KASHGAR, China: From the expansive dunes of the Taklamakan Desert to the snow-capped peaks of Tianshan, Chinese authorities are selling troubled Xinjiang as a tourist idyll, welcoming travellers even as they send locals to internment camps.
Business has grown steadily over the years mainly because"Xinjiang is very stable", explained Wu Yali, who runs a travel agency in the region. "For a tourist who goes and travels around a designated route, it all looks nice," she told AFP."It's all very quiet and that's because there's a regime of terror being imposed on the local people."
Tourism packages to Xinjiang often feature the region's rich array of natural beauty, from the azure waters of Karakul lake to Tianshan - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. "What makes me sad is what ends up happening is there are only very specific parts of Uighur culture that get maintained because of the tourism," he said, citing the neglect of Uighur paper-making traditions and desert shrines.Beijing's security clampdown has also squeezed Yengisar city's artisanal knife trade, said Summers.
Large, spontaneous gatherings of Uighurs - even if they involve dancing - are less frequent because of tightened security, said Summers.
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