From Xi'an to Kashgar: The Voyage into Chinese Turkestan （从西安到喀什：新疆的征程）

It was initially a choice between here or a Weekend trip to Pyongyang, North Korea. My parents didn't talk to me for three days after I proposed the idea so I scrapped it and chose to further my travels in China.

Overview:

Xinjiang, also known as the 'New Frontier' in English, is China's most western and largest province. Located thousands of kilometres away from the Han Chinese heartland, it is a truly fascinating region encompassing a wide variety of unique people groups, natural landscapes, beautiful cities; delicious food and a captivating history, all bundled together in an area larger than Western Europe.

Why Xinjiang?

I first learnt about Xinjiang long before I had even thought about coming to China during a Geopolitics class in 2015, when our lecturer and professor Mr. Del Valle explained in pure awe and fascination of a China linguistically, socially and ethnically different from the rest of the country. This was news to my ears, and the moment photos were shown I became immediately captivated. I knew that one day I would embark on this journey of a lifetime, travelling along the ancient Silk Road and diving head first into this heavily dominated Turkic society.

It was the familiarity of the region which I also found eye catching, and at the same time the pure foreignness that lured me in. The Uighurs, making up one of the fifty five ethnic minorities in China are majority Sunni Muslims (roughly 90%). Their ways, practices and mentality I found familiar after growing up in the Muslim World. Belief is down purely to perspective which I find fascinating as it changes the way how people groups and individuals act and think. Geography, linguistics, economics and politics all tie in neatly together to form the civilisations and ideologies that have flourished on this planet.

During my stay in Hetian (和田) along the disputed border areas of Aksai Chin, I coined the phrase below whilst my friend Nathalie and I were struggling to find a single Chinese speaking taxi driver:

I feel more of a foreigner here than anywhere else in China. It's like being a foreigner within a foreign country... within a foreign county.

Who are the Uighurs?

The Uighur ethnic group is a highly diverse bunch of peoples, encompassing many different racial backgrounds though united under a common language and religion. Many Uighurs' have European ancestral roots originating from the Caucasus and areas in what are now modern day Russia. Due to the high number of white skinned locals, this has lead to a few interesting situations during my travels in the region, particularly when it came to our interactions with the local law enforcement.

Where do they live exactly?

Topographic map of Xinjiang:

The majority today live in the south-western part of the region in the Tarim Basin, with many rural areas and small towns consisting almost entirely of Uighurs' and other minority groups such as Kazakhs, Afghans and Pakistanis. The region borders the countries of Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia to the north, along with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir towards the west and south-west (India and Pakistan).

Taking a look at the land itself, it is mostly desolate, making it home to some of the greatest deserts on the planet. In the south you will find the Taklimakan Desert spread out across a huge plain. Despite being near inhospitable to live in, like the Nile of Egypt, the various rivers and tributaries give way to arable land along the banks. In the north you will find the the lesser known Gurbantünggüt Desert, comfortably locked between two mountain ranges. It's important to note that China's largest Desert, the Gobi, is located just outside of the province in the Gansu area of Northern China.

As a whole, Xinjiang is one of the least populated areas of China, due to high temperatures and a lack of arable land. Despite this, there are still 26 million people that call it home, making it 7 times larger than the population of Wales combined. There are roughly 10,000,000 Uighurs (46%) along with 40% Han, 6% Kazakh, 5% Hui and 3% other.

The Uighur language:

A basic linguistic map of the People's Republic of China. Uighur can be found in the far western corner of the map, reflective of the demographics. Uighurs now constitute less than 50% of Xinjiang's population, however many other ethnic minorities such as the Russians, Kazakhs and Afghans use Uighur as their lingua franca.

It makes up part of the Turkic language family, sharing a lot in common with Uzbek. During the trip in Turpan (see Day 8) our driver, Tahir, told us of a Canadian friend who set up a business in town. He had previously lived in Uzbekistan and picked up the language. Once he moved to Xinjiang, the only language barrier faced was the writing system. Apart from that, his friend soon found himself to be fluent not only in Uzbek but in Uighur also.

The Uighur alphabet uses a Perso-Arabic Writing Standard, unlike it's fellow Stan associates who have adopted a Cyrillic script as a result of Russian dominance during the days of the Soviet Union.

Perspective and the Uighur view of Islam:

A person raised in the West will likely not have the same view of his or her religion compared to someone from say the Middle East or North Africa. The Stan peoples are no different, and also have their own unique approach and perspectives; none more so than the Uighurs. From what I saw, Uighurs essentially view their religion the same way Christians view theirs in the West.

You can see that the elderly are still highly traditional with the grandparents especially, praying 5 times a day and making sure to visit the Mosque at least once every Friday for communal prayers. The younger generations are what I would call culturally Muslim. Their values and views are highly Islamic, however few hardly practice their religion at all; and what I mean exactly by cultural is the fact that a youngster is likely not going to eat pork, however will sometimes break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

Both the niqab and burqa are forbidden by law; however you will see that even the hijab isn't present in their culture, with many women choosing to let their hair flow freely and only partially covering their upper arms and wearing long skirts or jeans to allow for modesty. This laid back lifestyle is what defines the Uighurs and the greatness of their people.

Trip planning and layout:

It wasn't long after planning the trip that both Nathalie and I would begin to embark on our 2 week expedition to the far west of China, in search of the hidden gems the region has to offer and an insight into Uighur life. Through a series of overnight sleepers and hostels, we would slowly work our way across the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts all the way to the city of Kashgar, straddling the borders of the Stan countries; China's ancient entrance for Silk Road trade and commerce. 

