The Tree That Bleeds by Nick Holdstock
Review by Josh Summers

In February of 1997, a deadly protest known as the “Ghulja Incident” shook the core of a small city in China’s western province of Xinjiang. Depending on who you ask, this incident has been described as a peaceful demonstration, an act of terrorism, or a massacre. To this day, the truth behind these mysterious events remains largely unknown.

Four years later Nick Holdstock, a British writer who had already spent time teaching English in Hunan, decided to investigate. His book, entitled The Tree That Bleeds, chronicles the year he spent in Yining (site of the riots) and everything he learned about what really happened on February 5, 1997.

A Refreshing Look at Xinjiang

In general, I have found that literature available for readers interested in Xinjiang tends to be either too political or too academic. This, I believe, has been a contributing factor to the limited understanding the world has about the region.

In The Tree That Bleeds, Holdstock has been able to humanize the ethnic conflict while painting a refreshing picture of Xinjiang that is both colorful and inviting.

With each witty description of new experiences in Xinjiang, I found myself nodding my head in agreement as if he had been describing me during my first years in the province. Uyghur weddings, games of snooker, long bike rides through the countryside – all shared memories between myself and Nick Holdstock.

I am also drawn to Nick’s humble approach to the unknown. He writes, “The longer I stayed in Yining, or Ghulja, the less I knew”. Nothing frustrates me more than an author or journalist who writes about Xinjiang in a matter-of-fact tone, as if the issues truly are black and white, and that wasn’t the case here.

The Tree That Bleeds offers a compelling explanation to the causes of the 1997 riots in Yining – some of the best that I’ve ever come across – yet Holdstock never claims to have the answer.

In a personal interview, Nick shared with me that “…the question of what happend and why is just a starting point for the book- not to be forgotten, but it shouldn’t occlude all the other fascinating things about the region“.

How Would You Describe Xinjiang?

Think about your first time visiting Xinjiang, or maybe just your first time in China. How exactly would you describe what you saw to people who have never left the borders of their own country?

While some may criticize Holdstock for indulging in the discussion of daily Xinjiang life in a book that is dedicated to the investigation of a riot, I thoroughly enjoyed his detours.

In a manner that reminded me of Peter Hessler, Holdstock uses interesting characters, revealing dialogue, and seemingly unrelated events to provide foundational understanding of Xinjiang that ultimately affects the reader’s interpretation of the facts presented.

Whether he is playing chess with a Uyghur master, eating lung soup for the first time, or accidentally running across a cock fight, all of these episodes guide readers one step deeper into Xinjiang.

Nick Holdstock Answers My Objections

A review isn’t complete without criticisms, and I do have a few of my own. Fortunately, when presented with my objections, Nick Holdstock was kind enough to provide his explanations.

It bothered me that throughout the book’s investigation of the ethnic conflict that fuels Xinjiang’s unrest, very little attention is paid to the Han Chinese. This is obviously due to the fact that most of Holdstock’s friends and acquaintances are ethnic minorities (Uyghur, Kazakh, Hui), but this still leaves out a very important half of the conflict.

In contrast to the glaring omission of Han Chinese from The Tree that Bleeds, I was struck by how much time Holdstock spends talking about his foreign counterparts – people who had absolutely nothing to do with his investigation of the riots.

Why make them part of the narrative? Because they are missionaries, a group of people he obviously despises.

“I can’t deny that there are moments in the book when my anger gets away from me” Nick told me in an email. He’s not joking. Not only does he burn their books, he literally approaches government officials in an attempt to get them kicked out of the country.

Once I got over the irony that Holdstock admits to arriving in Xinjiang with a secret agenda just like the missionaries, a thought struck me: what if my biggest criticism of this book was actually it’s greatest strength?

In a book that does a wonderful job exploring the ignorant and uniformed hatred by both Han and Uyghur, Nick Holdstock unintentionally reminds readers that this is not a problem found only in Xinjiang.

Even in the face of my criticism, Nick told me in his email, “I still have a problem with [missionaries] being there”. Despite his admission that they were the group of people he got to know the least, he still maintained an evident hatred for their presence in Xinjiang.

Sound similar to other groups of people in this province?

