Many Chinas: An Excursion into the Heart of Xinjiang

Xinjiang province in Western China has endured many decades of oppression and ethnic conflict that have escalated into violence multiple times in the past few decades. The area is predominantly composed of Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority, with a language and cultural background distinct from the Han Chinese who claim power over them. Uyghurs trace their origins to a broad area encompassing western China and parts of Central Asia, called Turkestan. Since the founding of Communist China, there have been a number of attempted uprisings and unsuccessful bids for independent statehood. Most recently, uprisings in July 2009 in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi, captured international attention as Uyghur protests intensified into violent clashes with Han Chinese. Two years after the incident, a strong sense of division within the city was evident, with some areas filled with predominantly Han residents and other with predominantly Uyghur residents. Street corners in the center of the city were equipped with security cameras in preparation for future attempted uprisings, and groups of police marched intermittently through the streets presumably as a further precaution. This series of pictures is meant to illustrate the vast differences in culture, lifestyle, geography, and a number of other differences that exist between eastern and western China, all of which contribute to the Uyghur desire for autonomy from the Chinese claims to domination.

The livestock bazaar operates every Sunday in Kashgar.

Kashgar’s Old Town flourished for many centuries as a convergence point of the northern and southern branches of the Silk Road, and as an example of one of the most well preserved Islamic cities in Central Asia. Plans now call for the demolition of most of what remains, citing earthquake danger that could collapse the city as motivation, and rebuilding of a new Old Town with reproduction architecture in order to preserve Uyghur culture. This photograph was taken at night, while wandering the streets of what is left of the Old Town.

This photo was taken at one of the checkpoints on the Karakoram Highway—the high altitude highway that connects Pakistan with China. The Chinese military presence was significant and multiple trucks passed by filled with army personnel.

Outside of the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar. Although still a part of China, Xinjiang feels and appears very different from the eastern portion of the country. The language difference is one of the most obvious differences. Uyghurs speak Uyghur, a language that uses the Arabic alphabet and has no relation to Mandarin Chinese, which is spoken in the rest of the country.

The Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar is a reminder of the strong presence of Islam in this region of the country.

Taken at the Sunday livestock bazaar in Kashgar, this photo helps highlight the difference in levels of development between the eastern and western regions of the county.

A Kyrgyz wedding celebration on the Karakorum Highway. Kashgar is home not only to Ugyhurs, but also Kazakhs, Hui, Tajiks, Mongols, and other ethnic groups.

The traditional livelihood in this area is herding yaks, as shown here. Although it was November, the yaks were still brought out to munch on the remains of what managed to grow in the arid climate. Yaks are used predominantly for their milk and meat, which is mostly consumed in the household.

The climate in Xinjiang is very different from that of Eastern China—arid or semi-arid for its entirety with high mountains that are a part of the eastern reaches of the Himalayas.

Once again, this photo highlights the climatic extremes...