No more Kashgar, or China

Grand Bazaar is no more, Terrace Residences, final dinner

There are plenty of websites lauding the greatness and historic importance of the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar, websites that make claims as to when they were last updated, so that I get a sense they provide current information. Well, they don’t. The Grand Bazaar of Kashgar is no more - bulldozed over the course of a month in 2022 to make way for a development. At present, there is just a fancy sales office. There is another bazaar - the animal market, where every animal for sale for miles around is brought on a Sunday to be haggled over and, hopefully sold. I might have gone to that had I known the fate of the Grand Bazaar but by the time I find out, it is too late.

My long walk in the hot sun is not entirely wasted. I find another remnant of the Old City, across the river, which is in an interesting state. Half is being marketed as the Terrace Residences. There is a nice visitor centre, and it will one day be entry by tickets, but these are not in operation yet, so I just wander in.

Although they are called Residences, and people probably do live in them in the olf way, almost every one of them has some sort of business going on - selling trinkets, or selling drinks and snacks, whatever. The passages here are narrower than in the Old Town, and often covered by a building crossing from one side to another.

Out the back, however, things change - the buildings are all empty, and partly demolished. This is the Kashgar Old City Ruins Exhibition Area. It has a viewing platform and walkway, so I get the idea it is here to stay.

After nearly five weeks in China, it is my last night, so I decide to go somewhere nice for my last dinner.

I have what my translation app says is braised beef and a couple of beers, for which they provide quite nice glasses. The dish I get is very similar to what I have been eating all across Western China, and I have to say, the beef is very dry - I leave some behind.

Here are a couple of last images from night time Kashgar,

I don’t think I need to recap on how much I have enjoyed my traverse of China: you have all seen it in my posts. Next stop: Osh, in Kyrgystan.

Cheers!