West to East: Table of Contents

West to East

Table of Contents

Gill Lankshear

China: Beijing, August 31 to September 2, 2013
China: Xinjiang Province, September 3 - September 18

 

Map of China.    Xinjiang Province is the farthest west, bordering on Central Asia

  

Xinjiang Province

Sat. Aug 31:
Plugged in on the Plane, Cars Everywhere, Hutong, the Old Sections of Town, Exploring “the Hood,” Tianaman Square and the Forbidden City, Telling Time, Ooohhmmm,! Acrobats, Lovely Night Life, Changing the Inner City

Sun. Sept 1: 
The Great Wall, Taxi Drivers Worldwide, Courtyard Privacy, KOA Chinese Style, The Countryside, The Wall, Spectacular,!  Soho, Chinese- Style, More Exploring

Mon. Sept 2:
The Temple of Heaven, The Park, Baby Buns, Back to the Subject at Hand, Beyond Ornate, A Little PR Issue, The Summer Palace, A Traditional Chinese Scene

Tues. Sept 3:
Urumchi Bound, Going Back in Time, Mmmmmm!, The Crowd Gatherers, No Fly Zone, Reality, Oh Oh, Another Market

Wed. Sept 4:
Urumchi, A Changing City, The Desert, Electric Changes, The Grasslands, Yurts, Greenhouses, Zzzzzzzzzzz

Thurs. Sept 5:
Some Culture, Heavenly Lake, A Little Bit of Disney, Love Those Signs, Here Comes The Bride

Fri. Sept 6:
The Road to Turpan, Checkpoints, Future Development, Culture Clash, Poor Wilbur, Changes in Turpan, The Unused Airport, Grapes, and More Grapes, The Family Courtyard, Take Our Picture, A Local Uyghur Family, Raisins and Melons, Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yar City), A Quiet Peacefulness, Let the Dancing Begin

Sat. Sept 7: 

The Flaming Mountains, Ancient Campsite, The Bezklik Grottoes, A True Oasis, The Ancient Karez Wells, Oasis Towns, The “Big Dig,” Asian-Style, Speaking of water...

Sun. Sept 8: 

On the Move Again, Family Restaurant, Halvah Anyone?, Whine Time

Mon. Sept. 9: 

Route to the Altai Mountains,  A Bucolic Scene,  The Russian Village,  A Rugged Life, China’s National Parks,The Forestry Hotel, Made in China, Bathrooms, Practicalities, My Recommendations?

Tues. Sept 10: 

The Golds of Autumn, Our Hero

Wed. Sept. 11: 

Lake Kanas, A Great Hike, Money Problems, Manners?

Thurs. Sept. 12: 

Merry Xmas!, The Camel Trains, Drive Down, Kashgar Bound, Rebuilding, A Glimpse of History, Street Scenes, Public Places, Weddings, Uyghur Style

Fri. Sept 13:
The Long Drive Toward the “Stans,” Watch Out!, Signs of Autumn, Was That a Mushroom? Snap Away, Rugged Countryside, Glaciers Galore, The Plateau, Lunch in the Yurt, Final Destination: Tashgurkan, The Tajiks

Sat. Sept 14:
The Meadowlands, A “Fort”tuitous Moment, The Tajik Farm Family, Another Lifestyle, Thanks and Poo

Sun. Sept 15:
A Rough Start, the Mausoleum, The Livestock Market, Commotion, A Heady Aroma, Horses and Donkeys, Sheep and Goats, Camels and Yaks, and Cows...Oh My!, Baaaaaa, Donkeys, Neighhhhhh., Yaks, Camels, Overload, The Other Market, (or Overload, Again)

Mon., Sept. 16:
The Last Day, More Villages, The Grape Trellis, The Fanciest Restaurant Yet!, Ancient Mosques

Reflections......We Think We’ve got it Bad...., But Before We Complain Too Loudly, The Basics.....Freedom Of Speech?, Free Press?, Travel?, Government Perks, China’s Future....

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the Kashgar Markets: Sun., Sept. 15

Sun., Sept. 15

A Rough Start:

The Fragrant Concubine's Mausoleum

12 am, 1 am, 2 am.......After several hours of awful karaoke blaring in the nightclub below us before midnight, the music switched to local Uyghur songs - equally as loud. Now, the actual music was quite good, but many decibels too loud. Finally, sleepless and irritable, we called the reception desk and complained at about 2:30. A woman came up and made a few phone calls, and miraculously, the music ceased. While she was here we had her look at the malfunctioning air conditioner, to no avail. Prior to this we had the window open to cool things off. But, as we drifted off to sleep we were both assaulted by a couple of mosquitoes that sounded like jet planes at that hour. As Kathy had already acquired a huge welt on her back we brought out the mosquito repellant bands and wrapped them around our heads. Finally, we dropped off, only to be awakened a couple of hours later for breakfast and the new day. Later that day, we were able to switch rooms, for which we were very grateful.

