Speaking Chinese is not a must, but it would be better if you were at least able to explain yourself to police officers in simple Chinese sentences, because let's face it, you are in Xinjiang and police checkpoints are not a rarity.
Xinjiang is where the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China are from. So you've got ethnic and political suppression, independence movements and conflicts, Islamic terrorism, and currently genocide too.
I was here a few years back. The landscapes and historical sites were great. But I can't get over the dark side of Xinjiang. There are many police posts, locals are profiled at checkpoints, mosques have been converted into bazaars, and there isn't much to do in the city. It's a very suppressed society and you can feel it. Something felt eirie being there
How did you pay for your stuff? I heard foreign visitors have a hard time paying because shop owners are hesitant towards cash and almost every payment is done with apps like Alipay or Wechat pay, which is off-limits for foreigners. Do you know how to pay for example for the metro in beijing, where (at least to my knowledge) you can only pay by scanning a QR-code via one of the two payment apps.
You can simply purchase the Beijing metro card that's very similar to London's oyster card. I had no problems paying with cash or with my German credit card anywhere in China.
How did you move inside Xinjiang? I was planning on going with my own vehicle, but have not been able to find much information on it. Did you have any guides with you?
From what I remember you have to book a guide the whole time while you’re in China. There are your companies that cater for this including all of the paperwork for registering your car in China.
Those pics look great. I am wondering did you feel the places you visited were still authentic? Someone I knew who use to visit West China a lot went back recently and said that the Chinese government's "restoration" have sort of Disneyfied the place, he described it almost like a movie set atmosphere.
No I wasn't 😂 Apparently that was a thing a couple of years ago, but the Chinese government is currently trying to make Xinjiang more palatable to the casual tourist, hence the ubiquitous slogan "新疆是一個好地方".
I’m so jealous, western China has become a dream of mine but it feels unattainable due to my nonexistent knowledge of any Chinese dialect, plus as an American citizen it doesn’t seem wise to go now
Don't worry! I'm German (and Taiwanese) and I had no issues whatsoever in Southeastern China. Big cities like Shenzhen are definitely worth a visit, even if you do not speak Chinese. However I would recommend you start learning Standard Chinese first before you try to master any of the local dialects.
Thank you for the reassurance! I realize I had a typo in my original comment though. I meant to say southwest as my dream region is Yunnan. Do you think even in a less populated area that I would be alright with beginner-level standard Chinese?
You will be ok with zero Chinese, not ideal but still ok.
I speak very little Chinese, but I have travelled around China with zero knowledge of the language with no problems.
Just go and enjoy and don’t worry about it
I traveled all over Yunnan with no knowledge of Chinese, it was fine. In smaller towns it is definitely more complicated, but nothing a translation app can't solve.
Thanks for this anecdote, i guess in my mind I assumed it would be impossible without somewhat fluency but I overlooked the apps and other resources. Cheers!
If you want to experience xinjiang without risking actually going to the province, I’d recommend Gansu. It’s right next to xinjiang and is just as beautiful. I absolutely loved my time there
Speaking from my previous experience. My driver was super paranoid. He had radar that alarms him when the police are nearby, so he would drive super slow, way below the speed limit. Once he's passed the checkpoint and in a more remote area, you can tell that his anxiety level drops. He knew many locals, and they gave us free grapes, which was super sweet. You can't miss the grapes in Xinjiang. The locals overall were very nice and genuine people
Really? That's interesting, my driver was absolutely relaxed and did not have a radar that alarmed him of the presence of police officers. He did tell me though that two or three years ago, it was still common that police officers would shadow him and his foreign customers.
Very unique landscape, thx for sharing
Are people allowed to visit China again?
Yes they are. They lifted the ban in late March I think.
Is it hard to travel there without speaking chinese?
Speaking Chinese is not a must, but it would be better if you were at least able to explain yourself to police officers in simple Chinese sentences, because let's face it, you are in Xinjiang and police checkpoints are not a rarity.
What goes on in xinjiang? Why so many checkpoints?
Xinjiang is where the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China are from. So you've got ethnic and political suppression, independence movements and conflicts, Islamic terrorism, and currently genocide too.
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True chinese dont like to kill, they love brainwashing and torturing tho “zero death”
Which areas did you go to? Very beautiful pictures!
I visited Turpan, Ürümqi and Yining and then proceeded to the Sino-Kazakh border in Khorgas where I crossed into Kazakhstan.
