A Letter from Kashgar
The following is a letter from an anonymous foreign traveler currently in Kashgar, Xinjiang. The New Dominion presents this letter for the consideration and edification of its readers. There has been little news out of Kashgar since Sunday, and this may shed some light on Monday’s demonstrations and the events that followed.


Two days before rioting broke out over Xinjiang, I hopped a plane bound for Kashgar. I got stuck a little in Urumqi, but made it to Kashgar eventually. The events below record my adventure as you can call it, being stuck in the middle of the chaos in what basically became a police state for three days (and remains so today).

When I arrived in Kashgar, it was “business as usual”: Uyghurs being Uyghurs, i.e. speaking their Turkic language, praying five times a day, and living in and around the Old City. Of course, I was disappointed by the Chinese-built shopping malls, massive highways, and blatant destruction of Uyghur cultural sites (including tombs) and discrimination against the Uyghurs. There are signs everywhere in Chinese reading: “Follow the Communist Party for 10000 years.” “Give up superstition, embrace science, embrace modernity.” “The many peoples of China are one: Hate Separatism from the Motherland.” It’s not a good feeling entering the city.

But a cab drive away (one cab drive too long) and I was basically back in the Middle East. It felt like home. Kebabs everywhere. Hummus, tabouli, green tea with mint. The Old City was “heartening” if tragic… bulldozers, bulldozers, bulldozers. I saw a few mosques come down, probably a few hundred years old each.

Kashgar of course was magical… what was left. I went to centuries-old mosques with sublime Central Asian architecture. I went to “state approved official” tombs and got an “official” tour of the “official Old City.” (This is the 15% of the Old City that the government has decided not to destroy. What’s the catch: No one lives there. They hire actors to dress up as “traditional” Uyghurs for six hours a day.) They smile and proudly display pictures of the Chinese flag. This is the only part of the Old City that Western journalists are allowed to photograph. I got some pictures of the “unofficial” Old City, which was absolutely marvelous. I also went to the Sunday Market and the Livestock Market. I was offered a few camels for a good price, but very sadly I was unable to accept.

I met some reporters in the Old City from the West, but most of them were being followed and having their cameras taken away from them. What I saw was a Uyghur population in Kashgar feeling that they faced the immediate destruction of their cultural and historical heritage. Families were being evacuated from their homes. I honestly have no idea why they would even let Westerners in the city to see this. I still have no idea why they didn’t make me leave.

Waking up the second morning, I heard on the Chinese news that “terrorists” had struck the capital in Urumqi and that their goal was to divide the Motherland. I thought nothing of it honestly, until I went outside. Within about two hours, the city of Kashgar was filled with soldiers and riot police pouring into the “Uyghur” part of town. The internet had been completely cut, along with my phone. I was unable to have any contact with the outside world. But it seemed OK. I again just thought it was policy. When I went out for dinner that night, I saw the authorities arresting people, including old men.

The next day martial law came. The Uyghurs gathered in the Id Kah Mosque to protest the arrests, as well as the destruction of their city, etc. I was pretty close to the Id Kah Mosque. I heard the loud sounds, the screams, and honestly, the screams of people in great physical suffering. There was a stampede, and I knocked over a bunch of watermelons but got back to the hotel (the merchant didn’t hold it against me). The army marched in and all the Uyghur shops in the city were told that they would close for three days (the Chinese of the city were either leaving or behind locked doors). All the mosques were closed and the Uyghurs were clearly scared. Trucks with loudspeakers circled around the Old City, proclaiming: “Always listen to the Communist Party. Hate separation.” The Chinese news interviewed Uyghur women who happily said things like “Xinjiang has always been part of China for 2000 years. Uyghurs are Chinese, one of 55 minority groups. We hate independence and love the motherland.”

The police were just kind of amazed I was there, which is probably why they didn’t make me leave. One happily asked me if I had been to Shanghai yet. God. I asked a police officer what he thought of the situation, and he was optimistic, said that everything was going to be fine. He concluded by saying, “You know, in the next ten years, we’ll just send more Han here and that’ll just end the problem once and for all.”

