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    Xinjiang's Tourism Boom

    Written by: Economic Information Daily
    Posted on: December 12, 2018 | | 中文

    Self-driving on Dushanzi-Kucha Highway

    As night falls, the night market of the Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, Xinjiang, thrives extraordinarily. Amid lingering smells of various delicious foods, tourists from home and abroad enjoy their tour of the market place. In recent years, the number of tourists has soared, as the society of Xinjiang becomes more stable. In order to ensure sustained and healthy development of tourism, Xinjiang has upgraded its goal from, “building beautiful scenery everywhere” to “fostering more industries related to sightseeing tourism.”

    Night Scene of International Grand Bazaar on National Day, Urumqi

    Night Scene of International Grand Bazaar on National Day, Urumqi

     “We come to Xinjiang to call out the blank spots in domestic tourism. The tourism infrastructure here is better than what I expected.” Wu Xinyi, a tourist from Shandong, went on a 15-day self-driving tour around northern Xinjiang during her holiday, by renting a car from Urumqi. She said that the highway was connected and she experienced the Xinjiang RV base and restaurants along the way, according to the travel strategy she had searched on the Internet before departure. "It is easy to find and the service is good," she said.

    According to the statistics from the Tourism Development Commission of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, there are more than 11,000 accommodation suppliers in Xinjiang with industrial and commercial registration, and more than 9,419 hotels have registered on the online travel website ctrip.com to sell their rooms. New forms of the industry such as family hotels, country hostels, motels and tourist camps are also developing.

    Under colorful umbrellas on the dark sandy hills of the Turpan Sand Therapy Center, tourists from different places grab the “tail” of Turpan Basin’s heat and bury themselves in the hot sand for sand therapy.

    "A lot of people come here for sand therapy from June to August. Tourists like to come here for rehabilitation after visiting the popular spots such as Karez Wells and the Flaming Mountain," said Keranmu Abdirem, director of the Sand Therapy Center of Turpan Uygur Hospital. In recent years, "tourism + health care" has become increasingly popular, and many tourists have resorted to tourism to treat diseases, experience sand therapy and keep fit.

    Chen Hao, a tourist from Guangzhou, saw the efficacy of Turpan sand therapy in treating rheumatoid arthritis through the mobile App Tik Tok and took his wife to try it. Another purpose of his trip was to see the development of sand therapy industry, hoped that he could try to transform it into indoor sand therapy and bring it back to Guangzhou. "I want to take this to start my own business," said Chen.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021