Roadtrip destinations and pit stops:

The article from this point on is a diary, written on a daily basis based on our travels, thoughts, impressions and experiences had. The tenses, in which the days are written, reflect the time at which I was writing. I chose to keep everything as it is in order to not take away from the original atmosphere.

Days 1 to 4 express the journey had in Gansu province and days 5 to 17 are based on everything we did in Xinjiang. For the reader, I have highlighted, from my opinion, the best and most interesting days had on the road, due to the unusual and unique situations that were thrown to challenge us along the way. I hope you enjoy reading and develop a better understanding of China as a result!

Days of interest:

The Desert Trilogy-

• Day 2: Surveying the Great Wall and the trip into Dunhuang, our first taste of the Chinese Desert. 
• Day 3: The Mogao Grottoes and our first true journey into the Gobi Desert by foot.
• Day 4: Our trip into the dunes by camel and the overnight stay, followed by the ride back.

A taste of Xinjiang-

• Days 5 and 6: Issues arriving in Hami and our journey to the depths of Turpan. 
• Day 7: Diving into the depths of blistering heat and visiting the lowest inland area on the planet. 
• Days 11 and 12: From ürümqi to Hetian. 20 hours covered in sand on an endless voyage into the beating heart of the Taklimakan Desert.
• Days 13 and 14: Troubles faced, followed by the search for jade and silk.
• Days 15 to 17: Road trip terminus, Kashgar.

Day 1: The overnight trip to Jiayuguan Fort and the Great Wall. 

The tickets were bought, bags packed and we were soon on our way. As I am writing this we are currently on a 20 hour train ride to a small town called Jiayuguan, located in Gansu province. For the moment I still know little about this place, as I do with most places on this trip. I tend to take Natgeo's 'Let's Get Lost' motto quite literally. From what I've gathered, there is an old fort and a section of the Great Wall, once used to protect China's Silk Road trade from savage barbarians in the Wastelands to the north, now in modern day Inner Mongolia.

The locals as usual on the train are incredibly friendly and curious, Chinese banter is always a guarantee. I introduced a girl to Pac-Man, so I could get on with eating my noodles, which worked for a mere ten minutes. We also talked a little while to a few elderly ladies about our plans, where we are from and all the other standard foreigner talk. It will be interesting to see how I fair on the bicycle ride in a few years time from East to West, as these train journeys truly do go on forever. Will write more once I have arrived and my thoughts on the place in general.

Reflection: The sleeper was decent, and the hook which can be seen in the third photo made the journey even more comfortable as I had easy access to my bananas and grapes without moving. It's the simple things in life that I highly appreciate.

Day 2: Surveying the Great Wall and the trip into Dunhuang, our first taste of the Chinese Desert. 

We arrived in Jiayuguan at 5am though it unfortunately rained for the following 2 hours with little to do but wait. Despite this, the weather was mild and we could leave our bags at the train station, which helped make the day easier. We set off on the bus shortly after sun rise when service began. A trip to Jiayuguan is best seen within only a couple of hours as the town is what I would call a typical Chinese working class outpost, with it being nearly a thousand kilometres from the nearest big city and completely caked with tons of factories on the outskirts. The town however was not depressing but rather nice, just dull as the only purpose to live there is work oriented. Jiayuguan is by far not the poorest place I have seen, just average. 

After an hour, we had reached the Great Wall and Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The visit was interesting. It was my first time visiting the Great Wall after nearly a year in China and the first time I had been anywhere in the country that is utterly desolate. Mountain ranges surrounded the area, the fort built with the purpose of protecting the passage through the Hexi (河西) Corridor with two hills on both sides and the defences placed across the flat land jammed in-between. The site was well worth a visit with it being on the way towards Kashgar, making it convenient and easily accessible. Originally our train tickets had been booked for 2am the following morning; however we rebooked for 4 Euros extra each to leave at 2pm as everything had literally been done. 

4 hours later at 6pm we arrived in Dunhuang, which is where I am currently writing from. The landscapes here are truly magnificent, taking me back to the days of the Rub Al-Khali; true golden coated sand glistening in the beating sun. Our plans for tomorrow are to visit the Mogao Caves in the morning and to climb the singing sand dunes in the evening. So far we only had dinner, camel meat which is a local speciality and climbed a dune behind our hostel to see the breathtaking Milky Way Galaxy in this non polluted region of China. The moon light almost blinded me it was that clear. The next few days will be dedicated to Dunhuang and our experiences in this amazing outback.

Bit of German and British banter at the Great Wall.

Although most of the Wall has been re-built, there were many (though run down) sections sticking out and running across the land from the main tourist sections.

Camel meat, the only way I can describe it is simply by saying tender and rich in flavour. My Chinese teacher thought it was cruel that I would eat a camel, but it tasted good none the less.

Day 3: The Mogao Grottoes and our first true journey into the Gobi Desert by foot.

We woke up in the early morning around 7am to make it in time for the English tour guide at the Mogao Grottoes. After buying our tickets, we were then shown a series of impressive videos explaining how the Silk Road came to light and how the carvings and creation of these caves originated over the many years of cross-cultural trade and commerce along the Hexi (河西) Corridor. I had no idea what the caves were actually about until today, and thankfully it turned out to be quite an interesting story; one that is inseparably bound by the existence of the Silk Road.

