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On the westernmost tip of China lies a city that is caught up in an inward struggle over its identity. Is it part of the second largest desert in the world or located at the foot of the Tian Shan mountain range?  Is it on the far west tip of China or right in the middle of the Silk Road?  Is it Uyghur or Han Chinese?  Is it an old city characterized by its thatched houses and donkey carts or a new city sprawling with new high-rises and buzzing with taxis?  Kashgar, it seems, is all of these things.

In terms of size, Kashgar is relatively small, boasting close to only 400,000 inhabitants, yet it is well known all over the world as the cultural and commercial capital of the Silk Road.  Recent events have unfortunately given it the reputation of being a hotbed for conflict and terrorism, but frankly I felt more safe walking with my wife around the streets of this city than I do in Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. We had a great time getting lost in the labyrinth of walkways that crisscross the old town, meeting people who weren’t trying to sell us their goods while experiencing what it much have been like to grow up in this town a century earlier.

Touring the city, though, it’s hard not to notice the internal conflict that is slowly changing, though not destroying, the face of this city.  Not even a mile from Id Kah, the biggest Muslim mosque in China, stands one of the largest statues of Mao ever erected. The placement wasn’t accidental, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the locals.  The main road through Kashgar not only divides the town physically, but also serves as a barrier between where the Uyghur people live and where the Han Chinese reside.  The tension isn’t visible or even near the surface as far as I can see, but I’m sure it’s there.

Thankfully there are more reasons to visit Kashgar than for political or social observations.  Its awkward location between mountains and desert provide breath-taking scenery on many sides of the geographical spectrum and its generally calm weather give you ample opportunity to soak it all in. The people we met on our journey who helped us, drove us, translated for us, and even took us out to eat are a reminder that stereotypes, even the old “tourist trap” stereotype, sometimes only serve to make us afraid of what we don’t know or understand.

We traveled to Kashgar and surrounding villages; we experienced the Uyghur, Kyrgyz, and Muslim cultures; and thankfully I can say that we’ll never look at them the same way again.