On this day one year ago riot police were called into a toy factory in Guangdong to break up a brawl between Han and Uyghur workers. By the time calm had been restored 2 Uyghur had died and over 100 other people were injured.

You can hear the unique song announcing its approach like The Entertainer does the ice cream truck. Except unlike the ice cream truck people don’t run towards this music, they run away! Check out this hilarious video…

Xinjiang police in Urumqi held an anti-riot training exercise while Uyghur representatives warn of protests. What could this be other than a countdown leading up to the one-year anniversary of the July 5th riots.

Over the next couple of weeks there will undoubtedly be much written – both here and in the international press – about the July 5th anniversary.  Before that storm begins, however, I would like to share with you a more personal anniversary that I am celebrating today.

This series of “Top 5″ destinations in Xinjiang highlights the best of the best that this region has to offer! This month Graham Woodring offers his favorite spots from his visit here late last year…

While oil continues to spew into the Gulf, on the other side of the world a different crack is leaking crude. Strangely, the black oil running jagged down the sides of this mountain have the look of dried blood. It’s only fitting…

Urumqi train station has played a key role in Xinjiang’s development. It still does as a matter of fact…for every 100 people that enter Xinjiang through the airport, there are 400 more that enter through the train station.

Despite my aversion to diets, I lost close to 10 kg (22 lbs) on in my first year in China! A lot of this can be attributed to more walking, a better sleep schedule, and the occasional post-restaurant stomach virus I like to call Mao’s Revenge, but I think there was a little more at work here. Let me explain…

Hold on. Is that a book about Xinjiang…published by Reader’s Digest? Those were my first skeptical thoughts while picking up ‘Wonderful Xinjiang’, especially considering its author. The Han Chinese, especially those who have served as part of the Chinese government, are not well-known for their objectivity.

The time on my watch showed 6:55pm Beijing time. Exactly 24 hours earlier my involvement in this Uyghur wedding had begun and things were finally coming to a head in the building in front of me. Everybody was arriving to enjoy the final act of this Uygur wedding: the grand reception.