Nomads in a Taxkorgan Valley by Reuben Silverman

Depending on which direction you’re heading, the town of Taxkorgan (sometimes spelled Tashkorgan) is either your first stop in China or a final goodbye. It’s located on the Karakoram Highway not far from the pass leading to Pakistan.

Aside from beautiful green pastures populated by nomadic Kyrgyz people and their herds, Taxkorgan is also known for its stone castle, nicknamed the “Princess Castle”. If you’re going to make your way out as far as the beautiful Karakul Lake, it’s almost a waste not to journey just an hour more to Taxkorgan.

This picture was taken by Reuben Silverman, who recently took a trip out to China’s far western border. He wrote a great story about his trip to Kashgar you can read here and I appreciate the chance to use his photo here on FarWestChina. Thanks!

There is a poll up on the FarWestChina Facebook page right now that I’d love to get your opinion on. It has to do with how the world views Uyghur in light of all that has happened over the past year and a half (or longer, depending on your familiarity with Xinjiang history).

A Uyghur Neighbor?

If a Uyghur moved next door to you today, how would you react? Take a second to give your opinion and hopefully we can get a good picture of how Xinjiang’s largest minority group are viewed globally. If you don’t see the answer you’d like, just leave a comment there.

Also, if you haven’t already, become a fan of the FarWestChina Facebook page. It helps share the website with people who otherwise wouldn’t have seen it and in the next month I’ll also be holding a contest there.

With the exception of journalist, most foreigners these days are welcomed to Xinjiang with open arms. We bring language, expertise and best of all – money.

There is, however, a list of foreigners – both past and present – who will forever be scorned in the Xinjiang history books. Fair or not, these men and women have been branded by words and stories that leave Chinese people in the province shaking their head in disgust.

This is the Xinjiang Most-Wanted Foreigners List.

#4 – Yaqub Beg (Central Asian)

Born in modern-day Uzbekistan, Yaqub Beg is one of the most hated figures in Xinjiang’s history.  Throughout the 19th century Yaqub held considerable sway over the western portion of Xinjiang and was known as a harsh leader. Xinjiang history articles describe his birth as such:

His father was a religious [person] who chanted sutras for patients. Soon after Yakub was born, his parents divorced. His mother remarried a butcher. Butcher’s adopted son was still a butcher. The only difference was that he slaughtered people.

The feelings toward his place in history still remain: in 1978 during a renovation of the land where Yaqub is buried, his tomb was razed.

#3 Albert von Le Coq (German)

If you’ve ever visited the Gaochang ruins or the Beziklik caves in Turpan, you’ve seen von Le Coq’s work. Likewise you’ve also seen the signs in the caves that tell of how the foreigner “thieves came in and stole” the precious paintings.

Albert von Le Coq was one of many foreign archeologist to explore Xinjiang and take back countless paintings and artifacts to Berlin where many were bombed to pieces during World War II.

Regardless of your opinion about whether archeologist in the early 20th century stole paintings or rescued them, one thing is certain – the Chinese hate the legacy he left in Xinjiang.

#2 Aurel Stein – (Hungarian / British)

Right up there with von LeCoq, Stein is also despised for what he took out of both Xinjiang and Gansu. His work can be seen all around the Taklamakan and he was credited with finding and excavating many lost desert cities during his expeditions.

Perhaps his most famous footnote in history, however, was when he was able to gain access to a padlocked cave near Dunhuang (Gansu) that housed the Diamond Sutra – the world’s oldest printed text. The amazing story is best told, I believe, by Peter Hopkirk in the book Foreign Devils on the Silk Road, but suffice to say the Chinese believe a young monk who didn’t have a clue what he was protecting was hoodwinked by an educated foreigner.

Stein was somehow able to exit Xinjiang with crates upon crates of Central Asian treasure, much of which is still stored and sometimes displayed in the British Museum to the ire of Chinese officials.

#1 Rebiya Kadeer (Uyghur / US)

Rebiya holds the distinction of being the only woman on this list as well as the only living person on Xinjiang’s Most Wanted list. Technically she’s not a foreigner since she was born in Xinjiang, but considering her current residence in the US it’s safe to call her a stranger in her own land.