Bigotry is not an issue unique to Xinjiang – we all hold prejudices of our own that we desperately try to justify. Whether you’re Han, Uyghur, British or American – we’re all cut from the same cloth.

The Tree That Bleeds is an insightful, often entertaining look into the emotions that continue to divide the people of Xinjiang – the same kind of emotions that are causing riots across the globe. I believe that Nick Holdstock came to Xinjiang in search for the answers to the Ghulja Riot, but what he finds extends far beyond the provincial borders.

Still hungry for more? Check out an excerpts of The Tree That Bleeds on ChinaBeat or buy a copy for yourself at Amazon (affiliate link…thanks!):

• Excerpt on ChinaBeat
• Buy The Tree That Bleeds

The city of Bole, a small town in western Xinjiang only 20 miles from the Kazakhstan border, has found a new use for all their stray cats.

Drawing inspiration from the famous Tom & Jerry cartoons, local officials decided that the best way to fight an overpopulation of rats was to create what they call a “cat army” to restore balance.

Apparently it has worked. According to Chinese reports, the city cats were hesitant to embrace their new role of “Little Mao on the Prairie” (mao being the Chinese word for cat), but after some bribery they’ve done their job.

The number of rats on the Bole grassland has dropped dramatically since this cat army was released and the strategy is being considered for other areas of Xinjiang as well.

But where are these cats to sleep at night, especially in the winter when the temperatures drop to well below zero?

City officials built them cat caves made of bricks (no joke…see the picture below). Some of the cats are using them while others have decided to live out under the stars.

Li Hua, a forest worker in the Bole region, recalled a recent “cat and mouse war” scene he witnessed shortly after the army was released.

“A while ago I went back to that area and saw a cat chasing the mouse through the grasslands.” Then, in an excited tone he added “Mice do not run as fast as a cat!“

Shoe Repair by Aphra

In 2009 photographer Aphra Pia visited China to travel along the fabled Silk Road. Her trip coincided with the Uyghur uprising in Xinjiang province.

Despite all of the development brought into the region by China, most of the Uyghurs are still living in a pre-industrial age. Pia’s endeavored to photograph them with understanding, capturing glimpses of their everyday living; children, beggars, handicraftsmen and small merchants.

View the Exibit

Silken Threads from the Past: Uyghur People and Their Culture

World Affair Council of California (San Francisco)

The exhibit will be on display through September 23, 2011

Next time you squeeze that little packet of ketchup onto your greasy french fry for lunch, think of Xinjiang. There’s a high probability that the tomato used to produce that ketchup came from China’s largest, western province.

Much news is written about Xinjiang’s oil exports and even the Chinese cotton industry, but did you know that Xinjiang produces more than 70% of all China’s tomatoes? Or that China accounts for a quarter of all global tomato output?

Think about that next time you eat your ketchup-covered hot dog.

I was riding my motorcycle down highway S201 from Karamay to Urumqi when I ran into the following scene:

In the picture you can only see about 4 trucks of tomatoes. I guarantee you there were about 30 more waiting to process their load. I have never seen so many tomatoes in my life…and it’s likely I never will again.

Little-Known Tomato Facts

Here’s a couple quick facts you might find interesting for your next trivial pursuit game:

• China exports 700,000 metric tons of tomatoes each year. That’s more the US, Turkey and India (the next three top tomato producers) combined.
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest tomato tree in the world originated in China (and can now be seen at Walt Disney’s Epcot Center of all places)
• Despite all of the good tomatoes in Xinjiang, it is practically impossible to get a good pizza or good salsa in the province. This is sad.

From Plant to Plastic Bottle

So what happens between the point that a tomato is picked in Xinjiang (usually during this month of August) and when you buy the plastic bottle? Check out these pictures that follow the production process from a local Xinjiang farm to your doorstep (some pictures thanks to Xinhua):

The tomatoes are picked in the field.

They are transported to the nearest processing center.

After being brought to the plant, they are washed.

Sorted and cleaned…

The resulting tomato paste is literally shipped in these blue barrels.

After a bit more processing, it’s ready for you to eat.

Photo by Francois

Somewhere between Urumqi and Kashgar these nomads have set up tent at the foot of the Tian Shan. THIS is why you take a train when you travel in Xinjiang, not an airplane. How are you supposed to see this through a small hole thirty thousand feet in the air?