China Guide
The Northwest
Xinjiang
Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region is one of the most exciting parts of China, an extraordinary terrain, more than 3000km from any coast, which, despite all the historical upheavals since the collapse of the Silk Road trade, still comprises the same old oasis settlements strung out along the ancient routes, many still producing the silk and cotton for which they were famed in Roman times. Geographically, Xinjiang occupies an area slightly greater than Western Europe or Alaska, and yet its population is just thirteen million. By far the largest minority in Xinjiang is the Uyghur, though there are also some dozen other Central Asian minority populations.
The land of Xinjiang is among the least hospitable in all China, covered for the most part by arid desert and mountain. Highlights include the Tian Shan mountain pastures outside Ürümqi, where you can hike in rare solitude and stay beside Heaven Lake with Kazakhs in their yurts; but it is the old Silk Road that will attract most travellers. The most fascinating of the Silk Road oasis cities are Turpan and Kashgar, and there's still the possibility of continuing the Silk Road journey out beyond the borders of China itself – not only over the relatively well-established Karakoram Highway into Pakistan, but now also over the less well-known routes into Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
For travellers, the classic illustration of Xinjiang's remoteness from the rest of the country is in the fact that all parts of China set their clocks to Beijing time. The absurdity of this is at its most acute in Xinjiang, 3000–4000km distant from the capital – which means that in Kashgar, in the far west of the region, the summer sun rises at 9 or 10am and sets around midnight. Locally, there is such a thing as unofficial "Xinjiang time", a couple of hours behind Beijing time, which is used more frequently the further west you head towards Kashgar; when buying bus, train or plane tickets, you should be absolutely clear about which time is being used.