Far West China

Uyghur Customs | 26 Rules for Hosting or Being Hosted

April 10 | No Comments

Hosting or being hosted by somebody from a different culture can always be a bit stressful, and for me the Uyghur culture with all the nuances of Uyghur customs, has been no different.

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Celebrating Qurban in Urumqi, Xinjiang

April 8 | No Comments

It’s Qurban Festival in Xinjiang (aka “Corban” or “古尔邦节”) and I decided to take a walk through my local neighborhoods here in Urumqi to capture some photos and a video. You can watch the video below or scroll further down to read a more thorough description of Xinjiang’s Qurban Festival accompanied by a few photos. Hopefully […]

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Uyghur Dutar | Making and Playing Uyghur Music

April 6 | No Comments

The dutar is a two-stringed lute that is characterized by a long neck and pear-shaped body. There are various forms of the instrument that are played all over Central Asia, but the Uyghur dutar is known as one of the largest in this family of plucked instruments. I’ve always been fascinated by the Uyghur dutar and have known a […]

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Fascinating Tradition of Uyghur Paper Making in Hotan, Xinjiang

April 5 | No Comments

The tradition of Uyghur paper making in Hotan (Khotan), Xinjiang has been around for more than 2,000 years, and yet somehow it rarely gets a mention in most travel guides or tour packages. The truth is, if it weren’t for government subsidies, this local tradition of making paper from mulberry trees probably would have died […]

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Mass Uyghur Wedding in Turpan, Xinjiang (100+ couples!!!)

April 3 | No Comments

Living in Xinjiang has been a non-stop adventure for me – I love it! I have incredible memories of experiencing local festivals, traveling the province on my motorcycle and visiting small villages near the border of Kazakhstan. Memories like these are often created but every once in a while they just appear in front of you […]

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Joining 40,000 Muslims Breaking Ramadan in Kashgar

April 2 | No Comments

My alarm went off at 5:30am local time this morning and the sky was already filled with the soft light of dawn. This is only my 3rd day here in Kashgar, a lively desert oasis on the western edge of Xinjiang. Although the intense heat has consistently drained me of energy, I was surprisingly excited to jump […]

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Celebrating the Kazkh People of Xinjiang (Nowruz in China)

April 1 | No Comments

This last weekend I was privileged to attend a late Nowruz celebration put on by the Kazakh Consul here in Urumqi, Xinjiang. It was a beautiful display of traditional Kazakh costume, Kazakh singing, and even some Kazakh wrestling.

My favorite memory, however, was a personal concert given me by a talented young Kazakh Dombra player. I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed such fast strumming in my life…

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Learn the Uyghur Language: A Beginners Textbook Review

March 31 | No Comments

So you’re thinking about learning Uyghur, eh?

There aren’t a whole lot of resources available for learning the Uyghur language, but if you are planning to live in Xinjiang someday you’re probably desperate for something.

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Silk Road of Pop: A Look at Modern Uyghur Music

March 29 | No Comments

There’s a new documentary named The Silk Road of Pop. It’s a fascinating look at “age-old roots of the Uyghur music culture in Kashgar, metal bands combining local folk music & Western hard rock in their wild performances, and hip-hop crews honing their skills in the smoky basements of communist block towers.”

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Lesson in Central Asian Etiquette for Uyghur and Kazakh

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Invited to a Uyghur wedding? Sleeping in a Kazak Yurt? Traveling during a religious festival? Take this quick lesson on Central Asian etiquette and you’ll be ready for any situation you face in Xinjiang.

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