Travel to China: Urumqi

Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, is now more Han than Uighur. It's not just demographics; it's also physical, with the city built by Han to Han notions of what a city should be. The pictures here all come from early 2009, before the troubles that erupted a few months later.

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The Tianshan on the approach to Urumqi.

Cityscape: the concrete by itself tells you that this city is like a hundred others, farther east.

Street scene.

A breezy day.

Very traditional? Not quite. The city's grand bazaar was cleared and an ersatz version put in its place. Most of the vendors are Han. The tower is like those farther west, for example in Bukhara, but the gray band of bas-reliefs would not be tolerated there.

here it is; figurative sculpture on a make-believe minaret. The musicians are having a party, but who is responsible for it?

Answer: Chinese, hired by the Grand Bazaar Development Company.

Inside the new grand bazaar.

Downstairs there's a Carrefour.

Another attempt to celebrate Xinjiang's Uighurs.

Uighurs are busy outside, here with a variety of breads.

Hot from the oven.

A metalshop.