In retrospect of my week in Xinjiang

Photos of the hustling bazaar, breathtaking natural scenery, as well as colourful souvenirs at my home together brought me back to my journey to Xinjiang almost five years ago. It was when we followed the path of the Ancient Silk Road, discovering the corners that might sound unfamiliar for many of us. China, nowadays, attempts to revive the past glory of the Silk Road in the region by advocating the “One Belt One Road” strategy. However, through the camera lens and first-hand interaction with the locals, is Xinjiang really blessed with the rosy picture of all ethnicities being respected and living without fear in all aspects?

Sayram Lake (賽里木湖): Turquoise Waters in Xinjiang

Once upon a time, there lived a pair of Kazak young lovers. Rather than living happily ever after just like other fairy tales, their blissful times didn’t last long, however. One day, a barbaric devil, captivated by the girl’s beauty, kidnapped her to his residence with coercion. The devil was running after her as she was desperately escaping from his embrace, with no choice but to tumble into a deep abyss. Distressed by this unbearable news, her boyfriend plunged into the depth to be reunited with her. A river of their painful tears legendarily flooded into the abyss, accumulated and hence formed Sayram Lake in Xinjiang.

Turpan (吐魯番): China’s Flaming Furnace

Here comes a popular Chinese novel that described the arduous adventure of a Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who was accompanied by three apprentices passing, including the Monkey King through Gansu and Xinjiang to India in 627 AD, following the northern Silk Road. During their legendary quest, they encountered barriers to cross the barren Flaming Mountain in Turpan, the hottest place in China. Disrupted by the boiling heat, the Monkey King was able to borrow a magic palm-leaf fan, the most precious belonging of a princess, to extinguish the flame to conquer the mountain safe and sound.

Dunhuang (敦煌): A Silk Road Oasis

“If you are going to visit only one Silk Road site, make it Dunhuang.”

Valerie Hansen, Yale history professor

With the high-rise skyscrapers and growing population in the East, China’s economy is booming at an unprecedented speed nowadays. Nevertheless, before the Song dynasty, the core of the Chinese civilizations lies in the western part of the country. Two trade routes of the ancient Silk Road, that sprang up along the edges of the Taklamakan desert to reach far west, all intersected in the oasis town of Dunhuang, where Mogao Cave, the world’s most spectacular cultural site, calls home.