Album: Urumqi (Xinjiang) – Life on the Streets 2007

I visited the Xinjiang Autonomous Regina in 2007 just prior to the outbreak of difficulties leading up to the Beijing Olympics of 2008. I experienced few concerns as I moved along streets and visited various locations in Xinjiang.

These photos are from the streets of Urumqi, the capital city.

Click on the first image below to view full-screen and to view captions.

If women are wearing a head covering it is most likely they are of the Uyghur ethnic group. These people are typically Muslim.

Although it is common to refer to this part of China as the Xinjiang Province, technically it is named Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The name gives full recognition to this dominant ethnic minority group.

The twins must be boys since they are sporting the Uyghur men’s type of hat. But the women have no head covering. Maybe they are tourists, like the rest of us.

This little lass has found a comfortable lap on which to rest. Perhaps the bronze statue here represents monk common to one of the local ethnic groups.

A sweetie… no matter which ethnic group.

This gentleman will be a Uyghur as well. Men of this ethnic group also tend to wear a squarish-type of hat.

Pressing juice from a pomegranate.

A fruit stall in a back alley-way in Urumqi.

Checking quality before purchase.

Business can be slow in the heat of the day.

Weigh scales are a necessary part of the sales transaction.

Shoe repair… while you wait.

Child and grandmother… doing lessons in a park on a university campus.

Full face covering by Muslim women was uncommon on the streets of Urumqi.

A charming young shop keeper in a residential area in Urumqi.

Two street cleaners taking a break. They always wore this distinctive uniform… and tended to have the face masks, too.

A beggar in a prime location on a pedestrian overpass on a busy street in Urumqi.

This woman was changing my foreign currency. What I enjoyed most was her readiness to use the abacus on her desk to perform some of the calculations.

Kite flying is a great pastime for retired men. Note the blue reel for the kite string between his knees… and a second reel sitting on the seat of his scooter. He also has along a selection of kites from which to choose.

My attempt to capture the kite flyer in action. The kite is in the shape of a fish.