Latest news with #Uygur
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Decoding the sands of time
The Taklamakan Desert, China's largest desert, in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was once central stage for numerous legends along the ancient Silk Road. However, as environmental conditions changed, the once-thriving human settlements were abandoned, standing in the wilderness with only sand and wind as companions. It was not until the late 19th century when foreign explorers ventured into the desert that people began to uncover many of its cultural heritage sites. After more than a century, professionals are visiting these sites one by one. They tread on the sand, braving strong winds and enduring scorching sun as they work to investigate and document their conditions. They belong to a team of the fourth national census of cultural relics in China, which records the cultural heritage in the Taklamakan Desert, especially in its heartland. 'Many of the sites lie deep in the heart of the desert, inaccessible by regular vehicles like those used by other census teams,'' says Hu Xingjun, head of the team, who is also a researcher at the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology. 'We organised a team focusing on these sites. This ensures we fulfil the census mandate of 'taking census of all those that should be covered'.' The national census began in 2023 and will end next year. Field investigations started in Xinjiang in May last year. Census takers visit the sites to survey and map them using real-time kinematic devices, take aerial photos with drones and other photos recording details, measure the size of sites, collect specimens and record detailed information in the census database. With more than a dozen members, the team's work started recently and was due to run until the end of May. Team members must repeatedly enter the desert, often for several days or even weeks at a time. They usually invite experienced drivers to form a fleet of sport utility vehicles stocked with fuel, food and water, equipment and daily necessities to enter the desert's depopulated zones, rest in tents, and survey each site firsthand. Matyvsup Emirhazi, 31, a team member and a researcher at Hotan Museum, says they have to make careful plans for each day in the desert, follow plans strictly and carry supplies for several extra days beyond their initial estimates to deal with unexpected situations. In a desert in which footprints are easily left, they pay close attention to not leaving traces in their photos. 'We usually take the panoramic photo at first, without entering the site,' Matyvsup says. 'We then set foot on the sites to measure and take photos of details.' They are especially careful with protecting the environment by burning garbage and taking away items that cannot be incinerated. At the end of every day's work they report the all-clear with satellite phones to cultural heritage authorities. Another team member, Matkasim Tumir, 57, says they often have to save water, a scarce commodity. Sometimes camels join to help carry goods and materials. 'In the past when we didn't have SUVs, camels played a big role helping us carry goods,' Matkasim says. 'I still think they're the best partners you can have in the desert, because vehicles can break down or struggle with sand dunes, but camels' adeptness at traversing the desert is unmatched.' Ediris Abdurusul, 74, an archaeologist who has led nearly 100 expeditions in the desert over the past 46 years with no notable mishap, works as a consultant with the team. He has led many breakthrough discoveries in Xinjiang, including the excavations of the Xiaohe cemetery, a site of Bronze Age cultural remains from 4,000 to 3,400 years ago. He is also renowned for the discovery of a naturally preserved female mummy called the 'princess of Xiaohe' 20 years ago.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Xinjiang plans to open up to more tourists
China's Xinjiang – an ethnically diverse region that still faces Western sanctions over a slew of human-rights issues – plans to open up to more foreign visitors, as the local government strives to boost tourism and diversify the regional economy. The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, which stretches over a vast tract of land in western China, has become a hugely popular destination among domestic tourists in recent years, receiving a record 302 million visits last year. Now, local officials have published an action plan to further grow the region's culture and tourism sector, with a target of raising the industry's annual revenue to at least 1 trillion yuan (US$138 billion) and receiving at least 400 million visits per year by 2030, according to the document published on Sunday. The plan will involve opening up the region to more foreign tourists, with the document including references to strengthening the development of cross-border tourism and expanding trade in cultural goods and services. Xinjiang – which is famous in China for its stunning natural scenery and diverse mix of ethnic groups – is not currently fully open to foreign nationals. While international visitors can generally enter the region freely, they normally need special permits to visit some tourist attractions, such as the huge Bayinbuluke grassland, according to China-based travel agencies that organise trips for foreigners.
The Star
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
China bride goes viral for angelic beauty, hails from family renowned for stunning looks
BEIJING: A stunningly good looking Chinese bride has gone viral online after internet users refused to believe she was real, thinking she was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Videos from an April wedding in Gansu province, northwestern China, went viral after the wedding photographer posted them online. The bride wore a white headscarf that covers her hair, ears, neck and shoulders, traditional clothing that suggests she is from the Chinese Hui ethnic group, which adheres to Islam. Some were stunned by her beauty, asking if the videos were AI-generated. Others likened her to Chinese actress Fan Bingbing and suspected that the bride had undergone plastic surgery. The groom and his bride, who have not been fully identified, have caused a major stir on social media.- Weibo However, the wedding photographer confirmed that the 25-year-old bride is real, adding that Hui people traditionally reject artificial cosmetic procedures. She said other women in the bride's family are also beautiful. The photographer said the bride did not normally wear make-up because she attached more value to inner beauty. The bride's name has not been revealed. Some online observers, who are not familiar with the lifestyles of China's ethnic groups, learn about their traditional costumes via viral videos. The Hui people, who numbered around 11.4 million in China's 2020 census, comprise the country's fourth largest ethnic group after the Han Chinese, who number 1.29 billion people and represent 91.11 per cent of the population, the Zhuang ethnic group and the Uygur ethnic group. The groups are widely distributed across China but mainly in northwestern and central provinces. The Hui also have their own province-level autonomous region, Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwestern China. It is said that the name Hui originated from 'Huihui', a name used to address Uygur people who lived in Western China in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) period. By the time of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), ruled by the Mongols, people from Central Asia and further west who migrated to China, mostly Muslims, were all referred to by the name 'Huihui'. 'All brides are beautiful on their wedding day,' said one online observer. 'She reminds me of many of my Hui friends,' another person, from northwestern China's Shaanxi province, said. Meanwhile, comparing a person's appearance with faces generated by AI has become a new way of paying a compliment. Recently, a 20-year-old deaf-mute girl in southwestern China's Sichuan province was also likened to AI-generated beauty for her 'unnaturally beautiful' face. - South China Morning Post
