For those of you who live in China I would like to announce a very special event that happened today.  At about 2pm Beijing time, after three months of non-stop blockage, some internet censor in Beijing finally decided to let my blog free from the Great Fire Wall.

Last weekend my wife and I witnessed the largest firecracker display we’ve ever seen here in China…and that includes during the infamous Chinese New Year.  Usually a single roll of these small crackers is used for a wedding, but the owners of this new bakery and coffee shop down the street spared no expense on over 12 full rolls of firecrackers to be lit all at once to celebrate their grand opening.  As you’ll see, it lasted almost an entire minute.

When I asked this question yesterday my research opened a whole can of worms I didn’t know about, and I found that to be fair, this is a trick question. The answer lies in your understanding that not all parts of China are created equally. I just finished taking a crash course in Chinese Political Geography 101, and I’m lending you my notes to copy.

Here’s a quick quick geography question for anybody who thinks they know China.  I actually had a disagreement with somebody about this and we both had to do some research to find out the answer. Think about it, maybe do some research if you have time, and then leave your answer in the comments.

Dancing is a Uyghur tradition like none other.  No celebration, either religious or otherwise, takes place without a bit of loud music and a dance floor.  It really is a treat for the eyes even if your ears are collateral damage and I’ve taken the liberty of catching some of it on film for you.

Looking for examples of Xinjiang food? Check out the Xinjiang food category!
For the past few days I’ve been factchecking the Xinjiang/Silk Road portion of the latest edition of DK’s Eyewitness Travel China guide and I’ve run into an interesting translation problem.  Or maybe it’s a cultural difference.  Either way, I’m now unsure how to categorize Uyghur food in the “Xinjiang Autonomous Region“.

Spring Festival. Chinese New Year. National Firecracker Day. Whatever you wish to call it, it still occurs every year for some reason and just like Christmas in America nobody can stop it from coming.  You can, however, run away from it.

So my wife and I just got back from a great warm-weather vacation to Hong Kong and the Philippines yesterday and are grateful to be home despite the fact that we’re in sub-zero temperatures here in Xinjiang. 

Spring Festival is just around the corner and my wife and I will be taking advantage of the opportunity to migrate south. to much warmer weather  We’ll actually be jumping out of the country for a little bit to escape the horror that is traveling during

Getting your hands on good train tickets in any major Chinese city during the Spring Festival is without a doubt one of the most difficult tasks known to man. Right now tickets halls from Beijing to Shanghai to Xi’an are packed with people who wait countless hours in line for the chance to buy tickets to be with their families back home, an ordered chaos that is led primarily by a fearless group of people known as migrant workers.