Kashgar was amazing, and I’m glad I went. I wouldn’t tell anyone else to go to Kashgar in the future though, because I know that the Old City is going to be gone before next Christmas. Uyghur culture and Uyghur language are beautiful to hear and study, as all things become as they slowly disappear.

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Tags: 5 July 2009, first-hand, history, kashgar, News Updates, uyghur, Uyghurs, Xinjiang
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swan said on July 10, 2009 at 3:50 am
I’m not against development, especially inlight of the destruction which took place in other parts of China because of the earthquakes. How does one impose practical measures to protect the lives of its people and at the same time not threaten their way of life? any suggestions?

alexis said on July 10, 2009 at 4:58 am
The local CCP is getting itself a virtual war, no doubt about that. Also I read from some one saying that the Xinjiang situation maybe the worst example of the so-called tension between local government and the central government. It is said that local cadres of CCP constantly holds Xinjiang as hostage on seperatism and terrism issues, in order to blcakmail central government more power and money. And central government seems to be complying with this blackmail and things get worse and worse.

And that may to some degree explain why policies on ethnic minorities are hardly consistent throughout Xinjiang and the whole country. For a lots of things depend on how local cadres enact central government’s policy. While in ‘inner land’, schools usually build special eateries for muslims and Huis and give assistence to them on going to mosques, in some parts of Xinjiang, where the religion is supposed to be the mainstream, things are ridiculously worse.

Glyn Moody (glynmoody) 's status on Thursday, 09-Jul-09 22:57:33 UTC - Identi.ca said on July 10, 2009 at 6:57 am
[...] http://www.thenewdominion.net/1007/a-letter-from-kashgar/ [...]

Bruce Humes said on July 10, 2009 at 10:15 am
@Swan

I assume your reference to “development” is about the destruction of the Old City in Kashgar, i.e., you may see razing the site as pro-development.

The reasons given by the government for the demolition of the Old City include safety and prevention from damage due to earthquakes. Let’s be reasonble, now: Unlike in Sichuan where many, many newly built buildings and schools crumbled, the Old City in Kashgar has been there for several hundred years. Therefore, this reason sounds flawed to me.

Kashgar is not a big city — I don’t think there is a high-rise in it — and there is plenty of other land that could easily be used for development.

As far as constructive ideas about how to proceed with resident-friendly development, the UN and countries all over the world have come up with many positive solutions: Establish committees with local representatives to discuss short-, mid- and long-term planning; guarantee that a significant portion of employment from demolition, building and new retail outlets will be assigned to local residents; construct new housing that meets the cultural as well as the material needs of residents, etc.

Having lived in China for over two decades, I do not believe that such arrangements were made for the Kashgar Old Town. In savvy cities like Shanghai, people band together, form their own committees, and get permits to demonstrate when they are unhappy about development projects.

In Xinjiang, I simply cannot imagine the authorities would allow Uighurs to hold such meetings or marches. Literally unthinkable.

I suggest you keep this reality in mind when you think about “development” in Xinjiang.

OpkeHessip said on July 10, 2009 at 11:01 am
Bruce,

When news of the Old City’s demolition reached us, we put together a post on the event. One of the things that really struck me as I combed Uyghur message boards (Yeah, I know) was the total lack of awareness that this was going to happen and the sense that everyone was angry, but no one had a clue what to do. Lots of people were saying, “If only we’d had a protest!” or “Let’s go protest now!” In Shanghai, people band together to proactively influence development, but in Xinjiang?

