apartment buildings. As the population of Kashgar continues to swell, the demand for new neighborhoods and highrises will have to be met. Many of the new residents of Kashgar will not want their luxury apartments to be overlooking the mud and brick houses that makeup Kashgar’s old town.

For better or worse, the structures which make one feel as if they were stepping into the pages of Arabian Nights are being demolished to make way for modern city blocks or an old town that will look even more “ancient” than the original. According to local residents, the land is still theirs and the local government paid to remodel their homes. While this may be the truth for some Uyghur families, one can’t help but cock their eyebrow that this is happening across the board.

You can read about another ethnic group in China known as the Dai who make up Southern Yunnan here!

Turing Into an AAAAA Tourist Attraction

The National Tourism Board of China awards the title of AAAAA tourist attractions to places that go above and beyond to make their destination accessible for all kinds of travelers. Once the title is bestowed upon a landmark, a massive sign is erected at the front gates with a plaque bearing the 5 A’s of approval by the Chinese government.

One can not help but think that all of this tearing down, demolishing, and remodeling of Kashgar’s old town is to prepare the city to become a holiday destination that tourists from all over China can fly into and enjoy. Even now, young girls dressed in traditional clothing greet Han tour groups as they are led through the “old” streets of Kashgar. The sandstone streets are lined with souvenir shops and overpriced eateries.

While traditional culture is something to be shared and experienced by all travelers, it has to be for the right reasons. There is a big difference between putting on a show for tourists and enjoying a traditional festival that has a deep spiritual meaning for your people.

Want to see what an AAAAA tourist destination looks like? Check out Yichang’s Sanxiarenjia!

Wandering the Streets of Kashgar

Despite the entire old city being transformed into a small park within China’s own Disney World, the clay alleyways and vibrantly colored front doors can easily make you forget the encroaching modern city knocking at the gates. Down each winding lane, you can find a more candid look at Uyghur life. You will not be witnessing terrorists taking up arms or locals being thrown into reeducation camps, but children playing in the streets and families sharing local gossip through their house’s windows.While this does not mean that outside of this oasis crimes are not being committed on both sides.

It is refreshing as well as sorrowing to see the regular people who are caught in the middle. The children growing up in the heart of Kashgar are torn between two cultures. When arriving and leaving their schools, translations of common words are blared over the loudspeakers in both Uyghur and Chinese. While they may grow up to be the bridge linking both Uyghur and Han people, one can’t help but feel that the divisions within their community leave them vulnerable.

Looking to cross the Chinese border into Mongolia? You can read how to do it here!

A People At A Crossroads

China has already dubbed Kashgar as the Shenzhen of the west. Much like Shenzhen, Beijing is building Kashgar up to be a major trade hub in Central Asia. Being in a location connecting with Pakistan to the south on the Karakoram Highway and Kyrgyzstan to the West with the Irkeshtam Pass, Kashgar is set to become the next largest economic hub in China.

It is not just the city that is literally on the crossroads of Central Asia, but the people themselves are in a transitional period. Whether they like it or not, Beijing is the ruling authority of Xinjiang. In order to consolidate power over a region whose culture is so vastly different from the Han, some sort of assimilation has to take place. The same horrific process was done by colonialist powers such as the United States, Great Britan, and the Spanish to name a few.

Unfortunately, the current methods undertaken have left many Uyghur nationalists to run into the open arms of terrorist organizations. It is vital for the current powers that be to learn from the mistakes of past imperial nations and to allow minority ethnic groups to maintain their cultural autonomy while still ensuring the peaceful cohabitation of China.

Want to read how to cross the border from Kashgar to Kyrgyzstan? Check out more about the Irkeshtam Pass here!

Moving Forward

Looking into the past, one has to wonder how could the story of Xinjiang and the Uyghur people have been different? As the Soviets made inroads through Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, many people fled to the safety of China. If the Uyghur people were not incorporated into Xinjiang, one can only imagine that they would have become 16th republic in the USSR. If totally left to their own devices, who knows if they would not end up as an extremist hotbed like Afghanistan?

There are so many different ways the history of the Uyghurs could have played out, but the fact is that Xinjiang is part of China. Now that the PRC is a superpower and an active player on the world stage, it is the duty of other countries to keep China accountable just as it is China’s responsibility to point out injustices being committed by other nations.

China is becoming smaller. The 56 different ethnic groups which make up the country are not only moving closer together, but the cultural lines that divide them are fading away. As much as it may break one’s heart to see traditions disappear in the wake of modernization, it is merely in the natural order of things. Many of the people of Xinjiang are still very much in touch with the way of life their ancestors have been living for ages. But as China continues to add coal to the fires that drive the country into the future, cities like Kashgar will be dragged along with it.