Our city is buzzing over a recent government announcement posted on the web and spread via the radio and the rapid word of mouth (newspapers were apparently left out of the loop).
I’ve translated a short section below:

Although the face of Kashgar is rapidly changing with the demolition of the Old Town, one part of the city remains proudly standing: the Id Kah Mosque.

Dear FarWestChina Readers,

Following a tradition that I practice in my normal, non-internet life, I’ve decided to write all of you a quick Christmas letter wrapping up the year 2009. It’s been an eventful year to say the least,

Last year about this time my wife and I were invited to the grand opening of a local bakery/coffee shop. Usually we shy away from such invitations because in most cases our presence is a publicity stunt (we’re the only westerners in our city), but we agreed this time due to the owner being the mother of one of my students.

I had it coming, I guess.  Less than 48 hours after I published an article about the internet situation in Xinjiang (including a short sentence about the ability to circumvent the block), every single internet and phone loophole across the province suddenly stopped working. Obviously it is most likely a coincidence, but I’m beginning to feel guilty when I get concerned calls from other foreigners asking me if my ability to access the internet has been disabled as well.

I took this picture at the Uyghur Musical Instrument Factory in Kashgar. All along every inch of wall space stringed instruments were either hanging or leaning. The most famous of these is the rawap, the instrument you see with what looks like horns coming out of its neck. The owner convinced me to sit down and try to pick out a few songs with him but I ended up spending most of the time just watching him play.

How much information is really getting into and out of Xinjiang? Is the internet completely cut or just partially? If so, how am I updating this blog while still living in Xinjiang? And the question on everybody’s mind who has any concern about Xinjiang: when will they turn the internet back on?

It’s quite incredible to look out the front window of the bus and feel like you’re driving directly into the mountains. Some parts of these roads are so flat, straight and long that you could be viewing this scene for more than 30 minutes going 80 km/hr and it wouldn’t noticably change.

You know how it always feels like Christmas comes a little earlier every year?  I find it fascinating that this type of “roaming holiday” is exactly what Corban (a.k.a. Eid al-Adha) is to the Xinjiang Muslim culture. Last year we celebrated this holiday on December 10th but this year was moved all the way back to last Saturday on November 28th. Thanks to the lunar calendar one never exactly knows when the next holiday will be, and oddly during some years it is celebrated on two different days …