What is the Silk Road?

The Silk Road historically was a series of both land and maritime routes effectively connecting the Great Civilisations of the East and West together. Initiated during the Han Dynasty (207 BCE – 220 CE), the route helped greatly expand China's sphere of influence and development as a nation (far before the Western concept of the nation state arose). The Great Wall of China was built as a result to stop invading Mongolian tribes from the north attacking and raiding the caravanners and merchants.

The map below illustrates the length and sheer extent of the Great Wall, stretching from the Far East all the way past the Chinese Heartland and into the vast openness of the Gobi Desert.

The main land route known as the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor stretching 5,000km from China's ancient capital of Chang'an (Xi'an) to the entrance of the countries of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan along the Tianshan (天山) corridor (Mountains of Heaven) was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

As a response to China's rise in economic power and global significance, the current president of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping, has begun the revitalisation of the old Silk Road with the catchy name 'One Belt and One Road' initiative. As the nation's fingertips' lie within gripping distance of Global Superpower status, Xi Jinping has seen the opportunity and is going full force; setting out to revive the old Road by bringing the former Soviet controlled Central Asian Stan countries under the influence of Beijing. Maritime trade routes are also in development, with China embarking on building a blue-water navy which could one day rival that of the United States. As you are reading this, the Silk Road is gradually making a comeback! History before our eyes, shaping the foundations and the future of the World that we live in.

Just how influential was the Silk Road on Chinese Society?

The trading route turned out to not just provide China with cotton, glass, wine and other valuables brought from the West. It was also a line where great cultures could communicate and share ideas. The story began with monks from India who brought with them their teachings of Buddhism, introducing this concept which would soon become a crucial pillar of Chinese Society. Buddhism slowly but surely became an important part of peoples' lives in this Oasis outpost. However, it wasn't until a wondering monk in the 4th century A.D had a vision of a thousand Buddha's bathed in golden light whilst travelling the dunes that the area would be considered a place of spiritual practice and meditation.

As a result, hundreds of caves would be chiselled into the cliff face paving the way for a variety of impressive and wonderful statues and paintings pertaining to the teachings of Buddha and Buddha himself; so that travellers could pray to the idols and meditate in search of safe passage and peace of mind in these harsh environments on the journey towards enlightenment. The caves were intended for all, and are now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They have mostly stood the test of time and are a valuable piece of history for both China and the world.

The sight holds historically the fourth largest statue of Buddha in the world. Unfortunately it is now the second largest at 35.5 metres tall after the Bamiyan statues in Afghanistan were destroyed by Taliban savages in 2001. The World's largest is Da Fo, located in Leshan, Sichuan province. An incredible sight; well worth the ticket price and the visit.

We finished our tour by 1pm and shortly after headed off to grab lunch and then rest during the beating heat of the afternoon until our journey by foot up the echoing sand mountains of Mingsha (鸣沙). It was my first time ever climbing up a dune of this size and Nathalie's first true time in what I call a proper desert. 

The sights were fantastic and the journey literally breathtaking. I spent the first leg of the journey climbing up the dune the hard way by digging my feet deep into the sand and then pushing up gradually, a method I'd learnt from the Rub Al-Khali. However, after 30 minutes I made my way gradually to the wooden steps as the mountain became steeper and even more tiring.

Once at the top, we rested for a while and then waited for sunset. In the meantime, I went off to see if I could climb the largest of the dunes in the area. My time in the Middle East has made me familiar with this type of environment, the beauty and temptations offered but most importantly how dangerous it actually is and how situations can turn nasty within just a few minutes. Despite it being 7pm, the sun had another 2 hours to set and was still beating down quite heavily on the lands. I climbed up until I could get a clearer bearing of the area before realising that it was completely pointless continuing as I knew I would likely pass out. 

I can live the desert lifestyle without a problem or worry. The only issue that limits me is my skin colour. I am not built for these harsh environments, literally caking my arms, legs, neck, forehead and nose all in sunscreen just to avoid turning red. My Pakistani friends in Dubai nicknamed me the pink boy, as my arms were forever pink. I still love the desert however, and wish to travel to the Sahara one day. Nathalie enjoyed it also. I'm glad she can get a true taste of the desert life on this trip.

As I am writing this we are now on our 4th day. In half an hour we will travel by camel into the Gobi Desert and spend the night there. 

The photos' below: The first is a picture of the Giant Buddha statue at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang. The second is a photo of one of the Bamiyan Statues before it was destroyed in 2001. The last are a series of photos' from my trip to Leshan in Sichuan. The first on the left is the Dafo (大佛）statue, listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

The two pictures' below are of the Singing sand dunes in Dunhuang, Gansu province. Mingsha's dunes are some of the largest in existence on the planet. The third is a photo of Nathalie in front of the entrance to the Grottoes.

Day 4: Our trip into the dunes by camel and the overnight stay, followed by the ride back.

It was certainly a night well spent camping out under the utter immenseness of the Milky Way Galaxy. We had ridden our camels with a tour guide for 3 hours before reaching the camping grounds. Along the way, we were taken aback by the sheer beauty of the sand dunes in the distance, resembling nothing more than pure gold and spread out across the landscape like butter on a fine piece of toast; in perfect contrast with the white puffy clouds floating across the crystal blue sky. The sight was spectacular, and truly has to be seen in person. Regarding the guide, he was a cheerful bloke that never once stopped smiling. I didn't catch his name however his banter was on point, making the experience even better as we could enjoy our time with him. He'd been doing this job for 30 years and had a clear passion for showing foreigners what the desert has to offer. 

