Xinjiang (which means "New Frontier") is more Central Asia than Far East, but the Chinese government cares deeply about it for two main reasons. One, it has significant oil and natural gas reserves. Two, it has enormous geopolitical importance since it borders eight countries: Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
The giant province is home to the Uighur people, who practice Islam and use Arabic script - although their numbers have dropped below 50% as Beijing has flooded the region with Han Chinese settlers. Xinjiang's situation is similar to Tibet in that the government has spent billions on development while relegating native ethnic groups to second-class status. In recent years there have been sporadic, and sometimes violent, separatist movements, but while Uighurs generally resent Chinese rule many are resistant to the idea of independence. Speaking to Uighur students in Beijing has given me the impression they see their fate as linked to Tibet's, so they're not crazy about independence for that region either.
Having flown into Urumqi (the capital) the night before, we spent last Sunday wandering through the touristy Erdaoqiao Market before heading back to the airport for our flight to Kashgar. One thing I should mention: China has a "one country, one time zone" policy, which means officially it's the same time in Xinjiang as it is in Beijing 3,000 km away. This makes for some very late sunsets. Bus stations, airports and government offices all run on Beijing time, but for the most part people in Xinjiang live on their own schedule two hours behind. What's great about this is each day felt that much longer - I could wake up at 9:00 Beijing time and feel rested, then mentally switch to Xinjiang time in the afternoon and add two more hours to my day. But it can also occasionally lead to confusion, say when arranging private tours with a driver: "What time shall we leave? 8:00? OK - wait, is that Beijing time or Xinjiang time?"
In Kashgar we stayed at a fantastic hotel (the dorms had private bathrooms!), housed in the former British consulate. We saw the Id Kah Mosque and ate at the night market, then left early the next morning on a bus to Tashkurgan, a small town near the China-Pakistan border. The 300-km drive took us along the Karakoram Highway, which transitions from desert to red rock cliffs to snow-capped mountains as it climbs to 3,600 meters.Once we arrived in Tashkurgan, however, we discovered there was not much to do. It was a long night playing cards in the lobby, but while there we met a man who offered to drive us back to Kashgar the next day for slightly more money than the bus. It was worth it to be able to pull over and take pictures, so we set off along with a young Korean man who was also in our dorm room. The drive back was faster, with the driver pointing out interesting sights; at one point, he told us we were 14 km from Tajikistan.
There is no escaping the Olympics anywhere in this country. Even in Kashgar, which is about as far away from Beijing as you can get, signs along the street were plastered with the "One World, One Dream" theme. No sooner had we commented on this than we entered People's Square, where a dance practice was under way. It's not unusual to see people in public squares sweating along to some post-work exercise music, but this was special. Most people wore the same T-shirt - some red, some yellow, blue, etc. - and then they broke into the different-colored Olympic rings. In each ring one or two people simulated a different sport: ping-pong, basketball, running. It looked like they were preparing for the opening ceremony, or perhaps for something similar when the torch passes through Xinjiang over the summer.
On Wednesday we doubled back to Urumqi, our central hub. Once in the air, the pilot announced we were 100 days away from the Olympic opening ceremony. Meanwhile, back in Beijing, our school coordinator had informed all the foreign teachers they were to participate in an event commemorating the 100-day countdown. I hadn't told the school I was leaving, so Brian and Tienie covered for me by saying I'd be taking a Chinese exam. All the teachers at the school, foreign and Chinese, gathered at the track, each receiving an Olympic flag and a Chinese flag. Then they hoisted their flags high and marched around the track four times (about a mile), with video cameras and a few students watching. The whole thing took about 30 minutes and Brian said they received soap and laundry detergent as a reward.
In the afternoon we took another bus to Turpan, about three hours away. Turpan sits in the Tarim Basin, the second-lowest depression in the world (after Death Valley) and the hottest spot in China. The town itself is an oasis and major grape producer, although we were a little early for grape season. The next day we took a private car to see the sand dunes, about 100 km away. The driver pulled off the road and we walked a kilometer into the desert, where the sand stretched into the horizon and we were the only people around.
On the way to Tuyoq, a hokey "traditional" Uighur town (think Xinjiang's Williamsburg), the driver pulled over at a police checkpoint and got out to speak with the officers. When he returned, we asked him why the police stopped him and he said something about the Olympics. Why would that matter in Xinjiang, which is so far away? we asked. "Because they're scared," he said.
We returned to Urumqi once again in the afternoon, then spent an uneventful day there on Friday. The May 1 holiday was also the start of a planned boycott against Carrefour, the French Wal-Mart. The Chinese are très irrités for two reasons: 1) the unfriendly reception the torch received in Paris last month and 2) reports that Nicolas Sarkozy may not attend the opening ceremony (never mind the fact that Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Stephen Harper, Ban Ki-moon and all three U.S. presidential candidates have said they will definitely not attend). We stopped at Carrefour after dinner and noticed a sign reassuring customers that the company fully supports the Olympics and has neither directly nor indirectly aided "splittist" groups. We tried to take a picture, but a security guard stopped us. Lines in the store were ridiculous as usual. Even China Daily, which ran a front-page story, admitted support for the boycott was tepid at best.
On Saturday we flew back to Beijing from Urumqi, which wouldn't have been noteworthy except we were all pulled off the plane because one passenger had cancelled at the last minute and the airline wanted to do another security check. Militants reportedly tried to hijack a Beijing-bound plane in March, so I can understand why the airline might be jumpy, but the announcement met with groans from less concerned passengers. We landed in Beijing's brand-new terminal, which is beautiful but requires a long walk from the gate to the baggage claim.
China Fun Fact: Almost 1.4 million Olympic tickets went on sale today.
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