China Expat is a cultural and literary forum for expatriates interested in China and has been published by Asia Briefing Ltd since 2001. The sites resident China culture writers have included such expatriate luminaries as Chris Devonshire-Ellis, Graham Thompson, Josh Gartner and now Ernie Diaz.
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No mere city, Xinjiang, China's largest territorial unit of administration, ranges along National Highway 312 from Urumqi in the east to Yili in the west, stopping in major cities along the way, such as Changji, Kuiton and Shihezi. Xinjiang lies in northwest China, bordering Gansu and Qinghai provinces to the southeast, and Tibet to the south. While Xinjiang enjoys upwards of 3,000 hours of sunshine each year, annual precipitation averages a scarce 150 milliliters, quite dry but nonetheless fertile. With a total population of over one and a half million, Xinjiang is home to 47 of China's 56 ethnic groups, including the Uygur, Kazak, Mongolian, Khirghiz, Xibe, Tajik, Uzbek, Manchu, Daur, Tartar and even Russian ethnic groups. While Xinjiang is most famous for the ancient Silk Road, it also has 256 ancient cultural sites: tombs, ruins, Buddhist caves, and stone sculptures, most of them under state protection. It has also recently established 22 nature reserves for the protection of flora and fauna. The discovery of petroglyphs in Altay and dinosaur fossils has fascinated experts, scholars and tourists alike.

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Xinjiang City Guide

Three Xinjiang Kingdoms - Make That Cities
Three Xinjiang Kingdoms - Make That Cities
Today, dusty little cities scattered in the lee of Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. Korla, Kucha, and Hetian, today we in China speak condescendingly of their fruit, jade and rugs, saving our Uyghur comments for close company.
Was the Chinese Phoenix actually an Ostrich ?
Was the Chinese Phoenix actually an Ostrich ?
By Chris Devonshire-Ellis Recent ornithological and archeological evidence has demonstrated that China once possessed, in Xinjiang Province, its very own species of Ostrich - (Struthio asiaticus), and that this long extinct bird may be the source of
China's Muslim Massacre
China's Muslim Massacre
Many attribute the genocidal tendency to followers of certain faiths or politics. Those who respect history know better. After more than a millennium of relatively peaceful integration, China’s Muslim population were nearly wiped out by a totalitari
Music Review: Sharizhad
Music Review: Sharizhad
It is almost impossible not to get up and dance when listening to Sharizhad’s catchy beats combined with traditional Xinjiang string instruments. Their recent album欢快的跳吧 (translated from the original Uyghur) has caught on wildly in their
Interview with a Uyghur Musician: Bahtiyar Aziz
Interview with a Uyghur Musician: Bahtiyar Aziz
Bahtiyar Aziz is a member of a new generation of Uyghur musicians who have had a chance to travel around China and are quite worldly. Originally from Urumqi, he lived in Beijing for ten years before returning recently.
Trekking the Tian Shan
Trekking the Tian Shan
“Outiwali!...outiwali!”“Let me pass!...let me pass!”Barreling down the narrow track towards us from behind a rocky outcrop a wild-eyed young man clearly struggles to control his obstreperous donkey.

RECENT ARTICLES

A Full Eclipse: Coming to Xinjiang
August 1st 2008 will mark a tremendous day for China’s tourist industry, bringing scores of foreign visitors to the country for the first time. The Beijing Olympics do not start until the 8th, but a week earlier in eastern Xinjiang Province people w

Lost in the Gurbantunggut Desert
As one hour turned into two, and then three, it was becoming quite clear that both my driver Wu and I were beginning to question the logic of our ‘shortcut’ through the remote Gurbantunggut Desert in northeastern Xinjiang.

The Miracle of Xinjiang Wines
Some of China’s best wines – and China makes a lot of wine – are from Xinjiang Province. Forget the posturings of Great Wall, Dragon Seal and the often quite dreadful ‘surprise’ one can find in a bottle, Xinjiang Wines are in a league of reg