Where did this come from? Partly, it shows that there’s a lack of leadership in the Uyghur community, lack of a real organizational structure or system for spreading information. (So how did the recent demonstrations get organized? Someday, we might have a clue.) That or, as many posters pointed out, no one knew enough about the history of the Old City to care, not until the bulldozers showed up. It also shows that there’s a huge administrative disconnect between the central and local governments and the people they are meant to serve. This was probably in the works for some time, on file at the local planning office as it were, but the local administration didn’t advertise it. This could indicate a conspiracy to surprise and anger the Uyghurs by destroying the Old City (Why?) or suggest that the authorities didn’t know or care who to talk to.

This also relates, I think, to different expectations people have of their government. It is my impression that Han Chinese, especially urbanites, tend to identify with the state much more and feel that it should and will act in their interests. While it’s not necessarily a democratic notion of the state, it’s at least a sense that the government and the people are in a two-way relationship. Most Uyghurs — or members of other ethnic groups, or frustrated Han peasants — don’t have that expectation, at least not in any realistic way. This is rather self-defeating, I think, but the lack of channels for complaint and protest doesn’t help.

Bruce Humes said on July 10, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@Opkehessip

Good points. This idea of the two-way relationship between citizens and the government is indeed a growing reality in China’s bigger cities; interestingly, I would argue that many Han farmers feel and act as “unrelated” to their government as most Uyghurs. This is indeed a nationwide problem, and not just Han vs Uighur.

The riots in Urumqi show what happen when virtually every legal channel for complaint and redress is blocked off.

But your post is interesting to me in that it points out that this is a multifaceted problem. Eventually, Uyghurs in Xinjiang will have to find a way — not easy! — to have an input into the basic decisions that impact their daily lives. This will require learning and compromise on their part too.

Thanks again to The New Dominion for hosting such an excellent web site!

J B said on July 10, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I’m skeptical that urban (middle class) Hans necessarily feel the party represents them; I’ve heard many relatively wealthy people complain about the party. I suspect this is more about the “other”- when it’s simply a matter of oneself and the party, people feel some opposition to the party, but if it’s a matter of someone else versus the party, whether it be another country or another ethnic group, their kneejerk reaction is to back the government. Obviously this is useful for the government, because it can use real or imagined enemies to gather support which wouldn’t be forthcoming if people felt there was no foreign or separatist threat.

chemhu said on July 11, 2009 at 1:25 am
About the protection of Kashgar’s old city, here is a designer’s blog:
I guess he lives in Kashgar for several years. He described a lot of details. Hope you all can read Chinese. You will know they really want to protect rather than destroy the old city.
http://15662354.blog.sohu.com/entry/
By the way, I doubt this TRAVELER could see so deep.

chemhu said on July 11, 2009 at 1:52 am
I am sure there are some crazy Han Chinese. Simillarly there are some crazy Uyghurs. But they can not represent their ethnic groups.

Also, a story in Urumqi:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6677379.ece

As a Han Chinese, I respect rather than Uyghur people. But the rioters should be punished. The killing of innocent people should never be forgiven in every conner of the world.

Laughs said on July 11, 2009 at 12:39 pm
How splendid! Let’s all dial back the clock by 2000 years. We will all be living in the prosperity of the caliphate, just like in the Arabian nights.

Oh, wait. At that time, Islam was not even born and what you call new dominion was in Han china. Get over it. What has this country got to do with these pan turks. Get back to the thanksgiving dinner table of the distant americans.

Porfiriy said on July 11, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Lol, we don’t call it the new dominion, the Han do. 新疆. Maybe you should write China and tell them to rename it 旧疆? Laughs indeed.

Ralphie said on July 12, 2009 at 2:42 am
If you flip through a high school history book in China, you will find that for the vast majority of the time, the Han Chinese do not control either the area of today’s Xingjing or Tibet or Mongolia. Look at the map of the first empire, which is a little bit more than 2000 years ago. It didn’t even control a large portion of Southern China, Northeast China, Western China, Tibet, Mongolia or Taiwan. The Han not only didn’t maintain consistent control of a lot of the regions, but also were even ruled by two non-Han empires during the course of history. To say that Han China has been controlling the region undoubtedly as early as 2000 years ago is a gross disregard of history.

