Stories about Xinjiang

A Uighur skips school and gets drunk at Qiemo's dry levee. Many young Uighurs can't get jobs because of racism and language requirements, and their traditional jobs as traders and farmers have become unprofitable.

Uighur Identity in Xinjiang

The Uighurs of Xinjiang are one of 55 minorities in China, but they are ethnically and historically closer to the Muslim Turkic groups of Central Asia. The Chinese government is trying to cement its hold on the resource rich Xinjiang by suppressing cultural and religious differences in schools and workplaces and by resettling millions of [...]

In the months before the Olympics many men in Khotan were imprisoned until women held a protest in the market.  The protest only drew more of a crackdown and military convoys could be seen entering the city.

No Internet in Xinjiang for 15 weeks

Upon returning to the US I kept in contact with a couple of Uighur friends in Xinjiang over IM and occasionally Skype. When the rioting ocured a few months ago I expected the internet to be cut off for a few days, maybe a week. But for the past 15 weeks I haven’t heard from [...]

Meaningless Photo

Meaningless Photo

Taken in northern Xinjiang, amongst a family that became my friends.