Out West¶
The real (paying) job calls. For the last few days of March (and 1st April), I’m going to be ‘away’ on a research trip to Kashgar (Xinjiang). If connectivity isn’t a problem, ‘away’ might not mean much from the perspective of Cyberspace, but I’m expecting at least moderate disruption (most probably exacerbated by colorful ethnic distractions and horrible torrents of baijiu).
If anyone has any Kashgar questions, or information to offer, I’ll do my best to bend my investigations responsively. (I’m not thinking of using this blog as a platform for Xinjiang material, but that’s not a dogmatic commitment, if there’s any interest in the topic.)
[This short Kashgar profile by Ron Gluckman is over a decade old — it will be interesting to see how it has dated.]
ADDED: If the main things you are searching for in life are
alcoholic intoxication, coffee, and smooth Internet connectivity,
Kashgar cannot — in all honesty — be recommended. On the positive
side of the ledger, there’s far more of the Old Kashgar left than
first appearance suggests (Otangboyi Road is the place to go,
following it past the Idkar Mosque to the night market). The Silk
Road commercial culture still thrives, reaching a truly delirious
pitch in the Grand Bazaar, which oveflows with sensation-drenching
commodities from thousands of kilometers around. The tea is
delicious — a spiced up black tea, drunk without milk, but with a
distinct hint of Indian
chai. Ditto the yoghurt (as thick as cream cheese, with a
razor sharp edge), and — of course — everything delectable that can
be done with a dead sheep whilst remaining haram.
It’s hard to work out the ethnic balance, but it’s at least
predominantly Uyghur (I’ve seen figures between 70-85%). There’s no
obvious indications of social tension, with everyone seeming to get
on with their lives quite frictionlessly, and no signs that I could
pick up of street-level Han paranoia. Han Chinese women navigate the
streets alone except for small children, seemingly perfectly relaxed
about the social environment, and untroubled by any prospect of
violence. Our group (two Han, one Bulgarian, one Brit, and one
Uyghur government guide — who is excellent btw) have encountered
nothing but friendliness, often combined with impressive efforts to
sell us stuff. It has to be said, though, that the government
propaganda is shockingly crude.
For example, a note at the Idkah Mosque, after explaining the history of CPC renovation efforts, helpfully explains:
All of it shows fully that Chinese government always pays special attentions to the another and historical cultures of the ethnic groups, and that all ethnic groups warmly welcome Part’s [sic] religious policy. It also shows that different ethnic groups have set up a close relationship of equality, unity and helps to each other, and freedom of beliefs is protected. All ethnic groups live friendly together here. They cooperate to build a beautiful homeland, support heartily the unity of different ethnic groups and the unity of our country, and oppose the ethnic separatism and illegal religious activities.
Perhaps it sounds better in the Uyghur.
Of course, at the end of the day I’m a regime apologist. Afghanistan and Pakistan are right next door, each demonstrating in their own way the wonders of ethno-democratic self-assertion.