A Sense of Xinjiang

◆Text and photographs by Chen Jian

A local saying goes: “One can never know how vast is the land of China, without first crossing Xinjiang.”

China’s northwestern territory of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region spans 1.66 million square kilometers – one-sixth of the country’s total geography. At the provincial administrative level, the region leads China in terms of length of boundary line and number of bordering nations.

Xinjiang comprises a vast topography with a pleasant climate, fascinating land-forms, exquisite scenery and abundant natural resources. At home here are 47 ethnic groups, notably including the Uygur, Kazak, Hui, Mongolian and Han. Many people in the hinterlands of China know little about this land, due to its location and relatively sparse transportation network. Many view it as “the place farther than the farthest place.”

In May 2009, during the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the region’s Peaceful Liberation, I paid a visit to the northern and southern parts of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.