Tassie said on July 13, 2009 at 4:33 pm
@Ralphie

In the 2nd century BC, Han China sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the states in the region, beginning several decades of struggle between the Xiongnu and Han China over dominance of the region, eventually ending in Chinese success. In 60 BC Han China established the Protectorate of the Western Regions (西域都護府) at Wulei (烏壘; near modern Luntai) to oversee the entire region as far west as the Pamir.

Tassie said on July 13, 2009 at 4:35 pm
@Porfiriy

“Xinjiang” or “Ice Jecen” in Manchu, literally means “Old Frontier Returns to China” a name given during the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China.

Dirk said on July 13, 2009 at 5:02 pm
“Laughs”’s ignorance of history makes his/her name truly appropriate.
(1) 2000 years ago, there was no caliphate. Islam didn’t come into being for another several centuries.
(2) The caliphate was, in its time, actually quite prosperous and civilized relative to many other parts of the world. This was the golden age of Islamic civilization.
(3) The biggest howler is the idea that the Han dynasty controlled what is now Xinjiang 2000 years ago. What can one say? It’s simply and absurdly false. Look it up, “Laughs”. Maybe you should be a little less sure of yourself and a bit more willing to listen to others. But I doubt this will happen.

Think Ming! said on July 13, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I was in Kashgar until just a few weeks ago. I have to point out some misrepresentations in this article.

The anonymous traveler says: “The Old City was “heartening” if tragic… bulldozers, bulldozers, bulldozers. I saw a few mosques come down, probably a few hundred years old each.”

You really saw a few several-hundred year old mosques come down?!? Really? Are you 100% sure you aren’t shitting us?

I spent a number of months in Kashgar during the first half of 2009 and did not see anything nearly that dramatic.

In fact I was never able to answer questions from visiting photographers exactly where they would be able to see the much publicized “destruction of the Old City”. Every photographer I met in Kashgar this year seemed to want to record bulldozers destroying old buildings, but they all had difficulty getting the shots they wanted. I personally saw one block leveled in dramatic style by a bulldozer (this was across the street and a little way north-east of the Yambu hotel). I may be wrong, but doubt the buildings were “hundreds of years old”. I didn’t have a chance to investigate before the bulldozers got to work, but if that destroyed area was anything like its surrounds, the majority of the structures would have been several decades old at most. Of course there could have been something older hidden in there without me knowing.

I am not saying the Old City is not being bulldozed, but it is not nearly as rapid or dramatic a process as you make out. The casual visitor will be lucky to see it in progress. The visitor who claims to have seen several hundreds-of-years-old mosques bulldozed in a single day is probably telling porkies.

The traveler says: “They hire actors to dress up as “traditional” Uyghurs for six hours a day.) They smile and proudly display pictures of the Chinese flag.”

I managed to miss all this when I visited the ticketed old city attraction. People were dressed like they were everywhere else in the Uighur part of town. I saw no Chinese flags.

The traveler says: “This is the only part of the Old City that Western journalists are allowed to photograph. I got some pictures of the “unofficial” Old City, which was absolutely marvelous.”

Is it really the only part Western journalists are allowed to photograph? Are you absolutely certain about that? I ask because I met several western photographers and journalists in Kashgar who seemed to be wandering taking photographs at will. Did something change in Kashgar in the fortnight or so between my departure and the Wulumuqi riot?

The traveler says: “It felt like home. Kebabs everywhere. Hummus, tabouli, green tea with mint. ”

Green tea with mint, yes.
Hummus, no.
Tabouli, no.

Strange. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough. I did see chickpeas served in some of the soups though, so maybe these things exist.

Think Ming! said on July 13, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Further comments. . .

‘anonymous traveler’ says: “I met some reporters in the Old City from the West, but most of them were being followed and having their cameras taken away from them.”

