February 2012
14 posts
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Kashgar: Demolition & The Soft War
These pictures are not those of a war torn city, devastated by bombing and gunfire. In fact, the last time this city was the setting for a battle was in 1934 when General Ma Fuyuan led a Chinese Muslim army to storm Kashgar and attack the Uyghur and Kirghiz rebels of the First East Turkestan Republic.
The devastation comes from a source far more recent and local—the government— who in 2009...
January 2012
10 posts
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Kashgar Streets
Kashgar’s offerings to the street photographer are rich. The diversity of its architecture, colors, activity and faces make it an ideal location to capture the spirit of a city.
So, what is the spirit of Kashgar? In a word: tradition.
The way things are done in the Uyghur community within the Old City walls are the way things have been done there, more or less, for hundreds of years.
People...
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Kashgar: Artisans
Kashgar is a town as steeped in tradition as it is history, politics, religion and trade. Evidence of this can be seen throughout the streets of the Old City where artisans craft their wares outside and within the walls of their shops, employing methods that have not changed for at least a hundred years.
As we approach one store, the sound of hammers announces the workshop of blacksmiths.
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Kashgar: Teahouses
Hidden in the backs of buildings and alleyways in the Old City are the teahouses of Kashgar, which serve as the traditional meeting place for Uyghur men.
Here, men gather before and after prayers for black tea and bread, which they soften by dipping into their cups.
Pots of tea are heated over wood-burning stoves. Smoke and steam mingle in the air, catching the odd ray of light that manages to...
17 tags
Han Irik: Monday Market
Though the Sunday Market in Kashgar is the largest and most famous, to catch a glimpse of Uyghur culture that is still relatively untouched by the hand of modernity, the rural village markets are a must.
About 45 kilometers to the south east of Kashgar is the small village of Han Irik, which lies on the outskirts of the desert and is home to a Monday market famed for its cows and donkeys, though...
13 tags
Kashgar: Sunday Market
Almost eponymous with Kashgar is its famous Sunday Market, which for centuries has played center stage to the art of buying and selling since the days of the ancient Silk Road.
Though perhaps no longer a stopover for travel weary merchants, Kashgar, and particularly it’s Sunday Market, still attracts thousands of farmers from surrounding villages who come the city to sell their produce and...
11 tags
Kashgar: Old City Streets
Day two in Kashgar was spent trying to secure a way back to Beijing in time for the Chinese New Year and our flight back to Seoul.
This time of year is brutal for booking tickets and traveling in general around China as millions of people take advantage of their one to two week holidays during the Spring Festival season.
However, although the majority of the day was spent in a booking office,...
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Kashgar: A meeting point of cultures and eras.
After what seemed an interminable 20+-hour bus ride, we finally made it to Kasghar. It was well worth the trip.
Immediately stepping off the bus and into the Kashgar afternoon sun you feel like you’ve not only crossed mountains and desert but a border into an entirely different country.
Kashgar is an old city dating back almost 2000 years and life in the Uyghur section of town seems largely...
13 tags
Urumqi: Buses and Trains
In Urumqi it is not uncommon to see billboards with Chinese, Uyghur Arabic Script, and Russian writing on them. This tells you much about Urumqi.
With a population of around 2.3 million people, Urumqi is a Central Asian melting pot though the two predominant ethnic groups are the Han Chinese and the Uyghur, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia.
Our main purpose in stopping...
7 tags
Beijing to Xinjiang
Traveling China by train is indeed an incredible way to see the country.
You can truly appreciate the vastness and the diversity of the landscape as well as the people who inhabit it.
Leaving from Beijing West Station you begin to see the ethnic diversity not often associated with the country.
Another feature of the trains here is that they are dependable and run, for the most part, like...
7 tags
Beijing: Forbidden City and Tian’anmen Square
Our last full day in Beijing was spent exploring the Forbidden City and watching the flag lowering ceremony in Tian’anmen Square.
The Forbidden City is a complicated labyrinth of alleyways, palaces, gates and hidden gardens.
Impressive in both its size and intricacies, it is no small wonder that this landmark is a draw for both international tourists and Chinese alike.
Thousands of people...
December 2011
8 posts
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China for Sale!
Day two in China was first spent walking to Beijing Central Station to get our tickets to Urumqi. Afterwards, we moseyed back to the Wangfujing and Tian’anmen Square area. To call the juxtaposition between old and new China drastic would be an understatement. The mile or so walk back from the train station was a stretch of a shopper’s paradise, the likes of which I’ve not seen before.
Large...
13 tags
Beijing: Tian'anmen & the Hutongs
We landed in Beijing safely on Tuesday. The day was mostly a blur as we found accommodation and adjusted to a new currency, language and city.
For our first full day in China we spent the day walking around Tianâanmen Square, Wangfujing, and the hutongs (narrow alleyways) that surround each area. The juxtaposition between old and modern is striking. Whole neighborhoods (hutongs) are torn down...
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Seoul Departure
On Monday we made our final trip into Seoul before heading out for our month-long adventure in China.
Our first stop was the Leica store in Chungmuro to drop off the box and warranty for the 35mm Summicron that we traded last week. The second stop was the Kyobo Book Store near City Hall for some travel-notebooks and pens.
Afterwards, we met up with friends and before too long (and after some...
15 tags
Red Allure
We went into Seoul for a battery and ended up getting a 28mm Summicron. These things, they happen.
Today was our penultimate journey into Seoul before our China departure date, which is now only five days away. We really only meant to pick up an extra battery for our trip as well as a few last minute Christmas gifts. We had no intention of trading in the 35mm Summicron for the 28mm equivalent,...
14 tags
Arrival of Winter
After what seemed an eternal Indian Summer, winter has finally arrived and with it the freezing temperatures that make your eyes water as soon as you step outside the door. What better weather to spend the day walking on the sidewalks of Seoul!
The necessity of errands drove us out of the warmth of our house and into the cold.
Namely, we needed to go pick up some backpacks from a friend for...
9 tags
Late Afternoon Walk
Yesterday we went for a late afternoon walk on the bike path that runs alongside the river by our house. We were mostly met by ducks, guard dogs and the odd goat.
There’s something refreshing about the silence and the stillness of the country: you can hear the wind, the sounds of birds landing on the water or cars on a distant and unseen highway. You can hear yourself think.
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Saturday in Seoul
Went into Seoul yesterday to do some Christmas shopping as well as take some pictures, and of course holiday shopping isn’t complete  without the requisite trip to Insadong to pick up traditional Korean fare to ship back to our respective home countries.
Items that we purchased: hand-made kite, model planes made out of beer cans and a Korean mask of the scholar to name a few. In addition...
9 tags
10 Best Images from Photo 365
Pictures are worth a thousand words, but weâll add a few more here. Project 365 ended a month ago, and weâve just now been able to revisit the images captured in that year.
Originally, the idea was that we would pick what we considered to be the ten best photos, do a write up about the process and indulge in a moment of self-reflection. However, a month can change things.
Where it...
October 2011
32 posts
9 tags
Epilogue
Reflections and afterthoughts along with a look at the ten best images from the project coming soon…
Original Article
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