Sign at the Mausoleum

Worker replaces tiles

The Mausoleum:

The Mausoleum entrance

Before the livestock market we had  a brief visit to the "Fragrant Concubine's" family mausoleum. From a prominent family in this region, the "F.C" was traded, gifted???? to the current emperor in Beijing during the 1700's. She was his favorite, but she was pining away for her homeland. It was thought that the emperor probably didn't want her to go (release her?). Choose your story - either she turned into a butterfly and escaped, or he finally relented and she began the journey back home to Xinjiang as a her human self. This version of her story tells that she fell ill and died on the journey home, and is now buried in the mausoleum. (Carrying a decaying body for several months may explain her name - “fragrant!”) Either way, the building is spectacular, and has managed to survive over three centuries of earthquakes, wars, famines and political upheavals.

The Livestock Market:
Where to begin? I had seen a couple of YouTube clips, so I kind of knew what to expect, only there was lots more. As we pulled up in the bus, vehicles of all kinds and sizes were crowding in. Small carts with one sheep, cow or goat, trucks with three decks of sheep crammed in, huge trucks with cows nose to butt and even a few farmers carrying a goat or sheep over their shoulder, all trying to get through the crowds of people. Mostly Uyghur farmers with their conservative dark clothes and green caps, the crowd included a smattering of farmers' wives dressed in their colorful clothing and headscarves, a few young boys and a smattering of foreign tourists. (Who stood out like sore thumbs!)

Entrance to the Livestock Market

Commotion:
The noise of vehicle horns beeping, the animals mooing, baaing and braying, vendors yelling, and the chattering of groups of men as they surrounded an animal for sale gave a sense of utter commotion. As we walked in, next to cows, horses, goats and sheep led by their owners, trucks and carts rumbled in over the bumpy road, swerved around animals and people, almost knocking us down. It was every creature for itself. 
 

The overloaded man

As the bigger, higher trucks full of cows rolled by, an occasional spray of cow shit would fly out, at times nearly missing us. You also had to keep a good eye out for paddies on the ground as well as keeping clear of the horses and donkeys rear ends as they can give a good kick.

The overloaded cart

The overloaded truck

A Heady Aroma:
The smell of charcoal fires grilling lamb and beef, huge vats of vegetables and noodles steaming over open fires, along with onion, garlic and spices added a heady aroma for any hungry person. Mixed with all the food smells were the manure and animal smells, and dust, as well as leather from the harnesses and saddles of the horses. 

Making traditional noodles

 

Fresh lamb and vegys aplenty

 
The street food in these types of places is very alluring, but usually we are so well fed, its not much of a temptation. We were pretty mesmerized by a couple of men making the traditional noodles, which was akin to watching someone make pizza dough - throwing it around and up in the air. Good fun!

Horses and Donkeys, Sheep and Goats, Camels and Yaks and Cows.. Oh My!
First, we found rows and rows of cows tied securely to a long pole that ran across the yard. Small groups of farmers would crowd around a particular animal, while a broker would work with the seller and buyer to get a fair price. 

Striking a bargain

To move along these narrow rows you would bump into the butts of cows on each side, as well as having to worm around the prospective buyers and sellers. Animals were poked and prodded as part of the inspection process.

A young boy tends a small flock of sheep

Baaaaaaa....
Next, came the sheep, of all shapes and colors. This is region is known for its fat tailed sheep, who have been bred to have extremely fat butts. Several rows of variously colored bubble butted sheep were tied head to head next to each other. Other groups were held in smaller groups, tied neck to neck by farmers, or sometimes young boys. An occasional sheep would be baaing away, but for the most part they seemed to endure the process in silence. 

Fat tailed sheep are inspected

Fat tailed sheep

Our buddy, Edie, had quite a thing for the fat tails, so she was able to fulfill her dream of squeezing some of the sheep's butts. Most of the sheep had been sheared, but a few were getting their haircuts at the market. Some of the most endearing sights were young boys, perhaps, eight years old, who held on tightly to a rope holding one or two small sheep. Possibly these were their own animals they had brought to market.

