南疆的烽燧

<正>As hundreds of years went by,the important beacon towers built by past dynasties fell to ruin.Dependent for their upkeep on military needs,they all were eventually abandoned due to political turbulence or the diffi culty of manning and upkeep in harsh natural conditions.Beacon towers lost their function and became outworn relics,useful only for pondering the     

尚昌平和她的南疆

<正>After more than 50 visits there since her fi rst one two decades ago,Shang Changping has an abiding love of southern Xinjiang.When she travels around the oasis of Taklimakan Desert,she feels every cottage could be her second home,she says.While 20 years passed,she matured from a girl to a woman,and her love and understanding of Xinjang became more profound.She even speaks with a Xinjiang accent!     

艾德莱丝绸

<正>It is fascinating to envision what may have happened2,000 ago to initiate a trade connection between the East and the West.Visualize something like a long,thin silk ribbon following a trail from the heartland of China,traversing mountains and rivers and crossing a wide desert,to arrive in ancient Rome.Perhaps this     

库车的风韵

<正>The oasis at Kucha was also known as Qiuci in ancient days when it was a prosperous point on the Silk Route and one of the"Thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions."It derived its name from the reference to"crossroads"or thoroughfare in Turkic.Because animal husbandry,agriculture and metallurgy were in large-scale production by the time of the late Warring States period,and because the east-west trade made Quici a booming settlement,it     

南疆重镇喀什

<正>Your journey starts here.In fact Kashgar may be both point of departure and last stop in beginning to understand Xinjiang.Like small flakes of an ancient mirror embedded in a pillow,today’s Kashgar Prefecture in far western China reflects past times when it was a central station for bartering,the precious goods trade,cultural and religious infusion,and wealth accumulation.Abutting the Taklamakan Desert,Kashgar through the     

南疆的三座清真寺

<正>The biggest religious building in Hotan Prefecture,Jiamo Mosque has outlasted the tide of history since its construction began in 1237.Solemn in appearance,the elegant mosque has an ingenious structure,a courtyard with shade trees,and many traditional Islamic architectural features.Large,with more than13,000-square feet of space,it has had numerous     

巴拉曼的天籁之音

<正>I heard the Balaman in the southern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,and I will never forget it.It was in Khotan Prefecture at the foot of Kunlun Mountains,south of Taklimakan Desert.Here,along the Keriya River north of these mountains,is a village named Yujimilikeaka,Langan Township,where people were having their traditional party,called Masirif in Uygur language.     

七彩之门

<正>Colorful,finely carved gates are landmarks of the Uyghur in south Xinjiang.They form an important part of residential buildings here,but their specialization goes beyond utility by expressing a combination of carving and painting integrated into the Uyghur home life.Uyghur courtyards are spacious,and useful to the life of the family in residence.Enclosed by walls made