Windows are so dirty

29.3.2007 Kashgar

Very difficult to see anything, luckily we got some hot water in our compartment. Hot water bottles are very common in China. Tea is a commodity…on trains that is. After a few twists and turns we manage to open the ventilation window. To clean it, the outside while the train is running is a bit complicated…

Urumchi is my not favorite place on earth. A mining city with two million inhabitants, mostly Chinese, in this otherwise autonomous region with a muslim/Uighur population. Still the Uigurs are the majority – but the influx of Han Chinese is quite big. This area has a lot of oil resources that just wait to be exploited. So within a not so distant future the Uighurs will be a minority in Xingjian

The train moves in a fairly good speed in a southeastern direction – to after 150 km to turn sharply to the southwest. In to the eastern parts of the Tien Shan mountain range. Then south and westbound some 1000 km before the rail stops at its final destination – Kashgar.

Kashgar, or Kashi in Chinese is a very old trade city. One of the most important Silk Road cities. A knot where many different stretches of the Silk Road meet. It is a market place city still, with an old town that functions the way it has for centuries-

A very interesting blend of different influences.

The railway station is of “contemporary Chinese design. Not so inspiring. It is warm and dry. Surprisingly warm for the season. Lot of hassle and a long line to get out from the station – at the end of the line there is a gate with guards. They are checking the tickets. Better not loose your ticket – it is needed “until the bitter end”.

- “ I am Adel.., your guide. Welcome to Kashgar..” A young with an old mans posture. He must be something around 25 years old. Thin moustache and dark brown yes. There is a softness and kindness about him. Very loose handshake..

His English is a bit difficult to understand- he has a very strong Turkish-like accent.

Adel is supposed to ride with us. I hope that his English will improve - I do not think that neither Kristians nor my knowledge of the Uighur language will have a chance to bloom during our stay here.

It feels quite nice to have reached our destination…or starting point. The train ride was comfortable but scenery fairly monotonous – desert, desert and desert. Only exception was the part through the mountains.

After checking in at the hotel - The International Friendship Hotel. Or Hotel Qinibagh…the same hotel has many different names (Confused? – so are we),

We meet with our partner here in China.

Mr. Guo - with whom we had had a few “differences of opinion”” last year, meets us in the lobby. Time to start planning and preparing. Or rather go through all our plans with him. That is must - because you never know if everything has been understood. No matter if things have been explained hundred times or more – there is always room for misunderstandings.

It’s been six months since we left Kashgar. Not a long time, but some new high-rise buildings has popped up and quite a few old ones vanished. The building boom is present in all cities around China. The atmosphere is still the same and at this time of year seems like there is a lot of preparing for the tourist season. With three new international flights this city placing itself more and more on the map.

The next morning we head for Chotan…or Hotan..or Whotan or Hetien. The last is the new Chinese name. The city is located 500 km to southeast. The road though the desert is fairly good. So the trip with our Chinese driver and our guide Adel goes quite smoothly..

The scenery is not that exciting and the outside temperature is rising – something between 25-28 Celsius. And rising. Must be nice and warm here during the summer months.

Mannerheim did this part mostly with carriage and horse. His trip took him some months. Luckily for him he did it in October/November. Slightly cooler.

We pass old cities places like Yarkand, Yangitsar, Kargalik..But they do not look old at all. In fact all the cities so far look more or less the same (Kashgar is the exception)

Long wide street with the same design. Very Chinese.

Same goes for Hotan. Very disappointing…nothing even left of the old Chinese city walls. Just dust and modern Chinese stuff. It is hard to imagine that these places have been very powerful, beautiful cities in ancient kingdoms.

We check in at a newly built hotel. Clean and with broadband Internet connection.

Not so bad. Yahoo!…we can enter the virtual empire…

“ Just a few kilometers to the east from the centre of Chotan, one can see lots of strange formations ion the sand fields – like piles of gravel and stone. And a bit further on a small village. The village itself consists of lousy mud huts. The more durable structure is a Chinese temple. It really is a sad sight. All the villagers are there for one thing only – searching for jade. The way to do it is to dig in this poor sandy soil after a few feet one hits round stone layer. And under this it is possible to find jadestones. Very few have managed to make even a small fortune – but many have lost everything while practicing this desperate venture.

I was told that a Mandarin from east has been digging here for the last fifteen years. I did not have the possibility to meet this representative of higher segments of the Chinese society. The story goes that he was just passing by and then got caught by

this disease….” 7.12. 1907 / Chotan / Mannerheim

Still today Hotan is famous for jade…and for its carpets. And even today you lots of people digging on the dry riverbed and levy for this precious white variation of jade.

This area has been open for tourists since the early nineties. But you want find any big crowds. The small city museum looks very modest, even though two well-preserved mummies are of interest. They are 1500 years old – from the five dynasties era. Most of the really valuable archeological findings were shipped to Europe in the 19^th century. Very few antique shops. Mostly newly made carpets with boring designs. Just a few kilometers outside we do find a silk production workshop. The big signs in inform us something that must be chinglish that their production methods are very traditional. Interesting little place with big jars of silkworms, Uighur women spinning the thread that can be obtained from the cocottes. The whole process looks very time consuming. The coloring is also made the old way. This little factory produces the traditional Uighur silk patterns – a kind of ambient type of tartan. Same design that most local women still wear. Most likely made of different materials though.

The long journey back to Kashgar the next day is dusty and hot. The weather is not clear so unfortunately the Kunlun Mountains are not visible.

Later that same evening my son Benjamin arrives with Jyrki Parantainen – artist, and professor for the photo department at Helsinki University of Art and Design. Their assignment is to produce few photos with a similar camera that Mannerheim used.

When looking at the equipment one cannot be but astonished of the enormous hassle it must have been for Mannerheim to transport this kind of equipment with films around China. …Packed on a horse or two..

Following days are hectic. Preparation and preparations…includes checking that all our equipment is intact. And that the new load that we did send from Finland has arrived. Everything seems to get stuck with some authority. Customs, military…

And last but surely not least is the task of buying horses. We finally did manage to get three fairly healthy looking ones. Hope that the veterinary inspections go well.

So, slowly and in a not so effective manner we are coming closer to take off. Or ride off. Most likely that will happen on this coming Sunday afternoon.

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