The first 20 minutes of the stretch on our camels had been greeted by trash which people from the city had dumped in the surrounding areas', just outside the oasis fortress. It wasn't the prettiest sight; however the bulk of trash soon cleared with only the odd bottle here or plastic bag there. We were riding amongst nothingness. Flat gravel land went on for miles and miles, all the way to the Mogao Grottoes. The sand dunes were on our right hand side in the distance and the barren mountains towards our centre-left at least 10 kilometres away. The dunes were our ultimate goal, despite a huge fence blocking off entry for at least 2 and a half hours as it is considered a national park. 

Luckily for us though, there was an opening further along the way; something which I was quite happy about as camping out overnight on gravel would be super uncomfortable. The fenced off area we went to looked as if someone in a jeep had rammed it down, as it was much smaller and weaker than the main section and with no cameras. After entering, we would then shortly reach camp and set up shop. 

We explored the dunes for a little while whilst our guide prepared the tent, and sand boarded down some of the steep sections on plastic sleighs. At 9pm, the sun began to set concluding our third day in China's desert lands. Upon setting, the sand went from pure gold to bright orange as its last few rays shone across the sand; crystallising the grains as it went past. Night had fallen and we were treated with bread and instant noodles, which tasted even more appetising after such a long ride. I stood up top on a dune at 11pm; once again in awe at how beautiful the desert is, even at night. 

The dunes were now a dark shade of blue, and the sky pitch black, however lit up by a myriad of stars littered across it. The raging winds swept in and the temperature soon dropped. I went back to seek warmth in the tent and then woke up at 6am to watch the sunrise. Soon after that, we rode back only to be greeted on the way by an interesting looking graveyard out of nowhere, something Nathalie found fascinating as you don't see many in China. The ride back was faster than last time, due to our guide picking up his own camel and towing a whole caravan of camels for a friend of his. We finally had our true Silk Road experience. Once arriving at the hostel, we headed slowly off to the train station for our next stop to Hami, the first leg of the journey in Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan).

Various Desert scenes, from the overnight trip to the Mingsha mountain climb.

Days 5 and 6: Issues arriving in Hami and our journey to the depths of Turpan. 

At first I didn't believe anything interesting would arise out of our transit into the Uighur Autonomous Region known as Xinjiang in Chinese. However, once we arrived at 3am in the morning I would be proven wrong. 

Before I say anything further, China is one of the safest countries in the world to travel and live in as a foreigner. The laws in place and the culture of showing face ensures that nothing seriously bad will happen unless you purposely go looking for it. The good nature, confrontation avoidance and kind will of the Chinese people's further ensures that it is near impossible to get hurt here. Without diving into the politics of the region, the area is heavily surveyed and looked after by the Chinese government in order to secure the safety of the country and her many ethnic minorities living within the 'big family' as a teacher of mine once said. 

We were stopped and questioned (though not that well) in Chinese as to why we hadn't booked a hostel in Hami and what we were doing so early in the city as it did look genuinely quite strange. We showed them our passports and told officers that we were just here in transit, mainly to eat Hamigua, Nathalie's favourite fruit. The police were concerned about our safety, but also as to why we chose no accommodation during our stay. In their minds, we could quite well possibly go somewhere out of sight and out of mind, in the aim of helping escalate an already inflated political issue (however highly exaggerated in the media and in practice). We could also walk quite blindly into trouble, as we are used to the laidback life in the Han Chinese heartland. After 20 minutes and slight frustration, the police let us leave; however one officer escorted my friend Nathalie back into and out of the station to buy our tickets for Turpan later that day. In order just to reach the station, she was patted down, showed her passport several times and went through 3 security check points, all whilst being guided by an officer. 

After all the hassle, we took off in a taxi only to find the "24/7" KFC was closed. Nothing else was open at that time, though it wasn't too much of an issue. There was a place where I could charge my phone outside and they hadn't switched the Wi-Fi off which I was over the moon about at 5am in the morning. I introduced Nathalie to An Idiot Abroad, a show about a typical bloke from England travelling the world and being forced out of his comfort zone. We saw the episode about China, which I found even more hilarious as I could relate to it and at the same time found it quite awkward as I could clearly see the language barrier between Karl and the locals yet understand both what they were saying.

We spent the night laughing our tits off, all in the company of armed guards and a patrolling SWAT vehicle a mere 50 metres away. I would like to point out though, the over the top security does not mean this region is dangerous. The Chinese cherish safety and stability as a key to their prosperity. The police officers, armed guards, fences and metal detectors everywhere are simply there to stop any form of terrorist attack from taking place (I would like to add that terrorists in this region do not target foreigners as their main political target but the Han Chinese for reasons I will not discuss here, you can look it up).

After sunrise we attempted to enter a park (which failed because of our huge bags) so instead later visited the Natural History Museum and the sight of an old palace ruled over by Muslim kings. We had no issues with our baggage here which was a great relief. I asked the woman at reception if she knew Uighur, the native language of the ethnic minority in this region. She gave me a few phrases, making me prepared for any language barrier headed my way. 

On our way back, we had a local taxi driver who was incredibly friendly and kind hearted. I attempted to speak his language (our main form of communication was Chinese) and he would later introduce me to some traditional music followed by Western songs on the radio. He stopped off at one point so Nathalie could buy a Hamigua, and then refused our money when we offered to pay the one pound taxi drive. A truly nice bloke indeed, giving an insight into the greatness of Xinjiang's diverse population. 

