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Kashgar
 Kashgar,
or Kashi, is situated in the southwest of Xinjiang
Uigur Autonomous Region, northwest of China. From
the west, this is the first point of arrival on
land routes from Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. Long
a vital stop on the Silk Road, this remote city
is about 4,000 km from Beijing and used to take
up to six months to reach from the capital! This
all changed in the 1930s when Kashgar became a
crucial meeting point for three empires-the Chinese,
the British and the Soviet Union. Once a haven
for spies and housing some fabulous consulate
buildings, this city was used as a bastion by
the Brits looking west towards India and the Soviets
thought to be plotting to absorb Xinjiang. In
1935, the city was effectively run by the Soviets
until World War II when it came back under Chinese
sovereignty.
Today, despite modernization
and architectural decline, the city manages to
meet visitors' expectations. The most striking
thing about Kashgar is the Turkistan influence
visible on the streets and in homes here. This
place feels, looks and even smells dramatically
different from the rest of China, more so than
any other city in Xinjiang. And this is no great
surprise really, considering that 90% of the population
is Muslims. Uigur bazaars, tea houses and faces
dominate the streets. What's more, this is the
only city in Central Asia where the women choose
to veil their faces. The city is particularly
busy between May and October; jam packed with
merchants and traders hot-off the Karakoram Highway
from Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan.
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