China's Far West; Uighurs: Destruction of An Old City

As one of the major trading centers of the Silk Road, the Old City in Kashigar, located in Western China’s Xinjiang province, has long been a heart of Uighur traditions and livelihoods, with a history over 2,000 years.

Redevelopment of Old City in Kashigar, which is estimated to cost $440 million, began abruptly in 2009, soon after China’s central government said it would spend $584 billion on public works to combat the global financial crisis. Over the next few years, city officials say, they will demolish at least 85 percent of Old City and many of its 13,000 families will be moved. Government say demolition is deemed an urgent necessity because an earthquake could strike at any time, collapsing centuries-old buildings and killing thousands, but critics argue it would destroy Uighrs’ identity and resettlement program is used to have tighter control over Uighrs.

   
  
     
  
   
  
An Uighur man sells carpet at bazaar in Kashgar, Xinjiang province in China, August, 2010.
     
  
   
  
     
  
Demolition site.
   
Demolition site.
   
LEFT: Uighurs wait for a bus in Kashgar, Xinjiang province in China, August, 2010. The real-estate boom, much of it fueled by speculators from other parts of the China, was jumpstarted last spring by a central government directive lavishing Kashgar with a welter of economic aid and the creation of a special development zone. RIGHT: A sign that encourages ethnic unity is seen in Kashgar, Xinjiang province in China, August, 2010. The discontent among Uighurs, Turkic speaking Muslim people, flares up periodically, and violently since 1949, when Chinese troops crushed a nominally independent Uighur nation, known as the East Turkistan Republic.
     
  
   
  
LEFT: An apartment complex for relocated residents of old city in Kashgar.RIGHT: Mud-brick buildings in with labyrinth-like streets in old city.
     
  
   
  
Residents eat meal inside a 500 year-old house.
     
  
Demolition site.