Her story is quite interesting, working her way from being a poor business woman doing laundry to eventually becoming the richest woman in China and a part of the Xinjiang government. Her criticism of the government, however, eventually earned her a spot in a Chinese prison.

Upon release she left for the US where she still actively works on behalf of the Uyghur, but since the Urumqi riots in 2009 and the accusations that she was the mastermind behind it all, her reputation among Han Chinese in Xinjiang has become that of a wanted criminal.

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Want to be on this list? It’s easy! All you need to do is declare independence, cut out valuable paintings, or become politically active. In no time at all you’ll earn a spot on Xinjiang’s Most Wanted Foreigners (let me know so I can update this post, please).

Gaochang Ruins in Turpan. Courtesy of Zara Arshad

It’s amazing to me that the crumbling mud walls of this ancient town outside Turpan was once a vibrant city along the Silk Road. Gaochang, also known in the local language as “Kharakhoja”, was once a capital of the region for both Han and Uyghur kingdoms.

Now the only people in the city are tourist discovering thousands of years of Xinjiang history. If you’ve never been to Turpan I highly suggest you take a trip, and before you go grab a copy of the free Turpan Travel Guide published by yours truly.

Also worth checking out are some of the other Xinjiang photos by photographer Zara Arshad. Her recent trip to the province has produced some beautiful shots of both landscape and people that you can view on her Flickr page. Gorgeous!

At 10:30am on Thursday morning, August 19th, a Uyghur man in Aksu, Xinjiang threw a bomb into a group of people while riding his motorized tricycle. According to reports, 7 people have died and 14 more are injured. The man responsible for the attack was injured but survived and is now under arrest.

*This article has been updated. See all notes below for most recent news*

The Aksu Bombing

The press has jumped on this story with lighting speed which has resulted in more than a few discrepancies between accounts. Reuters claims that the people injured were all paramilitary while The Guardian describes it as “a crowd”. AFP quotes a government spokesman as saying that most of the victims were Uyghur. One thing they all agree on is the number of people hurt, and they type of vehicle (a three-wheeled vehicle seen in this picture).

The Xinjiang government, seemingly better prepared for such an event following the riots last year, has responded with a hasty news conference and – to the surprise of many – interviews.

The BBC was able to interview a government official (listen for the interview at around the 10min mark) who said:

Since the case is under investigation, the reason for these attacks is currently unknown. We will release more information after the investigation has ended.

According to some reports, martial law has been enacted in Aksu, but a government spokeswoman has denied this. What the government has been able to do is suppress the dissemination of images from the attack, if there are any. Many reports, including those by the RFA and the Los Angeles Times have used stock photos because there is nothing else to use.

History of Unrest in Aksu

As is the case in most every city in Xinjiang, this isn’t the first time there has been unrest in Aksu. Two bombs went off in Aksu in July 1994 following the implementation of “family planning and birth control” experiments that didn’t settle well a Uyghur population that was used to large families.

Interestingly, Aksu has also been home to Han demonstrations. Back in 1979 and 1980, over 5,000 to 6,000 Han ‘educated youth’ from Shanghai occupied the local administrative offices for 50 days. They had been brought to Xinjiang to work in the Bingtuan but were unhappy and ready to go back home.

Terrorism or Criminal Act?

It has yet to be determined whether this will be classified a terrorist act or a criminal act. The New Dominion seems to think that the man will “confess” to affiliations with outside terrorist groups.

Currently it is being handled as a criminal case, according to a government spokesman. Considering the nature of the crime (a single man, home made explosives) it should likely stay that way, but only time will tell.

It sucks to say this, but this is just another image of Xinjiang that the international press has been happy to run. As long as the public only hears this kind of news, it’s no wonder people are somewhat nervous about coming to Xinjiang.

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Update 8/21: The AFP reports that there were actually two suspects – a man and a woman. The woman, who was allegedly also throwing bombs, was killed during the incident (although it’s not clear whether she was included in the death toll).

Update 8/21: RFA reports that the police killed in the attack were known to have “…harassed ethnic Uyghurs, singling out men with beards and women wearing traditional head coverings, according to police sources.” The report also states the time of the attack as being 8:30am, although it’s likely that this is Xinjiang time, not Beijing time.

Update 8/26: Reuters reports that four people have been detained in connection with this bombing. Also noted is a correction that 6 people died and 15 were injured.