After going through several security checks (where they even made me put my bread through an X-ray) we would then be on our way to one of the hottest and most inhospitable places on the planet, Turpan. I will talk more about our experiences in this remote wasteland in days 7 and 8, as I cannot talk about everything at once and plus I would like to sleep now as it's half one in the morning. 

Day 7: Diving into the depths of blistering heat and visiting the lowest inland area on the planet. 

We woke up early at 8am, to sit down and finally eat that Hami melon Nathalie bought. Our driver came at 9:30am to pick us up and would spend the whole day showing us around Turpan. His name is Tahir, a friendly bloke that's been in the business of showing foreigners around Xinjiang ever since he was old enough to take the wheel. Our first destination was the Flaming Mountains, named so for their famously reddish valleys all over. It was 10ish Beijing time and already the heat began to rise rapidly reaching 43 by this time. We quickly got out the car to snap a few photos and then headed to our next location.

The second stop was the Bezeklik Caves, ancient Buddhist ruins lying on the hillsides of the Flaming Mountains. Similar in nature to the Mogao Grottoes, a variety of statues and wall paintings were once centrepiece in the caves. Unfortunately, as a result of warfare, the locals converting to Islam in the 16th century and a German explorer with a greedy hand, nothing was left; only hollow caves with the faces of Buddha's scratched off and the statues either completely gone or destroyed. Nothing I found of particular interest, though it provided great shade from the intense sunlight. 

What was even more interesting than the caves though happened to take place right at the entrance whilst buying our tickets. The gate was run by a group of lads, between the ages of 16 to 23 judging by the looks. Proper locals, with a completely different mindset and attitude to the majority of Chinese people. They believed Nathalie and I was a couple, because I am a man and they wouldn't expect a woman to visit by herself unless accompanied by the husband. To cut a long story short they were disgusted when I made my dear beloved pay for herself, unimaginable in Islamic culture if you are together. The fact is we are not but they assumed that, and were arguing in their Turkic language before asking in a strong accent "ni keyi ting dong women shuo de hua?" (Can you understand our dialect?) To which I said in Chinese of course not. They then proceeded to literally tell me off in Chinese for doing such a thing until Nathalie said "women zhi tongxue" (we're just classmates) to which they replied oddly "oh right... Well enjoy your visit". I felt a little awkward after that. It wasn't the fact they thought we were a couple but the idea they were literally calling me a dick in their language and disgusted at the idea I didn't initially pay for her... I can never win with Islam.

Around the area was also the movie set for Journey to the West, something about a man/monkey that Chinese people are obsessed with. Haven't seen the movie but it looks like I will watch it sometime soon.

Our third stop was at a traditional Uighur village, built using mud bricks as a method to keep the houses cool. The visit was quite nice. They had a mosque at the centre which is standard and a small Mazar along the way towards the exit where you can buy local fruits and nuts. I enjoyed this short detour and found it interesting that locals were still living in the town. It was lunch time and the sun was now at its highest. Tahir took us to a local restaurant for kebab and noodles, the local fair. The food was amazing and afterwards topped off with yoghurt and blended ice mix to cool us down from the heat and spice.

We've noticed during our time here that a lot of the locals are really pale skinned, the bloke sat next to us having brown eyes. It is a real privilege to see such a diverse peoples group and nice not to be the only white people in the village. Many of the Uighurs have European ancestry and it can clearly be seen by their facial features.

Once lunch was dealt with, we would finally embark to the hottest place in the whole of China and the lowest inland area on the planet at 158 metres below sea level. To put it simply, even after 8 years of desert living, nothing prepared me for this. The temperature rose as high as 57 degrees, a heat at which even my eye balls were sweating. 

As we arrived, an elderly bloke with a donkey came to greet us. He initially approached by saying hello in English, though out of respect I replied back by saying "As-salamu alaykum", a customary greeting in the heavily Muslim dominated region. His accent was strong; however he could speak putong hua, the common speech that unites all Chinese people. He offered us a lift on his donkey cart for 2 Euros, to which we accepted. 

After 10 minutes we had officially reached the lowest inland place on the planet. We had a little walk around, took a look at the pretty globe and then quickly headed back as the sun literally pounded us nonstop. The temperature was so insanely hot that even Tahir took a photo of the cars monitor as he had never seen it rise that high before. 

Our last stop would take us to jiaohe (交河), the ancient ruins of a Chinese city, admired for its natural defenses as it stood as an elevated island between what was once the tributary of a river. The site was interesting with an immense amount of information to take in. We both enjoyed the scenes, however by this time it was almost 8pm Beijing time and we were well and truly knackered. Tahir took us back to our hostel so we could quickly shower and get changed. Afterwards we went to his house to meet his family and have dinner. 

He lives in a lovely villa on the outskirts of town and has a very welcoming and lovely family. His wife made us noodles with meat and we sat down in the main room on the floor as a group and drank tea, the customs of Uighur lifestyle and hospitality. We stayed for a few hours, asking him about all the foreigners he has met and shown around over the years, the similarities between Uighur and the other Turkic languages and his time in Xi'an as a student. He then drove us back to which we thanked him for such a lovely day. If you ever wish to travel to Turpan then please get in touch with Tahir. The Lonely Planet was certainly right in their advice for having him as a guide. 

