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Under the Heel of the Dragon | Book Review

March 25 | No Comments

More than four years before the deadly riots in Urumqi, an American named Blaine Kaltman working on his PhD thesis, traveled all over China interviewing Uyghur and Han alike to find out the answer to one simple question: are you guys ever going to get along?

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Discussion: Language in Xinjiang Education, Uyghur or Mandarin?

March 24 | No Comments

Ever since reading Blaine Kaltman’s Under the Heel of the Dragon, my views about language in education have been challenged. At this moment in the Xinjiang city of Karamay, there is only one Uyghur-language high school and judging from the rumors I’ve heard recently they may soon switch to Mandarin. Why is that?  Or rather, […]

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Foreign Devils on the Silk Road: Book Review

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The Silk Road has become to Xinjiang as the Great Wall is to China. The first foreigners to cross this important set of trade routes were kindly referred to as merchants but around the turn of the century another group of foreigners would step foot here and be labeled devils.

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Life in Xinjiang after 7.5 (Urumqi Riots)

March 19 | No Comments

How did the Urumqi riots of 2009 change the way people lived in Xinjiang, China? During the months that followed the riots, quite a few newsworthy events continued to shape life in Xinjiang, including the syringe scare and the outbreak of H1N1. As always, keep in mind that this all comes from personal observation and […]

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The TRUTH about Xinjiang’s Internet Situation

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How much information is really getting into and out of Xinjiang? Is the internet completely cut or just partially? If so, how am I updating this blog while still living in Xinjiang? And the question on everybody’s mind who has any concern about Xinjiang: when will they turn the internet back on?

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A History of Unrest in Xinjiang (prior to 2009)

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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 Murders and coups of the past have now been replaced by riots and what the Chinese call “splittism” (the desire to separate the country).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 […]

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Xinjiang Crippled by Urumqi Riots; Curfew Set (July 5, 2009)

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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 […]

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Water in the Barren Xinjiang Desert

March 18 | No Comments

I’d like to introduce you to one of the most popular buildings in Karamay, a small city of only 200,000 people here in Xinjiang. It represents the only place of worship that is not only accepted by the local government but also boasts a large membership from their ranks.

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Romantic Chinese Wedding Vows

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Last weekend my wife and I attended another Chinese wedding of a co-worker who was getting married to a local fireman.  It was a beautiful wedding held in a hotel banquet hall and we were happy to attend.  Everything progressed in the same manner as most every modern Chinese wedding we have seen, except for […]

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Kashgar’s Old Town Bulldozed; Is Uyghur Culture in Danger?

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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 […]

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