But the city is quite and few shops are open. There is no Internet access and all phone communication with the outside world has been cut by the Government. When we arrive at the hostel we are told that it is not safe to go out and that we need to remain inside, as the possibility of riots is high.
After being here a few days, it's been possible to piece together what's been happening – although all of what follows is based on what I've been told unless otherwise noted.
It appears that two weeks ago a Han Chinese man accused a Uigher of raping a Han Chinese girl in Guangzhou Province.
Enraged by the accusation, five thousand Han Chinese made their way to a factory where eight hundred Uighers worked. After the violence had ended two hundred of the Uighers were dead and many more were seriously injured.
The police investigated – and were able to prove that the allegations of rape were unfounded.
Angry at the situation, and frustrated by the ongoing oppression by the government, riots broke out in Urumqi. Travellers arriving in Kashgar have been speaking of a city in chaos, with increasingly violent scenes as armed gangs wander the streets. The few pictures I've seen on the official government website (the only Internet site available here) are of burnt out cars and buildings.
And the violence has spread. Riots took place here the day before we arrived – although while I've been here things have remained calm – if not a little tense.
Matthew had arranged to meet Stephanie and Maria the first night he was here, and despite being told there would be a curfew at midnight, we headed out to find food. The streets were very quite with little traffic, and we had a fun evening – with good food and even better company.
As the curfew hour had already passed (oops :-), we decided to set off back to the hostel.
As we were making our way back, a convoy of 25 trucks full of soldiers passed us on the street. Thankfully we were shielded from them by thickly growing trees, and we hurried back to the hostel before the doors were locked for the evening.
One of the many tandoori ovens used to bake bread:
On the second night Matthew, Stephanie, and myself decided to go for a wander, and headed down to the mosque. We'd been strictly warned that if we saw any crowds we were to head straight back to the hostel. As we were about to turn back from the road block we saw a large crowd of men heading our way, so ducked down into one of the side streets – only to find them coming our way and heading down a small side street.
The next thing we hear the crowd shouting “Allahu Akbar”, and so I decided to stick my head around the corner to see what was going on. I got chatting with a guy and he told me that we were safe, and that the shouting was a wedding celebration, and if we stayed around we'd see the bride.
So we waited, and eventually she appeared followed by people from a house up the street. Everyone was crying – especially the bride – and we felt a little intrusive as we watched as she said goodbye to her family and got into a car to be driven to her new family's house.
Emperor Mao - stands watching the main square:
I've been here three days now and apart from the Uigher stores in the Old Town – all of the shops have been closed, and the mosque – one of the main attractions here – has been cordoned off.
But despite all this – Kashgar is an incredible place to visit – although there are two sides to this amazing place.
As with most Chinese cities – there's the new part: built by and for the Han Chinese. It looks depressingly like every other Han Chinese city – a no character cookie cutter development of modern buildings.
And then there's the old town – vibrant, colorful, and full of life. Here are some pictures:
The main street:
The tiny lanes of the old town:
Produce for sale at the heart of the old town:
Kebab's being cooked on the street:
Sadly – most of the old town has been destroyed to make way for the modern Kashgar. From what I've read, it won't be long before this last part of Kashgar will be torn down – bringing to an end centuries of history, and a unique culture that can only be found here – in this one place.
It does appear that the government intends to create a simulacrum of the Old Town – as they've done with so many other places through out China: The Wall, and Lijiang are just two that spring to mind. But at least part of this incredible town will be preserved for future generations even if it is "upgraded" for the convenience of tourists.
But while it remains – just to wander through the tiny maze like streets of the Old Town, and to graze at the street food stalls is a real experience.
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