talk 622

Kashgar (喀什米爾 ) The Pearl of the Ancient Silk Road May Chen
Last September, my husband and I took the long awaited trip to the Silk Road. We were joined by my sister and her family and a group of friends, including Shirley Lam. We followed the central Silk Route, going from Beijing to Urumqi (烏魯木齊), Kashgar (喀什) Turpan (吐魯番), Dunghuang (敦煌) Xian and back to Beijing. It was definitely an eye-opening experience for us. This journey took us from the east to the westernmost tip of China. As we went from the Capital city towards the west, we could see the changes, not only the food is different, but the people, the culture and just about everything else are quite different from what we have seen. China has 56 national minorities, 13 of them (the existing groups when Xinjiang autonomous region was set up) inhabited in Xinjiang (新彊) and of these 13 groups, the Turkish speaking Uyghurs (維吾爾), is the most numerous in this region. Kashi Prefecture has a population of 3.3 million, of which 93% are Uyghurs, only 5.6% are Han Chinese with the rest made up of the other minorities. The city of Kashgar has a population of 200,000, yet according to the census, only 75% are Uyghurs. However, it was difficult to find any Han looking Chinese. And if it were not for the Chinese writings on the billboards, one would think that he was in one of those Middle-Eastern Islamic countries. Although everybody has to learn Chinese in school, but they converse in Turkish among themselves, they also dress differently; especially women, who wear the traditional long dresses with their head covered with veils. Among all the cities that we have visited, Kashgar, (喀什) in my opinion, is the most interesting city. It was a very important hub on the old Silk Road, a city with more than 2000 years history. Because of its location, which is only around 70 miles from China’s western border, with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to its west and southwest respectively, therefore, it is a strategically important place in southern Xinjiang. Countless merchants from many parts of the world would go to Kashgar, it was the collecting and distributing center of goods; so it was also known as "the pearl on the Ancient Silk Road". Mutton, beef, camel, chicken, goose; carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplants, celeries, dairy products; and various fruits characterize Uyghur food. However, Lamb is the main source of meat, and if you don’t eat lamb like me, you are out of luck. Although the quality of food can’t compare to what one can get in the other big cities, but we weren’t starved by any means; there were always several dishes of vegetables in each meal. The fruits are delicious and there are many varieties. The famous melons and grapes were out of this world, not to mention the pears, peaches, watermelons, and the figs, which were so sweet; it was like eating pure sugar. I love fruits, so I was really happy despite we had lamb just about every meal. Our tour was scheduled so that we would be in Kashgar during the weekend since their famous Sunday Bazaar was to be the main attraction. I was not disappointed. The market was filled with wall-to-wall people, the people not only have to share the streets with stalls of merchandise, they also have to share them with horses, donkey carriages, motorcycles, bikes, and automobiles. And since a lot of the streets are still not paved, so with all the traffic, it creates a lot of dusts. It really was some sight to see. I especially enjoyed the Live Stock Market. It was a dusty, filthy, dirty place, but fascinating nonetheless. There were hundreds and hundreds of animals, sheep, goats, horses, cows, camels, etc. There were also stalls for food. With dusts flying all over the place, it was amazing that people eating there didn’t seem to notice. And with the noises made by all the livestocks, which made for some interesting music. I am a “clean freak”, yet I didn’t mind the dirt at all. I was just so in awe of the animals, especially the sheep, they looked so helpless and adorable; there is just no way I could even consider eating them. While the Sunday Bazaar is Kashgar’s most famous attraction, it does however have some other historic sites that are worth visiting. The Old Town is a timeless place with ancient dirt paths and mud-brick houses, thus the city is named Kashgar, which means, “mud-brick houses”. This place is like a permanent Sunday Bazaar. The streets are lined with shops and stalls to sell just about everything one can think of, like hats, footwear, spices, freshly baked breads (called Nan), house-whole items, etc. Children would be gathering in front of a TV, which makes a very interesting picture. Id Kah Mosque, which is located in the center of city, was first built in 1442 and has since been renovated several times and extended to its present size. It can house 10,000 worshippers at one time and is regarded as the biggest mosque in China. This yellow-and-white structure has a central dome and flanking minarets, its style is more like the mosques in Pakistan or Afghanistan rather than the other Chinese style mosques. This mosque is the place to be during Korban, their biggest Islam festivals. Abakh Khoja Tomb, (also known as 香妃墓), located about 3 miles northeast of the city, was first built in 1640. It served as the family tomb of Abakh Khoja, the powerful ruler in the 17th century. It had 72 tombs until an earthquake destroyed some of them. Legend has it that one of the tombs housed the remains of Xiang Fei (Fragrant Concubine, 香妃), Abakh Khoja's granddaughter, (or niece depending on whom you talk to) Iparhan. She was the Fragrant Concubine of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and was called Xiangfei because of the delicate fragrance sent forth by her body. Upon her death her body was brought back to Kashgar and buried here. This Tomb is considered the holiest place in Xinjiang, during the Korban festivals; many Muslims from all over Xinjiang make their pilgrimage here. I am not sure if I have ever heard of Kashgar before this trip, but this city fascinates me. It is so unlike any of the cities in China that I have visited. It is very unique simply because although it is a city in China, but it is more like a Muslim city in every sense. I am so glad that we had this chance to trace part of the old Silk Route, if nothing else, just the chance to visit Kashgar is well worth the trip, and like someone said to me; this is a “dream trip”. Indeed, it was!