2008 China
Day 11 Sunday Aug. 24, 2008  Kashgar
Submitted by Laurie Bergner drlaurieb1@verizon.net and Vivian Weber
Pictures submitted by  Laurie Bergner  drlaurieb1@verizon.net

Today was what I consider the highlight of our time in Xinjiang province.Kashgar is an ancient Silk Road City, and it's filled with history and culture and religion and color. And underlying everything is the sense that the ancient culture is quickly being replaced against the will of the minority Uighurs. We saw the largest mosque in China, the Idkha Mosque, with it's beautiful open air garden area and lovely interior. It has quite a history. Originally built in 1442, it was added onto later. It closed its doors during the Cultural Revolution. Since 1995, the Chinese government has taken it over, controlling all the repairs, tearing down the ancient square in front of it, shutting down the vendors there and building a huge modern square in its place. Then we visited the tomb of the Fragrant Concubine and of Abakh Khaha, built in 1640 for Abakh Khoja's father. this was followed by the wonderful animal market, where we saw so many cows, sheep, donkeys and goats and actually watched the men bargain and shake on their agreements. It was such a scene! Dusty, filled with animals and men with the round hats, sometimes beards. Following the lovely lunch at the former British Embassy, we went to the famous Sunday Bazaar. Incredibly colorful, filled with all finds of beautiful goods, it's a tourist's delight to just wander through it. Finally, we walked through the ancient Old Town, made of mud brick houses, very narrow streets that are totally dark at night. You could get lost wandering through the many narrow streets. People are all so friendly, and they love to have their pictures taken. At night we went to dinner at a family's house in the Old City. It was incredible to see how the houses were inside. The outside looks old and dusty; you'd think it was all filled with the poor. But inside it's just beautiful, with fabrics and colors and sparkly walls. The table was set with all kinds of fresh foods and fruits, and the owner was adorable. You could imagine how this city looks so much like the ancient city has always looked. But there's a sadness to know that the Chinese government is working hard to dilute the minority population and its culture, insisting on speaking Chinese in the schools and planning on tearing down the Old City in the next few years. I was glad to have visited it now!

Vivian's journal:

                                                                                                                            Day 12 Next page    Home Page