Borneo Post
27-04-2025
- General
- Borneo Post
'It's our choice': A family's decades-long dedication to cotton farming
Farmers plant cotton in Xayar County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) URUMQI (April 28): For Ababekri Memet, a Uygur farmer from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, cotton has long been a symbol of prosperity and ethnic harmony. Ababekri's family runs an agricultural cooperative that manages a 320-hectare cotton field, where farming machinery and drones have replaced manual labor and are operated by dozens of employees from various ethnic groups, including Uygur and Han. 'Planting cotton is our choice because it brings us prosperity,' said the 37-year-old farmer, who is currently busy with spring sowing. Xinjiang is one of the world's largest cotton-producing regions, with about 5.69 million tonnes of cotton harvested in 2024. The cotton industry has become a key pillar in improving the livelihoods of the locals. Located south of the Tianshan Mountains, Xayar County — where Ababekri is from — is one of Xinjiang's earliest areas to begin cotton sowing annually. Around 80 percent of cotton farmers in Xayar, home to a population of over 260,000, are Uygur. In recent years, the cotton planting area in Xayar has remained stable at around 1.8 million mu (approximately 120,000 hectares). A cotton farmer sets up Beidou navigation for a seeder in Xayar County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Gu Yu) On Ababekri's cotton field, a tractor equipped with BeiDou satellite navigation moved automatically, planting seeds while laying drip irrigation tubing and plastic mulch. Thanks to mechanization, the entire seeding process was completed in just over 10 days. Ababekri's father decided to switch to cotton cultivation two decades ago. In 2003, he replaced approximately 1.33 hectares of wheat with cotton after seeing his neighbors reap profits from the cash crop. 'Back then, I resented the decision, as the work in cotton fields was tiring,' Ababekri said, recalling the autumns spent hand-picking cotton with his family. 'But my father believed it was our path to a better life.' That belief, along with a significant rise in income, spurred further expansion. In 2018, Ababekri's family founded an agricultural cooperative and began taking land on lease from local farmers. Over the years, such cooperatives have mushroomed across the county, now totaling 103 of varying sizes. The cooperative has become a symbol of Xinjiang's agricultural modernization. Over the years, it has invested in satellite-guided machinery, drones, and a John Deere cotton harvester to efficiently manage its expanding cotton fields. Mechanization has transformed the region. According to the Xinjiang Cotton Association, 100 percent of cotton planting and 90 percent of harvesting are now mechanized, marking a sharp contrast to the manual methods Ababekri once knew. During harvest season, Gao Lin, a 36-year-old driver of Han ethnicity, is hired to operate the John Deere harvester. 'I earn nearly 100,000 yuan (about 13,600 U.S. dollars) a year during the cotton season, which is an important income for my family,' said Gao, who works for multiple farmers from various ethnic groups. It is common for Uygur farmers to hire Han workers in the fields. 'What matters is who gets the job done best,' he said. Such collaborations continue to thrive despite U.S. sanctions imposed over unfounded 'forced labor' allegations. In 2024, Xinjiang's cotton output increased by 574,000 tonnes compared to 2023. As he stood by the freshly sown fields, Ababekri gazed thoughtfully at his journey. 'We chose cotton in pursuit of a better life, and now, we are living that dream,' he mused. – Xinhua The post 'It's our choice': A family's decades-long dedication to cotton farming appeared first on Borneo Post Online.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump ‘blowing it' on tariffs because he ‘lacks empathy': Cenk Uygur
Cenk Uygur, founder and host of 'The Young Turks,' said President Trump is 'blowing it' on his tariff messaging because he 'lacks empathy' and has not leveled with the American public about the immediate financial pain they might feel in exchange for long-term payoff. In an interview Tuesday on NewsNation's 'On Balance with Leland Vittert,' Uygur said it's interesting that, during the presidential campaign, Trump excelled on messaging, 'But here he is, blowing it.' 'And why is he blowing it? Partly because he lacks empathy,' Uygur continued. 'So when somebody says to him, 'Other people are suffering,' he's like, 'And?' Like, he's so self-obsessed. He's such a narcissist.' 'For a normal person — let alone a politician — this is a layup,' Uygur continued. 'You go out there and … say, 'Look, guys, I know the market is down, and I know we're going to have to deal with some pain here, but let me tell you about why I'm doing this, and why it's so important, and how it's going to help you in your life.'' 'But he just doesn't have the capacity,' Uygur added. The Tuesday interview came just as Trump's latest round of sweeping tariffs were slated to take effect. Trump last week announced a 10 percent baseline tariff, which took effect over the weekend, and higher 'reciprocal' tariffs on individual countries that took effect Wednesday. The tariffs have sent shockwaves through the stock market, which has seen days of consecutive losses following Trump's announcement. On Wednesday, Trump sought to project calm amid the turmoil. 'BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!' Trump posted on Truth Social, arguing in a subsequent post that it is a 'great time to buy.' Uygur, a Democrat, said he could have supported Trump tariffs 'if he had actually targeted certain industries' and pledged, for example, to hold drug companies accountable or rebuild the auto industry. 'That I don't mind at all, and I would support him — even if the stock market goes down. I'm not going to go crazy over that; sometimes you need that,' Uygur said. 'But a nuclear blast against the whole world, these gigantic tariffs, there's no exit strategy there. There's no logic.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
