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*This post is part 4 in a series of posts entitled “Why It’s Good to Live in (and Travel to) Xinjiang”.  If you haven’t already, it might be a good idea to read over The Intro, Reason #1, and Reason #2 before continuing.*

Is Obscurity Interesting?

Obscurity, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is something that is “not readily understood” or “relatively unknown“, but just because something is obscure doesn’t mean it is interesting.  Burkina Faso is an obscure country, but that in itself is not enough of a reason to make me want to visit.  Kansas is an obscure state in the U.S., but how many people have that on their wish list of places to travel?

Alaska, however…now’s that’s an obscure state I want to see someday!  The beautiful French Polynesia is a country (or rather a French territory) whose beaches I wouldn’t mind walking on in the near future.  So what is it that differentiates Kansas from Alaska, Burkina Faso from French Polynesia?  What makes one obscure place boring and another exciting?

The answer lies in one word: mystery.  A mysterious part of the world is one which no book (or blog) could properly explain and no photographer’s lens could adequately capture.  Although a place’s mystery is usually associated with its natural beauty, such mystery can also be found in its people, history, and culture.  It is this very mystery incorporating all of theses characteristics which make Xinjiang such a special place to live or visit.

Many provinces in China can be considered obscure, but very few elicit a “wow” response from other Chinese people throughout China. For example, if you travel to Beijing or Shanghai and tell them that you live in the Gansu, Qinghai, or Guizhou provinces, you’ll probably get a simple “Oh, that’s nice” response. Tell them you’re from Xinjiang? “Really?! Wow! What’s it like?”

Why is that? For starters, Xinjiang is relatively new to the China scene, at least when compared to the rest of China, so it carries with it a sense of (here’s that word again) mystery and raw beauty that is alluring to those who have never been there. It also comes with many curious stereotypes that people want confirmed, some true and others false, such as the idea that everyone in Xinjiang is poor (which is false, but an understandable deduction), that it is so cold (true, but it is also so hot) and that it is absolutely beautiful (which is true). I could try to explain all that makes Xinjiang so alluring, but as John Mayer says in one of my favorite songs of his, “Maybe I will tell you all about it when I’m in the mood to lose my way with words.”

Obviously obscurity alone still isn’t enough of a reason to visit or live in Xinjiang but I guess that’s why this is just the 3rd out of 6 reasons why I think you should.

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Follow up with the rest of the series on “Why Live and Travel to Xinjiang?”:

1. The Cultural Diversity

2. Diversity of Food and Music

3. Obscurity

4. Exotic, Natural Beauty

5. Foreigner Curiosity and Excitement

6. Hone Your Survival Skills