Turpan is not China. China wants it to be China, but Turpan is Uighurstan. There is a dialectic between the image of a Han Chinese, scampering from the heat and punishing sun to the confines of a concrete block of apartments, and the image of the Uighur man, clothed in loose linen shirt and [...]
Archive for June 24th, 2008
Turpan
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Tian Chi
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It’s called Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake), and it is situated in the Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountains), and the ‘Heavenly’ superlative is by no means an exaggeration – Tian Chi was paradise. A small alpine lake nestled into a valley at 2000m, it’s emerald waters shone against a backdrop of green slopes and snow-capped mountains. [...]
Urumqi – Kanas Lake – Urumqi
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As I strolled back from a feed of shashylik, spiced bread and beer, and carrying my wedge of watermelon for desert, I spied a group of teenagers sporting identical t-shirts with big I <heart> China slogans branded in red across the oversized white garments. I admire the country, but I could not agree with [...]
Xining – Yushu – Xining
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Yushu was another Vieng Poukha – one of those experiences that impregnates itself into your memory. Moments flash past in my mind: looking down bustling Uighur streets into a sea of white caps interspersed with donkeys and the occasional scooter, cycle-utility or car trying to squeeze through the throng; the flash of fire from [...]
Songpan
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Songpan involved many firsts. It was the first time I had been to such an altitude. It was the first time I had ridden a horse for such a length of time. It was also the first time that peculiar aspects of the Chinese nature first began to itch my sensibilities.
The greatest memory [...]
Chengdu
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I write this entry as the only entry which will be out of chronological order. I spent time in Chengdu on two occasions: first having arrived from Guilin prior to travelling to Songpan and also upon my return from Songpan. Chengdu, like Guilin, was relatively unremarkable. I did all the touristic things that people [...]