A fat tail gets sheared

 

New vehicles kept arriving with more animals as we continued on. Around the perimeter were small trucks and motorcycle carts with a few sheep or goats in them being guarded by a young boy. Dozing drivers could be seen in the larger trucks.

Donkeys....
A smaller area held the donkeys, who are used here mainly to pull small wooden carts, and sometimes as pack animals. Known for their kicking, we stayed clear of their rear ends. Several mothers were followed closely by their babies as they were led around to prospective buyers. When these guys started braying, it made quite a racket.

Donkeys are scrutinized

grey mother and baby donkey

Neighhhhh....
The horse corner proved to very interesting. Some, used for riding, were being tested out before being purchased. So,we had to be very careful not to get in the way of a galloping horse charging past. The people of this area are known for their horsemanship (or horsewoman-ship), and men sometimes rode bare back as they tore past us.

Draft horses were decked out for the occasion

 

We also had to be careful of donkeys pulling carts as they rolled past us at breakneck speeds. Draft horses, decorated with colorful harnesses and dressed up manes were tethered to carts and wagons. Among them were vendors sitting on the ground displaying harnesses, saddles, halters, reigns and other "horsey" equipment. Again, groups of men watched as the buyers and sellers negotiated a price through the broker - usually an older, distinguished looking gentleman.

Reigns, halters and other gear for sale

We never did find the goat section, but we saw a number of long haired goats in the back of trucks as they entered the market grounds, often with impressive looking horns.

Yaks:
Only a few true yaks could be found at the market. Many of the actual wild yaks are gone, and many hybrids between cows and yaks exist, and could be seen at the market. 

Yaks have immense shaggy coats with a long "skirt"

These high mountain, sheep/goat/cow like animals have extremely long thick shaggy goats, and are sometimes used for food and milk by people dwelling in the higher elevations.

Camels:
Probably the most interesting, and most exotic animals in the market were the camels. Lined up along a wall were about 15 camels, among them a couple of youngsters. Not even tied up, they obediently stayed in place. As we watched as they'd would all look in one direction together, and if the owner (?) tapped one of them with a stick, they would all move in unison. 

Baby camel face

Another smaller group were tied up in the main area. Such fascinating animals, they have been used in desert areas for millennia because they are so well adapted to heat and sand, in particular. They have several sets of eyelids to protect themselves from blowing dust and sand, their feet are very wide to prevent sinking in soft sand and they can go for long periods without water. They are still used as pack animals for some rural people, but more and more, their role is being taken over by motor vehicles.

Overload:
After a couple of hours I felt like I was on overload. I took hundreds of photos, dodged a number of vehicles and hooves, inhaled so many aromas, and saw sights I may never see again. It was a wonderful experience.

An empty donkey cart

 

A farm couple

A satisfied customer

Scooters lined up outside the Kashgar Market

The Other Market (or Overload, Again)
That afternoon we visited the Kashgar general market, which is a huge covered complex with everything you could possibly imagine for sale. Along with the usual housewares and clothing, were rows of small shops selling the most beautiful fabrics imaginable.

These well dressed Uyghur and Tajik ladies will often choose their fabrics, then have a tailor make their clothing. This explains why they are so well dressed. There were little shops selling fragrant teas and spices, hundreds of scarf shops (remember that most of these Muslim women wear headscarves all the time), musical instruments, jade, and loads of carpet stores, many of which were locally made. 

Women shopping for fabric

Boys play games on a cell phone while their moms do the shopping

A vendor takes a comfortable nap

Beautifully decorated gourds

Being Sunday afternoon, the market was mobbed with mainly well dressed local women in their beautiful garb. Being almost totally Uyghur, almost all of the women of Kashgar use at least a headscarf, although most are more traditional, with the fitted tunic, or dress over colorful tights. Some, even did the whole enchilada! Wearing the colorful garb even over their faces, and a few wore the drab brown burka from head to toe. (Hard to imagine this getup in 110 degree. heat!). Naturally, I had to do a little shopping, so watch out girls, the headscarves are coming! Again, it was a visual feast!

All sizes and kinds of eggs for sale

Dried snakes for sale - cures many ills!

That evening we had dinner at a local restaurant with a performance by Uyghur dancers. The restaurant was located in the building that had been used as the British Embassy for many years beginning over a century ago.

Roast fat tailed lamb

This very ornate building had been the home of the McCarthy's, the British ambassador and his wife,  during the early 1900's, who hosted a number of European explorer/archaeologist types who not only explored this region, but collected many artifacts for European museums. Quite good entertainment!

Teas and spices

Raisins and other dried fruits and nuts for sale