The Chinese Silk Road - Episode 3 - Kashgar, Xinjiang - Travel China.

Centuries before planes, trains and merchant ships brought our world closer together, the Silk Road was the lifeblood of international trade. A trade route connecting China to Europe since 200 BC, the Silk Road was travelled by merchants of all nationalities in search of treasures, riches and life-changing adventure. My name is Graeme Langford and in this series we're on an epic journey of discovery along the Chinese section of the Silk Road. Starting out in the ancient capital of Xi'an and finishing in the extraordinary Islamic city of Kashgar, we'll be exploring how the Silk Road shaped the places and the lives of the people in this part of the world. Our journey will take us through scorching deserts, soaring mountains, bustling cities and awe-inspiring ancient monuments. Whilst all the while hearing the incredible stories of those people who make the region one of the most fascinatingly diverse places on the planet. Welcome to the Chinese Silk Road. We've made the long journey from Urumqi to the city of Kashgar and today is the busiest day of the week for many of the locals. It's a Sunday here in Kashgar and traders and farmers have come from all over the province bringing almost any kind of livestock imaginable to be sold, traded or even eaten. Welcome to the Kashgar cattle market. This place is a hive of local business with huge amounts of bidding coming from all over. In the days of the Silk Road, merchants would stop here on their long journey looking for a deal on their desired animal. Most often a camel or two for the desert or a sturdy horse or mule to take them over the mountains. And of course, traders would want to be sure that they were getting a good deal for the price that they were paying. So here at the back of the market, just like in your local car dealership, you can actually try before you buy just to make sure that what you are getting is the right purchase for you. And whilst some seem to find their match straight away, it was clear that others still had some searching to do. The market, however, is not just about the buying and selling of the animals. Many people actually come here just for a bit of Sunday lunch, with no prizes for guessing what's on the menu. Most of what is on offer was walking around this morning. It could not get any fresher than this food right here. I can really imagine the traders of the Silk Road eating this kind of food before their long journey out west into the mountains of Central Asia or east into the desert of China. The market was no doubt a great place for Silk Road traders to tuck in. But if you're a little bit squeamish, this might not be the place for you. By the time lunch had finished, the market had started to quiet down and most of the traders were clearing up ready for home. So we decided to hop on the back of a cattle truck and head to the city centre of Kashgar. Kashgar itself is an oasis city that is situated on the border with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and is actually closer to Turkey than it is to Beijing. This was where several branches of the Silk Road met and it's been an epicentre of trade and cultural exchange for more than 2,000 years. Although in modern times, Kashgar may not quite hold the same significance as it once had, it retains an incredible charm and spirit which is impossible to ignore. Tucked away in the heart of Kashgar is a place unlike anywhere else in the whole of China. The Old City, which is often referred to as a perfect preservation of an ancient Islamic town. This is Kashgar Old City, a place with more than 2,000 years of history. The centuries-old buildings and the twisted, winding, cobbled streets really give this place a unique and almost timeless feel. Walking through the streets of the Old City is like peering through a window in time. The lives and traditions of those who live here displays an affirming sense of connection and community that harks back to times gone by. To find out more about life in the Old City, I met up with local Mandarin teacher Adili, who is Kashgar born and raised. The most famous craftsmen here are all hand-made. For example, carpenters, carpenters, carpenters, etc. We can go and see how they work on the spot. Kashgar is famous for all kinds of different handmade crafts. From metalwork for common everyday items, to clothing and jewellery of outstanding detail and beauty. Perhaps Kashgar's most famous craft is woodwork. And the streets of the Old City are littered with tiny workshops where craftsmen work away daily, producing an eclectic variety of hand-carved goods. Just as their ancestors have done for hundreds of years. I've been a teacher for 46 years. I've been a teacher for 15 years. I've been a teacher for 30 years. Majority of these crafts are sold here in Kashgar. But in true Silk Road fashion, many of the items made in these tiny workshops are sold in various locations all over the globe. We've been working here for 40 years. We're not used to these type of workshops. We didn't get a chance to do anything new in Turkey. We don't have the money to do it. My son does, but he hasn't had the chance to. We've been working here for 86 years. We know that we have a great-grandfather, who has been doing this craft for many generations. Despite the advance in modern machinery, the popularity and demand for Kashgar made handicrafts is just as strong as ever. So what we have here is a spice jar. Now you can tell instantly that the quality is very, very good. Now the design is very basic and this actually only took him about 5 or 10 minutes to make, but you can really tell that the quality is just fantastic. You can see from the way that he works and also from the products that he makes that Kashgar's reputation for handmade goods is really very well founded. Our time in Kashgar was almost at a close and I realised that I was yet to pick up any mementos for our trip on the Silk Road. So, for our final stop, we dropped into a local shop for doppers, the headwear worn by almost every local Muslim citizen. These guys produce, obviously, a lot of hats for the local people here in Kashgar and it was really great to see. You know, people have really put so much effort into this that each particular hat looks like an individual work of art. You know, it's really great to see that people take such great care and attention about the work that they do. And with that, right at the end of our journey, I finally had my souvenir. What do you think? The ancient city of Kashgar offers a great insight into the culture of Islamic China and is a perfect embodiment of a city that has been influenced by the Silk Road. However, as China's westernmost city, this is where our journey must finish. So, our journey along the Chinese Silk Road is finally at an end. Here in the city of Kashgar, we're over 3,700 kilometres away from our starting point in Xi'an and 4,500 kilometres away from the Chinese capital of Beijing. And yet, here we are, still in China. In truth, we've actually only scratched the surface of the Silk Road, which would have run right the way through Central Asia and all the way to Europe. Nevertheless, we've seen some fantastic places and some incredible people. It's been a brilliant journey and one that's totally unforgettable.