Part 2 of the wildly successful series on the best recipes for making Xinjiang Uyghur food at home. If you love the food, you’ve got to try it yourself!

Nothing quite compares to winter in Xinjiang. Because of the province’s sheer size, describing this season of the year with one blanket statement is nearly impossible. Pictures are the only thing that do Xinjiang’s winter justice.

At the heart of the debate over the destruction and rebuilding of Kashgar’s Old City is one primary assumption: Uyghur buildings are more reliable than the concrete, Chinese counterparts. They have stood the test of centuries of time.

But what if Uyghur buildings aren’t as indestructible as we think?

It is considered one of the greatest Uyghur engineering feats and has been nicknamed “The Underground Great Wall”. It is the reason that cities like Turpan exist and is still a primary source of water for many Taklamakan Desert towns.

In Xinjiang, camels aren’t just for riding. Take a look at this crazy photo captured by a FarWestChina reader during her travels through Hotan, Xinjiang.

Nearly two decades have passed since the worst fire in Xinjiang’s history claimed the lives of 325 people, 288 of them school children. Now you can view the documentary that captured it all.

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.

Less than 6 months following a Hotan riot that left 18 people dead in July of 2011, this small, Xinjiang city has made international news yet again with a string of suspicious deaths. In what is becoming a familiar trend in Xinjiang news, conflicting reports and changing stories have made it hard to pin down exactly what occured.

Announcing the winners of the FarWestChina Christmas giveaway! Thanks for taking part and look for new contests in 2012.

Do you like Xinjiang? Do you like free stuff? Then read this. You’ll be glad you did.