The following day would mark our voyage to ürümqi, the capital of Xinjiang province and the world's most inland city. 

Days 8 to 10: Off the Silk Road track and into the big city. 

From Turpan it took merely a few hours until we would arrive in ürümqi. It made a nice change to have one of the more modern trains with reclining seats and decent air conditioning, as a pose to the hard seat standard and periodic cold winds. An unexpected treat after the harsh climate experienced.

I found ürümqi to be quite nice, as the city isn't massive though spread out over a wide surface area making the place feel empty which made a great change for once after experiencing the overcrowded and cramped living areas that most other Chinese cities have to offer.

I looked out to the distance from on top of Red Hill (红山) in awe. It seemed to the eye as if the modern cityscape visible within the near distance was being propped up by a never ending array of mountain ranges, encircling the whole city in the background. We had originally planned to visit a mountain lake some 70 kilometres away, but called it off as you can only be driven up the mountain and can't climb it. My personal opinion is that if it can't be climbed, then there is no real purpose and nothing to be achieved once reaching the top; convenience and laziness over hard work and adventure. 

There were a few other places of interest we visited and unexpected sights such as a tank stationed within 30 metres from the doors of our hostel. People's Park and the Grand Bazaar are worth a visit if you stop over, however they can be skipped if you are short on time.

There are plenty of mosques to see, visit and pray if you are a practicing Muslim. We tried to enter the Mosque in the picture below though the security told us that the Imam (priest) does not allow foreign non-Muslims to enter. It was a shame as I wanted to see the inside. We were only allowed to visit the market below though to buy something, drawing comparisons in my mind to the Dhimmi in Islamic Shariah law; where non-Muslims (Christians and Jews) are offered security under the state, though with less rights in the field of politics, including certain restrictions and exceptions from Muslim duties along with tax which must be paid.

'There no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet' inscribed in Arabic on the face of the building, accompanied by the flag of China. It is compulsory for all Mosques in Xinjiang to fly the national flag, with many, as seen in Kashgar, including the writing '爱当，爱国' (ai dang, ai guo) translating to 'love the party, love the country' a pillar stone in Chinese nationalism and patriotism.

Various sights from Red Hill, the Grand Bazaar (Souq for Arabic readers) and People's Park.

During our stay in ürümqi we met two lovely French hitchhikers, Astrid and José. After starting their trip in Thailand, they are currently headed back to France via the old Silk Road passage, travelling through the Stan countries, into Iran and then Turkey to make it back into Europe. Unfortunately they cannot travel along the path into Iraq and Syria due to the height of the Civil War and complete chaos that has ravaged the region.

If you are interested in their current travels, I have placed a link below of Astrid's blog site 'Histoires de tongs' (in French). Even if you do not understand French all that well, I still suggest you to give the site a visit. You will certainly discover something new and interesting!

Days 11 and 12: From ürümqi to Hetian. 20 hours covered in sand on an endless voyage into the beating heart of the Taklimakan Desert.

When I think back to it, I'm actually quite glad about the amount of time we spent in ürümqi. It gave us some well deserved rest, and a good two days just to lounge around and spoil ourselves with luxuries that were non-existent during transit such as Wi-Fi and decent public facilities. That however would soon change once we stepped foot on our second train (we had a bed on the first) from Kuche to Hetian. Despite the first being a 10 hour ride, we had booked this one simply because we both had hard sleepers meaning we could rest well, but more importantly prepare ourselves for the journey ahead. The second train we took was actually coming from ürümqi, but had only the hard seat option available meaning that we would have had to bare 30 hours on that train with little to no rest... no thanks. Instead it was a 20 hour train ride once we got on at 6am the following morning.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it was definitely challenging. The time and the distance were factors I cared little about, after becoming used to slow train journeys and actually preferring them as I can talk face to face with Chinese working class people. What made the journey a challenge however, was the fact that it was an old train, with even harder seats than the newer ones; and that air conditioning was also non-existent (having fans instead, that were on only from time to time) without mentioning that it was caked constantly in sand.

These slight inconveniences however are not complaints. The way I view it, once you are there in a situation you normally would not stand, you just have to face the reality in front of you and adapt yourself to the situation; in other words 'tough shit, just deal with it'. It was certainly a tiring experience, but one I enjoyed as I got to meet many nice people. One person in particular was a Russian called Karl. He has been working on the train lines for at least a good 20 years and is fluent in Chinese and Uighur.

He offered to give me some boiling water so I could have a nice cup of tea, after he had seen me walk up and down the carriages clueless on where to go. You see, on the newer trains, the facilities for hot water are in place so that anyone can access it at any time. On this train however, they only opened the boiler room from time to time, meaning you would have to be there at the time they opened it.

Karl, feeling sorry for me as I looked like a lost lamb in a lion's den, started a conversation with me. After talking for 5 minutes, he filled up my hot water container and said 'Whenever you want hot water, just tell me and I will open the door for you'. This made my day, and what truly great man he is indeed, helping supply an Englishman's tea habit. This set a great impression in my mind for the Russian people.

Afterwards, he came and sat down with both of us. We talked for a while, and he showed me photos' of his family, particularly the one of his father in the Soviet Army during the Cold War. I was intrigued by this, and told him that my father was in the British Army, stationed at Minden in Germany, during the height of the Cold War when tensions between the West and the USSR were high. He said that Europe is a great place and had visited Poland once as a tourist and I believe Kaliningrad, an exclave of Russia surrounded by Poland and Lithuania.

