Xinjiang Folk Custom Chronicle: Xinjiang Bazaar

Author: Han Lianyin, Cheng Wanli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-02-01
Features: Recently, a TV news report mentioned that after the South Xinjiang Railway was completed to Kashgar, farmers often brought their cattle and sheep along with them to the market. With the arrival of the train, the material and spiritual lives of rural areas along the railway will undergo significant changes. The local market will once again present new scenes. The emergence of new scenes inevitably accompanies the decline of old ones. I once thought that the South Xinjiang market was a vast lake capable of accommodating all kinds of water, but now it appears to be a rushing river in constant flux. There must be people sighing deeply over the lost golden days; others will be rushing about to preserve certain things. However, no matter how people view all this, every time one steps into the market, they can see the traces of history being refreshed. These traces are alive, like a large book being blown fiercely by the wind, flipping rapidly. The page numbers become unclear, and only the flickering of life is visible. From the market, one can see the pulse of life—this may be the uniqueness of the South Xinjiang market. June 10, 2000, Cheng Wanli