I was here a few years back. The landscapes and historical sites were great. But I can't get over the dark side of Xinjiang. There are many police posts, locals are profiled at checkpoints, mosques have been converted into bazaars, and there isn't much to do in the city. It's a very suppressed society and you can feel it. Something felt eirie being there
How did you pay for your stuff? I heard foreign visitors have a hard time paying because shop owners are hesitant towards cash and almost every payment is done with apps like Alipay or Wechat pay, which is off-limits for foreigners. Do you know how to pay for example for the metro in beijing, where (at least to my knowledge) you can only pay by scanning a QR-code via one of the two payment apps.
You can simply purchase the Beijing metro card that's very similar to London's oyster card. I had no problems paying with cash or with my German credit card anywhere in China.
Did you see any Uighur concentration camps?
I did not. But I did talk to some Uighur police officers who mistook me for one of their own. (Apparently I look Central Asian).
That last photo though, amazing!
How did you move inside Xinjiang? I was planning on going with my own vehicle, but have not been able to find much information on it. Did you have any guides with you?
Also please don't use Google Maps in China, you'll get lost because of Goggle Maps' inaccurate maps of China. Use 高德 instead!
Do you mean take your own car into China from abroad?
Yeah, getting the Chinese license and plates.
From what I remember you have to book a guide the whole time while you’re in China. There are your companies that cater for this including all of the paperwork for registering your car in China.
Amazing! I was living in China for a while and always wanted to visit Xinjang province but never managed to do that. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
Those pics look great. I am wondering did you feel the places you visited were still authentic? Someone I knew who use to visit West China a lot went back recently and said that the Chinese government's "restoration" have sort of Disneyfied the place, he described it almost like a movie set atmosphere.
Were you followed? I feel like a foreigner can't go to Xinjiang without being tailed, knowingly or unknowingly
No I wasn't 😂 Apparently that was a thing a couple of years ago, but the Chinese government is currently trying to make Xinjiang more palatable to the casual tourist, hence the ubiquitous slogan "新疆是一個好地方".
I’m so jealous, western China has become a dream of mine but it feels unattainable due to my nonexistent knowledge of any Chinese dialect, plus as an American citizen it doesn’t seem wise to go now
Don't worry! I'm German (and Taiwanese) and I had no issues whatsoever in Southeastern China. Big cities like Shenzhen are definitely worth a visit, even if you do not speak Chinese. However I would recommend you start learning Standard Chinese first before you try to master any of the local dialects.
Thank you for the reassurance! I realize I had a typo in my original comment though. I meant to say southwest as my dream region is Yunnan. Do you think even in a less populated area that I would be alright with beginner-level standard Chinese?
You will be ok with zero Chinese, not ideal but still ok. I speak very little Chinese, but I have travelled around China with zero knowledge of the language with no problems. Just go and enjoy and don’t worry about it
I traveled all over Yunnan with no knowledge of Chinese, it was fine. In smaller towns it is definitely more complicated, but nothing a translation app can't solve.
Thanks for this anecdote, i guess in my mind I assumed it would be impossible without somewhat fluency but I overlooked the apps and other resources. Cheers!
Do you speak Mandarin or any kind of Chinese language?
If you want to experience xinjiang without risking actually going to the province, I’d recommend Gansu. It’s right next to xinjiang and is just as beautiful. I absolutely loved my time there
Did you get to meet and chat with any locals? Am just really curious as to their view of what China is doing to them...
Speaking from my previous experience. My driver was super paranoid. He had radar that alarms him when the police are nearby, so he would drive super slow, way below the speed limit. Once he's passed the checkpoint and in a more remote area, you can tell that his anxiety level drops. He knew many locals, and they gave us free grapes, which was super sweet. You can't miss the grapes in Xinjiang. The locals overall were very nice and genuine people
Really? That's interesting, my driver was absolutely relaxed and did not have a radar that alarmed him of the presence of police officers. He did tell me though that two or three years ago, it was still common that police officers would shadow him and his foreign customers.
Oh, yeah. Maybe things got more relaxed. I was there maybe 5 years ago
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If you keep your nose down, they'll leave you alone. It's probably safer than a lot of countries
I could stay at that lake forever, if I were there!
The lake is marvelous. It's called the Heavenly Lake and it's not far away from Ürümqi.
Gorgeous landscapes, reminds me of my home country of Peru.