For the past month, sealed cases full of Xinjiang artifacts and two incredibly preserved mummies have been sitting in the back rooms of the Penn Museum unopened. Guarded by curiously unsigned documents and layers of bureaucratic red tape, it looked as if the museum exhibit “Secrets of the Silk Road” was doomed. Thankfully, this isn’t so…

It’s haunting and beautiful. It’s Xinjiang winter. It’s China’s army.

February 5th, 2011 was supposed to be a special day for the Penn Museum as it opened the final leg of a 3-city tour of Xinjiang’s “Secret of the Silk Road” exhibit. Camels circled the building and dancers took to the stage. The only thing missing at the museum that day were all the Silk Road artifacts – including the mummies.

A rawap is a “Uyghur long-necked lute without sympathetic strings”2. It is a symbol of Uyghur music and culture and one of the most common souvenirs that you’ll find in all the markets in Xinjiang.

I was asked a great question on the FWC Facebook page last week. From the new crazy tax hike, how much of this new revenue will actually stay in Xinjiang? I promised I would contact a friend who works in the local Xinjiang government and surprisingly I got a great answer from him yesterday.

The geological sights along the Karakoram Highway were varied and contrasting: Rugged mountainscapes, sand marshes, crystal clear lakes, glaciers, green marsh lands. Although I’m not an expert on geology, it certainly piqued my interest to research more about what I saw along my journey.

“Sometime in the future when others will ply the KKH, little will they realize the amount of sweat, courage, dedications, encourage and human sacrifice that has gone into the making of this road but as you drive along…” – Karakoram Highway Memorial Plaque

This beautiful photo captures a journey into the Taklamakan Desert from Khotan (Hotan). Camel treks like this one are a common tourist attraction all along the edge of the desert and you can even arrange an overnight journey to some locations.

The Hotan Sunday market rivals the Kashgar market nowadays as being the largest and the best place to step back in time. Now, you can even get there by a soon-to-be-opened rail line.

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.