I think this photo sums up Kashgar perfectly.
The fresh face of progress, threading its way through a historic backdrop.
Spotted in the Grand Bazaar.
The fresh face of progress, threading its way through a historic backdrop.
Spotted in the Grand Bazaar.
T plus 29 - Kashgar
This is truly a fitting conclusion to my China leg of my journey to Istanbul. Kashgar is the very personification of the Silk Road - a massive marketplace at the crossroads of culture and commerce, where Central Asian and Chinese traders haggle over livestock and commodities, as they have for the past millennium. The city is closer to Damascus in Syria than it is to the Chinese capital of Beijing. And one can only imagine the wondrous possibilities modern connectivity will bring to China's western-most gateway in the 21st Century.
Kashgar somehow manages to integrate the old and the new more seamlessly than other ancient Silk Road cities in China. It is a place where tradition thrives amidst the unyielding onslaught of progress. It is as if two parallel worlds co-exist in the same place. And where they converge is in its fabulous Sunday Grand Bazaar which has somehow remained relevant over so many centuries. Of course, there are pockets of unadulterated good-old-fashioned fun too - the Sunday Livestock market is an assault on all senses and must be seen to complete the Kashgarian experience.
I decided to photograph Kashgar in black and white as a tribute to my late Uncle Kee who tragically passed away recently. He was one of the few who was unwavering in his preference for monochrome medium-format film, even as the rest of world embraced digital options. And what is more, he had the skill to pull it off. He was a master of his craft, and will always remain a source inspiration.
A boy looks up amidst of a sea of people preoccupied with going forward.
Scenes from in and around Kashgar's Sunday Grand Bazaar.
The immortal snake-oil salesman.
Hello donkey. In Dunhuang, they would have eaten you...
"What do you mean three black sheep are worth less than two white ones?"
Taking the horse for a test-ride prior to purchase.
Scenes from the Sunday Livestock Market
Silence of the lambs. "Do-not-look-behind-you".
Eventually everyone goes home with something.
