News in frames: Local produce, global clientele

The Hindu’s News in Frames: October 20, 2024

The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi is exceptional both in the variety of the items on sale and the number of foreign tourists it attracts. While open all day, it essentially is a night bazaar, coming to full life from about 6.30 p.m., and offering everything from food and clothes to art and artefacts. Different cultural and economic aspects of the province, which is home to 56 officially recognised ethnic groups with Uyghurs, Han Chinese, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, and Mongolians among them, permeate the structures of the square and the products on display. The bazaar recalls the dominant Islamic culture of the region through the architecture, and the network of commercial routes of the Silk Road. There is a mosque that stands as the centrepiece of the area, and a Silk Road Sightseeing Tower that provides a panoramic view of the city and the mountains of the region. Paintings on each floor of the tower depict the history of the Silk Road, the trade and cultural exchanges across Eurasia for over 500 years till the 15th century. Xinjiang’s famed dried fruits and jams and honeys are among the essential buys for tourists. Ethnic musical instruments, including hand-painted tambourines, are available across the walkways and shops. Uyghurs play the traditional instruments in front of the shops, an added attraction.

Opened in 2003, it is the largest bazaar of its kind in China, at about 3,000 shops.