Today was a day full of the kind of contrasts which have come to typify this trip. We started off with the most authentic day we’ve experienced. We went to the livestock market and it was truly a remarkable event. We walked down a narrow road with traffic weaving back and forth in both directions. Horns honked, people scurried out of the way, and it was a crowded, noisy walk for ten minutes. Along the way, boys and girls herded little flocks of goats and sheep, trucks picked their way with small loads of cattle. John, Michael, and Thor got sprayed when one cut loose, we were that close to the action, donkey carts wove their way through the mob and we just tried to not get run over, or sprayed. :-)
Arriving at the market area we saw an absolute throng of thousands of people, with an exponentially larger number of animals. The ground was shoe-high dust with river rock mixed in and everybody was doing business. The haggling back and forth, huge fistfuls of Yuans being waved in the air made it a an absolute feast for the eyes and the camera. This was not a tourist set up. This was Uighur culture at it primal workings. While the crowd was mostly men, there was a large representation of women and children as young as 3-4 holding reins of horses, halters of calves, and knots of sheep somehow all strung together.
The men mostly have beards and wear farm jackets and work pants with their head cap topping off the traditional clothing. The women all wear head scarves and the rest varied from full purdah type head coverings to very colorful dresses. The whole event takes place in an area of approximately 20 acres, and it is absolutely filled with humans and animals. You have to pick your way through the multitude to work your way from front to back. While sheep were the main commodity being transferred, there were cattle being sold, horses auctioned back and forth with a broker, getting a cut on both ends, as well as an assortment of donkey and donkey carts, bridles, reins, bells, knives, and all the other accoutrements of animal husbandry.
Naturally with this amount of people, ya gotta eat. So charcoal ovens, wood burning stoves, and coal fired ovens smoked their way into our consciousness. Sides of lamb hung in the air and boys cut off slices which were put into soups, stews while kebobs were sizzling over the open fires. Rice pilaf was cooked in huge kettles, yogurt served in bowls which were quickly downed, noodles were stretch for adding to the stews and watermelons seemed to be everywhere.
The sounds were a combination of bleating, complaining, animals and a corresponding amount of similar noises from the humans involved. And most fascinating to me was that there was not a single Han face anywhere in the thousands of people completing the scene. It was, quite simply, the most amazing scene in which I’ve ever been part in all my years of travel and in all the places I’ve ever visited.
Following this most realistic cultural event of the trip was the exact opposite. We were told that we were going to visit a local “Handicraft and art” center. What it turned out to be was another government store where you get the 15 minute explanation of how silk carpets are made and jade is carved – presentations we have heard four times before. This is followed by moving us into the showroom where piles and piles of silk carpets are stacked upon each other with a salesperson at each table insisting that things are bad and they have really good prices. When you successfully navigate that area the second room is row after row after row of jade bracelets, necklaces, statues, Buddhas and everything else they make with the stuff. About every 10 feet or so behind each showcase is a woman in a purple uniform with gold trim on the neckline and down the sides of the pants, again saying that they have really good prices. And just the opposite is the reality. Not a single face is a Uighur face. Each and every person selling is Han.
After the “Handicraft” center we were asked if we would like to have lunch with a “Real” Uighur family. Of course we all said yes and so off we went to a Uighur house. Except that there were other groups already there and it was just another canned deal, nothing real about it. That real Uigher treat, M&M’s, were on the table for our enjoyment and we were served a meal exactly like the one we had in our restaurant the night before.
It was Sunday and we went off the largest Market in Central Asia. If it’s made in China, it’s for sale here. Acres upon acres of every household good, trinket, cloth, and rest of the consumer world all here under one roof. We wandered around for an hour and were continually offered good prices on almost everything you could possibly want and not need.
Finally our day ended by walking through the old section of the city. The heart of where the Uighur people live and work. Nothing phony about this. Narrow streets with the buildings falling down, people working in their “shops” directly below their rooms, kids running around everywhere – one child policy?- and just street life in a big ethnic city.
It was hard to really get a handle on many things about China because of the lack of good, honest discussion on issues. Ben was an excellent guide- knowledgeable, well organized, and friendly. But he is a state licensed tour guide, and you don’t get there by trashing the system or even being too open about policies. He was very defensive when asked questions about Tibet, and he totally dismissed the Uighurs by saying things like: “They were never a country. Why do they think they can be a country now.” He was extremely critical as to what he saw as the Uighurs “Murdering” Han people in the uprising earlier. After Ben left and our Uighur guide was left in charge of taking us to thee border, we got some more honest discussion. He told us for example that it is impossible for Uighurs to get passports because they have to pay a $10,000 deposit and wait 7-8 months only to be turned down and lose their deposit. So China is a fascinating place to visit with lots of things to see and do. The people were friendly and we had a great time. But let’s not fool ourselves. It is a very controlled society, and those in charge are firm in their grip in keeping it that way. Economic gains, notwithstanding, poitical and social progress is sometime way off in the future.
And then it was over. Our time in China. We’re all REALLY ready for a change. It’s been too much of the same thing. The meals are repetitive in spite of the incredible variety to Chinese cooking, we get the same things night after night after night. The continual selling of everything and being hassled to buy has worn thin on everybody. Don’t get me wrong. It’s been great, and we’d all do it again in a heartbeat, but China is so overwhelming and it’s continuous without any real break. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan await and it’s something we await with great anticipation.