It was a real privilege getting to talk to Karl. He even waved us off after we finally arrived in Hetian on our 13th day into the trip. This train ride was tough for both of us. The photos below illustrate far better than what I can only describe as 'a real test of the human mind'. It was, however, only the beginning of a truly challenging and tiring experience. Hetian presented many challenges, and, as you will see in days following, a real pain and exhaustive stay.

Days 13 and 14: Troubles faced, followed by the search for jade and silk.

We reached Hetian at 3am in the morning. The moment we stepped outside the station, the sight of armed soldiers could be seen within a short distance. They were patrolling the outside parameter of the building. Given that the likelihood of finding one mandarin speaker in this remote town is slim, we approached one of the soldiers and asked if he knew how far away our hotel was. He told us the hotel was 5 kilometres and would require a taxi ride.

After the first few attempts trying to get a driver to take us, we eventually found one who could understand enough spoken Chinese to take us to where we needed to go. So, like sardines in a can, we were then shoved into the taxi with a random Chinese couple and then headed on our way. By this point after spending a week in Xinjiang, we were well accustomed to the sights of police stations, barbed wire, the occasional checkpoint, SWAT vehicles and even tanks. However, we were unaware that there would be police checkpoints every 500 metres in Hetian, eventually driving us mad.

We hadn't even reached our hotel and already we were at our first checkpoint. This however proved to lead to an unusual situation, turning out to be a one off occurrence. As we approached, the officers did the usual security check by inspecting the boot and bonnet of the car for any possible explosives. After that, they then had a look inside to see who was there. This one local officer in particular, dismissed everyone but me.

With a serious brow, he began talking to me in Uighur as if I were a local. In my tired and fed up state, I thought he was joking around so I just didn't bother to answer him as I thought he wasn't being serious. The second officer came along and then immediately after, the Chinese couple started saying 'He's a foreigner' in Chinese. Oddly enough, even though they said 'ta shi wai guo ren' three times in a row, he didn't seem to take their word for it. At this point I realised he wasn't joking around, and that he honestly thought I was a Uighur. He switched to mandarin shortly after, asking if I could understand him, to which I silently nodded (bearing in mind we had been travelling for the past 30 hour's non-stop, my head wasn't in the right place). He then asked me 'Ni shi na li ren?' where abouts are you from, still assuming that I wasn't a foreigner. Once I opened my mouth and said twice 'Wo shi yingguo ren', my accent was all he needed to realise I was a legit crumpet and then he let us go.

Now this may sound weird, as it was for us at first, but after later talking to an American in Kashgar, who had spent some time with the locals, he told me that they are under a mandatory curfew, in which they cannot travel too far out of their own towns otherwise they would face prosecution.

You'd likely think that what he told me is farfetched. However, it explained perfectly the numerous check points, retina scanners, and even that incident with the officer where he believed me to be a local; wanting to know where I had come from and what I was doing out so late. This was a huge eye opener, and we hadn't even reached our hotel at that point, let alone buy our silk and jade!

After making it to our hotel, we settled down and slept within a matter of minutes after finally giving in to all the stress and endurance of our past 30 hour train ride. We woke up in the late morning and decided to head straight out in search of the silk and jade that brought us there in the first place. Nathalie decided to give the head scarf a try, in order to fit in with the local crowd.

She asked 'how do I look?' Sarcastically, I took one look at her and said 'this is the most modestly dressed you have been on the whole trip! Finally you're no longer haram (committing sin)'. I don't recall her wearing it during our stay there though, possibly one time when we were out; though there wasn't much need as we were in China, not Saudi Arabia.

Once again we were in the situation of not being able to find a single Chinese speaking taxi driver. They take one look at us and don't bother stopping to avoid the hassle. Luckily, this is where the security comes in hand. We paid the local police station across the road a visit, and after taking a selfie with one of the officers (a young lad from Urumqi) a senior officer flagged down a taxi and made the driver take us to the river of white jade (baiyu he/白玉河).

The market was lively with hundreds upon hundreds of stalls and several shops selling jade of various degrees, qualities and values. There were a couple of foreigners there, making a nice change after a while of it being just us two. This market is where I bought my mother a white jade bracelet as a gift, which can be seen in the photo below.

After we had finished at the market, we had absolutely no idea how to make it back to the centre as we were in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, a friendly local who had taken his child on a day out to the jade market offered us a lift into town. I have to say, throughout all my travels in China, it doesn't matter where you are or who you meet, there is always going to be someone willing to help out a lost foreigner. Asian hospitality across the board is simply the greatest in the world.

After the jade market, we then headed off to check out the local silk factory on the other side of town. I had seen the local ladies wearing these incredibly bright and colourful dresses and realised that I had to buy several hand made silk scarf for friends and family. The name of the silk is called Atlas (meaning graceful in Uighur), after the moth that is used to produce it. It is a silk local to the Xinjiang region, with the largest factory actually located in Hetian.

Below are two photos: The first is one of the scarf's that I bought for my mother and the second being an Atlas moth, drawing comparisons to the colour patterns and styles used when making the silk.

You can see the beginning process for the making of Atlas silk in the photo's below. The cocoons of the moths are soaked in water, with those that are dirty or abnormal being boiled for 15 minutes until ready for weaving. This is the last silk making handicraft present in the 21st Century and was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008; a living example of Uighur craftsmanship and an example also of how dear cultural preservation is to them.

A picture of Nathalie shortly after her brief conversion to Islam. Haram be gone!

