Last week China celebrated what is called the “Spring Festival”, the country’s largest holiday. Whether you visit Beijing, Shanghai, Tibet, or Xinjiang you won’t be able to miss the elaborate decorations and deafening firecrackers…but do the minorities join in the celebration?

The similarities are so obvious I’m surprised I don’t see this kind of news article more often. Xinhua, China’s largest news organization and an acknowledged government mouthpiece, ran a short story today about the American Indian tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. Why, you ask? Good question.

I took this picture at the Uyghur Musical Instrument Factory in Kashgar. All along every inch of wall space stringed instruments were either hanging or leaning. The most famous of these is the rawap, the instrument you see with what looks like horns coming out of its neck. The owner convinced me to sit down and try to pick out a few songs with him but I ended up spending most of the time just watching him play.

I came across this cool scene on a small street in the Old City of Kashgar. Among the endless stands and stores selling all sorts of Uyghur antique souvenirs a man and his son patiently chipped away at pieces of wood. The young boy, no older than thirteen years old, used a large axe to break apart the logs while his father…

I found it very interesting as I emerged from my isolation in Xinjiang to see what everybody was writing about the Urumqi riots.  To be honest I am a bit discouraged that most of the conversation – both in China and among English-speakers – has centered around the portrayal of the incident as opposed to the problems causing the incident.  I suspect the reason for this might be a certain fixation on Chinese media as along with a hesitancy to write about Uyghurs, a generally unknown group.

Xinjiang, in both recent and ancient history, has never been known as a haven of peace and tranquility. Murders and coups of the past have now been replaced by riots and what the Chinese call “splittism” (the desire to separate the country). Here’s a quick look at the riots and unrest that have occurred in Xinjiang’s recent history. It’s not a comprehensive list but it includes the largest events that have occurred since the province’s ‘liberation’ in 1949.

During the first few days of the Urumqi riots, stories of beatings, killings, brutal knifings and explosions dominated the gossip circles in Xinjiang. So gruesome were these stories that one could only wish that they were fabrications, although sad pictures in the local press confirmed the contrary. Occasionally, however, a story would find its way through the community* that would be a reminder that hatred is the characteristic of individuals, not ethnic groups.

On Sunday, July 5th at around 9:30pm Beijing time, a riot began which has crippled Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang province. As with any such event here in China, reports are sketchy and numbers vary drastically.  Misleading photos and estimations are already circulating all over the web.  Reliable details won’t be available for at least another 24 hours, but here is a list of what can be confirmed:

Every Friday (or sometimes Sunday) in cities all over Xinjiang, small blocks in the middle of the city are transformed into a maze of stalls, carts, and mobile kitchens. For the entire afternoon the buzz of marketplace activity breathes life into what during the rest of the week is usually an empty lot. You can visit a Muslim Market as far away as Shanghai and the most famous can be found in cities such as Kashgar or Hotan (Khotan), but in fact any Xinjiang city that boasts a …

Within the narrow alleyways of this Old Town lie thousands of years of Kashgar’s history.  Aged wooden doors and cobblestone paths have witnessed the passage of innumerable donkey carts, small Uyghur children and, in recent times, many foreign tourists.  On the outside, these mud-brick walls seem at peace with their place in history but just beyond the padlocked door a crippling truth emerges.