I casually met a few western journalists and photographers while I was in Kashgar earlier this year. Nobody complained of having their cameras seized. I am not saying this does not happen in China – I have personally had the contents of my camera searched in Xinjiang (the only place on earth this has happened to me). However, please don’t exaggerate.

I am sure things have become very restrictive in the wake of the riots. Previous to the riots it was business as normal, and the old city was not a particularly sensitive area.

The traveler also says: “What I saw was a Uyghur population in Kashgar feeling that they faced the immediate destruction of their cultural and historical heritage.”

For a change I somewhat agree with the traveler. I have heard many Uighurs express much the same sentiments as above. Mind you, many also seem to feel more optimistic about their prospects as a culture.

The traveler also says: “Families were being evacuated from their homes. I honestly have no idea why they would even let Westerners in the city to see this. I still have no idea why they didn’t make me leave.”

You seem to be saying you saw families being rounded up by security forces and made to leave their homes at short notice? Why exactly was this happening?

Families are being relocated from old dwellings in the central city to new apartments (often in less central locations), but the process is surely much the same as anywhere else in China. Why would ‘evacuations’ be involved!!?

I spent several months in Kashgar this year but somehow saw nothing like what you describe! Did this weird phenomenon only begin occuring in the fortnight or so between my departure and the Wulumuqi riot?

The traveler says: “I honestly have no idea why they would even let Westerners in the city to see this. I still have no idea why they didn’t make me leave.”

Kashgar receives a regular trickle of western visitors. While more ’sensitive’ than the average Chinese city, things are hardly at the point where the government needs to ban all foreigners to prevent them ’seeing oppressive stuff’.

I hope that the readers can seriously question the bias of this writer. He comes across as a naive and wide-eyed traveler desperate to wring a sensational story out of a visit to Kashgar that happened to coincide with a news event.

Porfiriy said on July 13, 2009 at 7:01 pm
@Tassie

Oh, I see what you did.

1. Your source is wikipedia.
2. The change was made to wikipedia 3 days ago as you can see at this link.

Oh, and you didn’t even bother to change the source cited in the article, which leads to this page, a Chinese page which says 新疆：以其为新辟疆土而称新疆.

Finally: http://www.enenggi.com/ViewWord.aspx?input=ice and http://www.enenggi.com/ViewWord.aspx?input=jecen

OpkeHessip said on July 13, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I’ve gotta question your Manchu, there. As far as I am aware, the Manchu name is “ice toqtobuhe jecen”… that is, “the new(-ly pacified) frontier” or 新平定疆.

Oh, and of course the writer is biased! Remember, folks, this is a “primary source.”

Ralphie said on July 14, 2009 at 12:48 am
@Tassie, assuming that Han Chinese have firmly controlled that region for over 2000 years, then I have to conclude that the Chinese culture is weak and unappealing-it took over 2000 years and somehow the Chinese still can’t assimilate them or get them to love the Chinese or feel that it’s the luckiest thing in the whole universe to be born as a Chinese? Give me a break. The mere fact that some governmental representative was sent there doesn’t automatically mean it’s longlasting! During WW2, Japan set up a pro-Japanese governmental in China. Does that mean China has always been part of Japan since then? No.
And please don’t forget that the infamous “ponytail” of virtually every Chinese men in the last dynasty is a proof that not long Han didn’t maintain firm and consistent control over the disputed regions as they claim, they were, themselves, conquered by other ethnic groups, twice, at the very least.

Leo said on July 15, 2009 at 3:09 am
If what think ming said is true, then this is really shamelessly propagandist piece. The people who wrote this and want to present this as a “source of information” (even just a “alternative one”) are really disgusting and have a twisted mind.

Sam said on July 21, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I know clear that “think Ming” is also a chinese, a Han-Chinese, not a foreign, and there is no dubit why he is saying such a lying words to distract the others. No more comments, truth is always truth, ask the reality from the people living there, try to see it with your heart, then you will be clear of the facts there.

From: http://www.thenewdominion.net/1007/a-letter-from-kashgar/