To finish up the day we visited a food market at night, host to a variety of both typically Chinese and traditionally local food. I have to say, this was my favourite part of Hetian during our time there. I must have spent a good 10 Euros munching my way through all those stalls. Lamb in Xinjiang is comparatively cheaper to that which can be found in the east. It was a delight tucking into this huge skewer of lamb!

Local style dumplings (jiaozi/饺子）done in a soup mixed with vegetables, herbs and spices. From what I recall, the meat inside was lamb. It had the look of a typical Chinese dish, but the taste was more accustomed to that of a Western style (Turkey).

Before leaving Hetian, we visited the resting place of Imam Asim, an Islamic martyr. I didn't think much of it, and it was located miles out of the town on the edges of the desert. It took at least a good 3 hours to get there and back due to ardent security and an obnoxious mini bus driver. Didn't take any photo's I'm afraid, as we weren't allowed. However, here is one taken from the internet. After circling the sight, we paid our respects and then rushed back to make it in time for our train to Kashgar, the last stop on the list.

Days 15 to 17: Road trip terminus, Kashgar.

Since the first of July 2017 all the way to the 17th, we embarked on our journey that literally took us over 30,000 kilometres across slightly over half of China! Despite this, we hardly even scratched the surface of Xinjiang, and, for the amount of time there, managed to get a brief glance at the Uighur people and their way of life. Kashgar was it; the end of our journey... however, just because we were in Kashgar didn't mean the end of discovery. Oh no, we still had 3 days left to visit this incredible town and see all of its sights.

From Id Kah mosque to the tomb of Apak Hoja, China's main influencer for the spread of Islam in the country; there were still a myriad of places to see and explore. Thankfully, our friends Astrid and José were there after hitchhiking down from ürümqi. They would stay there for a few days, before leaving and heading off into Central Asia to carry on their adventures.

Whilst we were all together, we took the chance to spend our second to last day visiting a day market, haggling with locals on the price of a goat at a livestock market, and most importantly, visiting the beautiful old town of Kashgar.

Before I draw this article to a conclusion, I would like to share my last few photos' of the trip.

The view from outside of Kashgar's old town. You can see the contrast between Islamic and Chinese architecture, with the pagoda soaring out into the sky on the far left.

The tomb of Apak Hoja, one of China's key influencers for the spread of Islam across the country. The mausoleum is considered Xinjiang's holiest Muslim site, often visited by pilgrims to pay homage to Hoja and his teachings.

A photo taken by Nathalie with an American friend of ours and two local ladies. You can see the Atlas silk patterns' on the dress and hat of the lady to the right.

Reflections' of the trip and my stay in China: The Journey back to the West.

After finishing up in Kashgar, I had booked myself a flight well in advance in order to make it back to Xi'an just in time to move out of my apartment on the 19th, before heading back home to France. The day arriving back, I literally walked into the agency to arrange for the landlady to inspect the property on the 19th, the day I left China. Time was tight, though luckily I still got to spend my final two days in Xi'an with some close friends and my Chinese teacher.

Starting with a reflection on my trip into Chinese Turkestan with Nathalie. It was a great adventure, met by fantastic company from all over the world, and laced with a whole host of challenges and crazy scenarios along the way. I would like to say thank you to Nathalie for inviting me along on this trip, as she had planned it long in advance, starting from January 2017. In my usual tone of habit, it just so happened that one day at our school canteen, we were both there at the same time. She asked me about my plans for the summer, to which I told her 'I will stay in China until July 20th, possibly teach English to fill the time, though it seems more likely I will plan a short trip before heading back' that's when she told me of her plans for Xinjiang. Immediately captivated I said 'woah, that's great! I would love to go to Xinjiang one day' that is when she invited me along and thus began the journey of a lifetime.

If there was anything I regret not doing during the trip, it would have to be the Karakoram Highway, leading towards Pakistan and spending the night in Taskurgan. The main reason as to why I scrapped this (and later Nathalie also for separate reasons), was due to the fact I had limited time towards the end and didn't want to risk not making it for my flight to Xi'an. Anything could have happened during the bus ride there that would have completely destroyed my chances of making it in time for my flight to France.

I am glad however that we travelled to Turpan, as I was initially uninterested in the thought of going there to see 'some mud huts and a pile of sand' It turned out actually to be one of the highlights of our trip. I have learnt a lot during this trip, certainly broadening my knowledge of China after knowing nothing almost a year back. It was a fitting end to the start of an amazing year.

Reflections on my stay in China:

Without a doubt, China is certainly one of the best countries I have been to. From day one, the locals have been incredibly caring, helpful and above all a pure blast to talk with and hang out. Within the space of one year, I have travelled literally from north to south and then from east to west, spanning numerous provinces and going well beyond 50,000 kilometres easy off of purely train rides. During the year, I took the opportunity to tackle Mandarin head on, to which I am now capable of basic conversation and comprehension. I hope within at least the next 5 years I will be able to converse fluently. During my stay, I have made friends for life, both foreign and Chinese, who I shall hopefully meet up with again sometime soon. Considering my classmate and good friend, Valentin Faulcon, had to tell me that Xi'an wasn't by the sea; I would say I have come a long way over the past year. I look forward to visiting China once again in the near future, and hopefully have new articles to write and tales to tell along the way!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. If you have any feedback or questions about Xinjiang, then please feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below or in a private message. Please share so this article can be enjoyed not only by my connections, but by all LinkedIn members alike!