When I asked this question yesterday my research opened a whole can of worms I didn’t know about, and I found that to be fair, this is a trick question. The answer lies in your understanding that not all parts of China are created equally. I just finished taking a crash course in Chinese Political Geography 101, and I’m lending you my notes to copy.

Here’s a quick quick geography question for anybody who thinks they know China.  I actually had a disagreement with somebody about this and we both had to do some research to find out the answer. Think about it, maybe do some research if you have time, and then leave your answer in the comments.

There’s a good reason why everybody tells you to visit the old portions of a Chinese town. You know, the Beijing hutongs, Pingyao’s walled city, or the ruins located near most any north western Chinese city. Besides the fact that the modern parts of town can be repetitive and boring, the old sections are just so darn cool! Welcome to Kashgar’s Old City.

A new dress code is being required for all government workers in Kashgar, a Silk Road town in China’s largest province of China.  The people it affects the most are the Uyghurs, and the question everybody is asking is: Is this fair?

It’s almost March and snow still covers the ground here in northern Xinjiang. This photo, taken right outside 石河子 or “Shihezi”, a couple hours northwest of Uruqmi, is a beautiful representation of a rural road (which in this case is a toll road!) covered by Xinjiang’s winter.

Dancing is a Uyghur tradition like none other.  No celebration, either religious or otherwise, takes place without a bit of loud music and a dance floor.  It really is a treat for the eyes even if your ears are collateral damage and I’ve taken the liberty of catching some of it on film for you.

Looking for examples of Xinjiang food? Check out the Xinjiang food category!
For the past few days I’ve been factchecking the Xinjiang/Silk Road portion of the latest edition of DK’s Eyewitness Travel China guide and I’ve run into an interesting translation problem.  Or maybe it’s a cultural difference.  Either way, I’m now unsure how to categorize Uyghur food in the “Xinjiang Autonomous Region“.

A guide to taking a train in Urumqi and what to expect when you’re traveling in Xinjiang

I’m not sure how he did it, but photographer Didier Marti was somehow able to make Xinjiang’s dirtiest, most polluted and densly populated city look beautiful. In the foreground you can see the capital’s Hong Shan Park, a great place to relax and take your own cityscape picture. For more great travel photos…

Until now, I’ve never lived in a place where words like “outbreak”, “epidemic”, or “H5N1″ made me shudder.  Now I’m not sure what to think.  China has now officially reported the first bird flu outbreak this year which began with the death of 519 chickens here in Xinjiang and has already claimed the life of a 31-year old woman who lived not far from the capital city of Urumqi.