Tag Archives: Western China

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Women of Kashgar

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One of the things which I found endlessly fascinating in Kashgar, China was the variety of womens’ dress. In the photo above, you can see plenty of Uzbek ikat-patterned sik in blue and purple. Every woman is either wearing a long skirt or has leggings on to cover her legs. Yet even as you notice this, look at the little girl on the left, she’s in a frilly, flouncy red dress.

Curious, the next day I took myself and my camera to the main square. It took a little time to find a spot in the shade in front of the mosque given that this is where the town elders seem to congregate. They stared a little as I sat there snapping but returned to their own conversations pretty quickly. For all I know, they could have been discussing the people I was photographing walking across the square.

kashgar-china-women-2The young women in the photo to the left were most typical of the women who passed by that day. Conservatively dressed in rich but heavy fabrics, heavy tights and with scarves of the most outrageous colors tied back to cover their hair. Many of these women wore the tails of their scarves over their shoulders maybe as a replacement for the plaits that were tied up behind.

I found the woman in the photo on the right most intriguing. Her clothing is very stylish and she’s wearing high heels but the only the upper part of her face is visible. I wasn’t sure if the white mask was for religious reasons or just to keep the dust off.

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In the heart of Old Town Kashgar most women are dressed like this: with an overdress and a heavy brown woolen veil over their heads. I had a hard time not staring: how does she see? that wool is not even close to transparent. And check out the pink frilly skirt just showing beneath her overdress and her daughter’s brightly-colored dress and pants. I think this is a woman who likes pretty things. How sad that she can’t preen when she’s out in public.

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An Afternoon Walk in Kashgar

Kashgar, China. We’d reached the city I’d wondered about for months – reading and learning about its’ history as a trading post between East and West, Chinese, Pakistani, and Central Asian traders for hundreds of years. I wanted to get out, walk around and see for myself. Murph decided to come along too but our boys opted to stay in the hotel relaxing.

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Western China Yardangs and Handynasty Great Wall

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This is a Yardang. A what? I hear you ask? A Yardang is a desert rock formation carved from thousands of years of sand and wind erosion. They look freaky. This one is about three stories tall. I’m so glad I could share that with you, now you won’t have to take a hot, dusty trek out to your favorite desert to see one for yourself.

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Two Weeks In Western China

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This is the map I used to describe our intended China itinerary in my brief “Phase III: China” post in early April. What I didn’t mention at the time was how nervous I was about visiting Western China. Pick a concern (food, language, hygiene, transport, possible ethnic violence) and I’m sure I wound myself up in knots worrying about it – without even once considering changing our itinerary. The adrenalin rush that comes from such stresses is why I am a travel junkie.

Point J on the map is Jiayuguan, point K is Turpan, Dunhuang is in between the two. I dithered about whether or not to stop in Dunhuang. The guidebooks raved about beautiful grape arbors in Turpan while Dunhuang seemed to be getting a travel-writer brush-off with descriptions of a “boring, modern city” even as the nearby Mogao Caves were cited as a must-see stop on any Silk Road itinerary. It was all very confusing really. In the end the physical distance facilitated our decision: we could get a daily bus from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang (5hrs) and then continue on with an overnight train journey from Dunhuang to Turpan. Perfect. We made a half-decision to stop in Dunhuang and see if we liked it and if not to continue on.

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