I received an email from a lady a while back whose kids were going to travel through Kashgar. She had been there as a student back in the late 1970′s and later worked there in the 1980′s. She shared with me these pictures she took in Kashgar that I thought were absolutely fascinating.

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.

You’ve probably never heard of Mohe tobacco. Or Xinjiang Airlines. But this ad from a 1994 inflight magazine will make you laugh.

China is known for its bold initiatives to solve urgent problems. Whether it’s building a huge dam, diverting the Yangtze River, or erecting an incredibly long Wall to keep out invaders, it’s hard to determine whether it’s a sign of Chinese ingenuity or an elaborate attempt to impress the world. Their most recent project is no different.

A favorite destination among tourists and a symbol for infuriated activists, the Old City that has survived multiple centuries is now being demolished. In May of 2009 an article was published on FarWestChina debating the pros and cons of the destruction of Kashgar’s Old City, and an update on the situation is long overdue.

You won’t find any dedicated Uyghur phrasebooks at your local bookstore and nobody produces a “UyghurPod” podcast for students. Basically if you want to learn Uyghur outside of Xinjiang you will need to attend one of the few universities that offer Uyghur classes…or you’ll have to teach yourself.

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 as “Kharakhoja”, was once a capital of the region for both Han and Uyghur kingdoms.

Xinjiang’s Gobi March, part of a series of four desert races, has been named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 10 Endurance Competitions in the world. The following is a photo essay of the June 2010 race including quotes from those who both participated and volunteered.

For those who are sweating out the summer even with the air conditioning on full-blast, imagine yourself running 250 kilometers across one of the hottest deserts in the world right now…voluntarily.

It wasn’t until I moved to Xinjiang, China that I realized how little I understood about Islam. My time in the province revealed some of the terrible misconceptions I have about the religion…