Visit to Xinjiang: Impressions and facts

Welcome to China's far Western region of Xinjiang. A place we were lucky enough to visit last week during the October holiday. It is safe to say that this is like no other place I've seen in China and I hope you learn something too and get inspired to visit this truly fascinating region.

​Eight bordering countries

​Xinjiang (formally called The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) is located in the far north-west of China. This gigantic region borders a whopping eight countries, namely Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. 
I learnt from Josh (Far West China) that you can fit France, Germany, Spain and Great Britain into Xinjiang. Think about that for a minute. 

​Its people

​If you want to experience a true mélange of cultures in China, Xinjiang is the perfect place to visit. The province is home to around 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities, including Uyghur, Tajiks, Kazakhs, Mongols, Hui Chinese and Russians.
Of the province's almost 22 million inhabitants the Uyghurs account for roughly half. Followed by Han Chinese - then Kazakhs and Hui Chinese. Uyghurs are primarily muslims and most of them have rather distinguished Eurasian facial features. Around 80% of Xinjiang's Uyghurs live in the southwestern part of the region and the capital Urumqi is predominantly Han Chinese.

​Bilingual signs

​Uyghur is a Turkic language and the Arabic script is the official script for Uyghur in China. There are around 25 million Uyghur speakers worldwide and most of them live in Xinjiang . There is also a rather large Uyghur speaking community in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.  
All official signs in Xinjiang are written in both Uyghur and Chinese. 

Raisins, raisins

Xinjiang (and particularly the area around Turpan in the east) is all about grape production. Turpan raisins are said to have the highest sugar content in the world. This could well be due to the extremely high temperatues (up to 45-48 degrees celsius in the summer). Today, Xinjiang is the largest green raisin producer in the world. and China is the world's third largest producer of raisins (behind the United States and Turkey).

Security and bans

​From the moment you arrive in Xinjiang, you will realise that there are security checks everywhere. From the airport, the hotel lobby and shopping malls to road blocks and checks at tourist attractions. It is wise to carry your passport (or a least a copy of it) at all times. The intensified security measures were introduced in 2009 after a series of riots in the capital Urumqi which left around 200 people dead,  The situation is complex but, what the government is essentially afraid of, is the spread of terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism - what Beijing calls "The three evil forces". Islam may officially be a recognised religion in China but in Xinjiang, the loudspeakers at the mosques have been silenced, you're not allowed to grow a long beard before the age of 50, wear a veil in public, call your son Mohammad or respect Ramadan if you work in the public sector. 

If they could turn back time....
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Not everyone is aware that there is only one time zone in China. The government decided in 1949 that, despite the vastness of the country which would normally span over several time zones, China would operate under one time zone only – Beijing time. This means, for example, that in the western city of Kashgar (a six-hour flight from Beijing), it can still be pitch dark at 10 in the morning and you can catch the sunset at midnight. To adjust the daily rhythm to the sunlight, Xinjiang (and especially its Uyghur population) uses "local time"which is two hours behind Beijing time. This can cause some confusion for tourists – and it is always wise to double check if your pick-up, reservation or appointment is local time or Beijing time.

Sightseeing. You're in for a treat!

Despite having only visited a tiny fraction of Xinjiang, my family and I were struck by its beauty and diversity. You can visit Swiss-like alpine lakes one day and feel like you're in the midst of an Indiana Jones movie set the next day. You can enjoy Chinese noodles at lunch and a lamb kebab with freshly baked naan for dinner.
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The city of Kashgar in the far west is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Xinjiang. It is known for its old town, the hustle and bustle of its bazaars and livestock markets, and for various sights outside the city (such as the Mor buddhist pagoda). After this description, it may come as a surprise to you that we opted for the eastern past of Xinjiang. We decided to stay in the capital Urumqi mainly because of travel time and airfares - but also because I had my eyes set on two particular sights I wanted to visit:
Heavenly lake - or Tian chi - is an alpine lake. At 2200 metres above sea level, it is classified as the highest level scenic area in China. The site has undergone a recent multi-million restoration (providing, among other things, comfortable walking paths around the lake) and this place is the perfect spot for a day trip if you're staying in Urumqi. We found the Regional museum in Urumqi interesting and had a very nice, traditional Uyghyr dinner at "Miraj". But apart from that, we were not that impressed with the capital of Xinjiang. The area around Turpan was a whole different story. On our third day in Xinjiang, we set off on a day trip with a local Uygur guide and a (han Chinese) driver. It quickly became apparent that our programme was a bit too ambitious and we ended up feeling sorry for our exhausted driver - though he did not complain, Our "dream team" took us to some spectacular places - namely the Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Caves, the charming old village of Tuyoq, the majestic Flaming Mountains and the ancient city of Jiaohe. Should you decide to explore the Turpan area, I recommend that you stay at least one night in Turpan,

We only had 5 days in Xinjiang and I am sure I could have listed plenty of other famous sights if we had had time to explore them. Imagine how much time one would need to see all of France, Spain, Germany and Great Britain? Until next time. I am not done with Xinjiang.

Finally: enjoy some pictures

Inspiration and sources: Farwestchina.com,  The Atlantic, South China Morning Post, ​Aljazeera.com,