Kashgar, star of the ancient western regions
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E-mail China Today, August 9, 2016
Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the westernmost major city of China. In the Uygur language, Kashgar means "a place like a fine jade." The frontier city enjoys a written history of more than 2,100 years. It is the center of southern Xinjiang’s politics, economy and culture, and also the largest farm and pasture products distribution center in this area. For millennia, it has been a key node on the ancient Silk Road, connecting the Eastern and Western worlds.
History
Located in the north of the Pamir Plateau and the western edge of the Taklimakan Desert, Kashgar is home to 31 ethnic groups including the Uygur, Han, Tajik, and Kyrgyz.
Bound by Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Kashgar’s border runs up to 888 kilometers. In addition, it is also close to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and India. All this has shaped it into the most convenient international thoroughfare connecting China and Central, South, and West Asia as well as Europe.
Zhang Qian (164-114 BC), imperial envoy of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), visited Kashgar (then called Shule) during his mission in 119 BC to seek alliances with the people living in the Western Regions. In 60 BC, to ensure the Silk Road stayed untrammelled, the Han Dynasty set up a Western Regions Command in Xinjiang, officially incorporating Kashgar into Chinese territory. Throughout the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Kashgar was one of the four key military strongholds in the Western Regions.
During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Kashgar was the fiefdom of Chagatai Khan, Genghis Khan’s second son. In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) nominated the minister for Xingjiang affairs who was stationed in Kashgar. Before the maritime Silk Road opened in the 15th century, Kashgar was a renowned transportation confluence of the south, north and central branches of the ancient Silk Road. Enjoying a long trade history with Central, South and West Asia as well as Europe, it was an international commercial hub, dubbed the "Oriental Cairo."
Rich Ethnic Flavors
Kashgar, the birthplace of Uygur culture where Uygurs are the dominant community, is also regarded as the most representative Uygur city in Xinjiang with a distinctive culture, art and architectural style. The Uygurs follow Islam and their attire, food and customs display Islamic influence.
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