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CHINA, Xinjiang: Every Sunday, a mass pilgrimage takes place in Xinjiang andits borders, culminating in the bazaar square of Kashgar. From surrounding villages, farmers drive their cattle, goats, horses, donkeys and every other imaginable livestock and produce down dirt tracks and tar roads to the event of the week.
Traders flock in from all parts of Xinjiang and even neighbouring countries such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to peddle their wares. This is Kashgar’s largest attraction, the Sunday Bazaar.
Kashgar is famous for being the centre of Uighur culture, one of the 55 ethnic minorities in China, a Turkic-speaking race that descended from nomadic tribes in the western area of China. As recent as five years ago, the city was still able to avoid the modernising arm of Beijing.
The old town was much larger than the few lanes preserved today. Simply walk down any street and you would be able see traditional clay ovens churning out naans, the big breads favoured by the Uighur (pronounced “Way-gu-er”) minority community that dominates parts of Xinjiang.
Turn around and you could see streets of butcheries with goats’ heads hung by tens on pushcarts and Uighur musicians playing by the roadside.
Kashgar today has become as modern as any other Chinese city, with spanking new mega malls run by the Han Chinese migrants.
However, to get a feel of the old Kashgar, all you need is a long weekend. Despite a strong Chinese influence in their everyday life, the Uighurs continue to retain their community identity.
Just attend the Friday prayers at the largest mosque in Kashgar, the Iqdar Mosque, and discover how Islam is still the centre of Uighur culture and life. More than 10,000 worshippers usually turn up, spilling onto the public square and the mosque’s surroundings in an impressive display of faith.
The older generations usually arrive in traditional robes, in contrast to the Western garb preferred by the youth.
Take a day to wander around the remaining bits of the old town. Preserved by the Chinese government as a tourist attraction, these cobbled streets are overrun by tourists during midday.
Go early in the morning to see how Uighurs live their lives in the little alleys, as children go to school and street hawkers sell vegetables and snacks from carts. The Uighurs are notoriously friendly and humorous though they speak very little Mandarin or English.
On the main roads, souvenir shops have mushroomed over the years. From elaborate traditional knives and daggers to intricately carved musical instruments such as the dutar — a lute-like instrument — and the dulcimer, these shops help the community preserve its handicraft tradition and skills.
Outside Kashgar, souvenirs of such quality are less easy to come by, so make your purchases here. Prices are marked up so do bargain.
Kashgar’s main draw is really its Sunday bazaar, which has retained its laissez faire touch. Replete with exotic and colourful scenes, the bazaar is every photographer’s dream.
While the bazaar today is partly housed in a government concrete building, the number of itinerant hawkers and vendors makes it impossible for the market to be fully contained within.
Inside the main bazaar, handicrafts and souvenirs are the dominant wares. Step outside to the streets and you will see more of Uighur trading in action.
Like the bazaar in the old days, this market continues to be the highlight of the week for many Uighur rural farming folks. Many of them also come to catch up with news and socialise.
Even those with little to sell will travel miles to set up a stall peddling matchboxes or a couple of cans of pesticide. Be prepared for intoxicating scenes of hustle and bustle in equal quantities.
The range of goods you can find in the bazaar is mind-boggling. After all, this is reputed to be one of the largest bazaars in Asia. Second-hand radios, aphrodisiacs, silk, goat intestines, ceramics and “antiques” — in short, almost everything you can imagine.
Spend a full day at the bazaar and you still won’t be able to see all of it. Keep an eye on your wallet at all times, though.
Barter trade is no longer practised today, though if you carry a swanky camera, be prepared to receive offers from a Uighur farmer to trade his goat with your gear. - TODAY/sh
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