The handicrafts in Kashgar have enjoyed great reputation in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The local products are not only various but also characterized by local cultures. The beautiful local Xinjiang Uyghur style carpet, the elegant flower-tripped bonnet and exquisite ornament are always considered to be the best souvenirs by visitors. The shopping district around Idkah Mosque is the most prosperous shopping places. Sunday is no day of rest but Kashgar’s busiest, and the city empties as residents and visitors join rivers of arrivals from neighbouring areas flowing to the Sunday Great Bazaar. At Sunday Great Bazaar, you can buy Chinese boom boxes, Russian optical equipments, gaudy fabrics, spices, foodstuffs, medicines, baskets and woven screens, shoes, boots, hats, brass, knives, dishes, pots, pans, all sorts of things that you can think of.

Traditional Uygur Carpet

The traditional Uygur Carpet is one of the local handicrafts in Kashgar. The Uygur Carpet is famous for its excellent quality and distinctive style. The Uygur Carpet is excellent in quality, bright in color and varied in pattern. It is not only of utility value but also of artistic value. Many stalls in the Great Bazaar sell the beautiful Uygur Carpet.

Yingjisha Knife

Yingjisha Knife gains the name for its place of production, Yingjisha Town. With a history of 400 years, Yingjisha Knife is a famous traditional handicraft in Kashgar region. The handle of Yingjisha Knife is made of horn, silver, jade or copper. Besides, the local handicraftsmen will carve delicate patterns on the handles. Sometimes, precious stones will be used as decorations. Apart from being a handicraft, Yingjisha Knife is still a practical tool. The local people always use the knife to cut meat or pare melons.

Kashgar Great Bazaar

The Great Bazaar, located on the East Gate in Kashgar, is the largest international trading market in Northwest China. Bazaar is a Uighur word, which means market in Chinese. Kashgar was a famous historical and cultural city on ancient Silk Road in history. What’s more, it was also a distributing center because all the merchants taking way of the Silk Road would pass this city. So far, the Bazaar on Kashgar has a history of more than 2000 years. Once it had been called the largest market in Asia. At present, the Bazaar contains over 5,000 stalls and offers tens of thousands of commodities. In the past, the Bazaar only opened in Sunday. With the development of tourism and commerce, the Bazaar opens daily. However, Sunday is the most bustling day.

The transportation in Kashgar is well developed. Kashgar Airport situates on the northwest of this city and it is 9 kilometers away from the proper city. There are daily flights to Urumqi and other cities in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Apart from domestic lines, the airport also has regular international flight routes. Kashgar can be also reached by railway from Urumqi. If you plan to travel on route to Pakistan you may take a bus from Kashgar to Khunjerab Pass; if you plan to travel on route to Kyrgyzstan you may take a bus from Kashgar to Torugart Pass. The transportation network within the city is convenient too; however, the public transportation means in surrounding area are limited. Since Kashgar is not a big city, it is nice to hire a donkey cart or just walk around Kashgar by foot.

Getting to Kashgar by Air

Kashagr Airport is located to the northwest of Kashgar, 9 km away from city proper. So far, the airport has opened domestic lines to Urumqi, Kuqa, Hetian etc. as well as international lines to Osh in Kirgizstan and Andizhan in Uzbekistan. The airport strengthens the connections between Urumqi and Kashgar. Currently, there are 14 flights between Kashgar and Urumqi daily.

Getting to Kashgar by Train

Kashgar is the terminus of Nanjiang Railway. The Railway Station is located to the east of Kashgar, 6km away from the downtown area. Kashgar Railway Station offers two trains to Urumqi every day. The trains will travel for 24 hours and stop by Atushi, Aksu, Kuqa, Korla and Turpan. Visitors can go to the station by taxi or No. 28 Bus.

Getting around Kashgar by City Bus

The public transit system within Kashgar is well developed. It is the most convenient and economical way to travel around Kashgar by bus. So far Kashgar offers 30 bus lines which can lead to every place in the city. Most of the buses are equipped with ticket sellers. The ticket fare ranges from 1 yuan to 2 yuan.

Getting around Kashgar by Tax

It is the quickest and best way to travel around Kashgar by taxi. The starting fare of taxis in Kashgar is 5 yuan and then 1.3 yuan per kilometer after exceeding 3 kilometers. Kashgar is not a big city, thus it will take you less than 10 yuan if your destination is within the city.

Kashgar locates on the temperature zone of dry continental climate. Due to its complicate terrains, the climates in Kashgar differ widely in different areas. Generally, there are five climate regions, namely, plain, desert, highland, Pamirs and Mt. Kunlun climate regions. The city proper locates on the plain climate area, which features four distinct seasons. The summer is longer while the winter is shorter. As to the temperature, the annual mean temperature is 11.7 ℃, with the highest at 49.1 ℃ and the lowest at -24.4 ℃.

Kashgar locates on the western part of China. As early as 2100 years ago, it had been a transportation hub linking the west and the east. Thus Kashgar has been a famous political, economic, cultural and transportation center on the south region of Tianshan Mountain.

Kashgar is a city with many nationalities, such as Uighur, Han, Tajik,Kirgiz and Uzbek etc. Those various ethnic groups interact as well as influence each other, which forms the unique ethnic lifestyle of Kashgar.

Kashgar locates on the temperature zone of dry continental climate. Due to its complicate terrains, the climates in Kashgar differ widely in different areas. Generally, there are five climate regions, namely, plain, desert, highland, Pamirs and Mt. Kunlun climate regions. The city proper locates on the plain climate area, which features four distinct seasons. The summer is longer while the winter is shorter. As to the temperature, the annual mean temperature is 11.7 ℃, with the highest at 49.1 ℃ and the lowest at -24.4 ℃.

The transportation in Kashgar is well developed. The Airport situates on the northwest of this city and it is 9 kilometers away from the proper city. Apart from domestic lines, the airport also has regular international flight routes. The transportation network within the city is convenient too; however, the public transportation means in surrounding area are limited.

The Dianchi Lake Scenic Area is located in the southwest part of Kunming City. Dianchi Lake is, beyond question, the center of the scenic area. There are numerous attractions along the lake captivating tourists. Among these are the Yunnan Ethnic Villages, Daguan Park, Baiyukou Park, Haigeng Bank, Kwan-yin Hill, Xishan Forest Park, temples and pagodas. Towns, big or small near the lake provide visitors with an opportunity to experience customs of the local people.

Dianchi Lake is about 300 square kilometers (74,132 acres). It is the largest freshwater lake in Yunnan Province and the sixth largest one in China. With picturesque scenery and its location on the Yungui Plateau, the lake has a reputation as ’A Pearl on the Plateau’. Unfortunately, the lake has been badly polluted. Although efforts have been made to save the lake, they have been largely unsuccessful.

The lake is crescent-shaped, about 39 kilometers (24 miles) in length and 13 kilometers (8 miles) in width at its widest. Its natural banks are formed by mountains on all four sides. More than twenty rivers nurture the lake which has a shoreline of 163.2 kilometers (101 miles). Four surrounding hills contribute to the picturesque landscape, making visitors intoxicated and linger around. You may appreciate the beauty of the lake and hills from a boat, and explore this cradle of Yunnan culture.