Backpacking in Xinjiang, China

[MissJocelynne]

How many days did it take you to do all this?

[michaelewald1980]

@MissJocelynne we traveled for around 3 weeks at leisurely pace...

[qht19792002]

Hi Micheal,

This is my fav video, i often watched it before making my trip to Xinjiang in 2007, now whenever miss Xinjiang I also watch it, tks for sharing.. :)

[michaelewald1980]

@asy9 'passenger' or 乘客 in mandarin by wang fei

[Kykk]

Planning to travel thru Xinjiang in October so loved watching this. Nice use of the Modest Mouse song. Btw, the ref in the Ger-Swe was the sucky ;)

[burwoodin]

what a beautiful collection...these photos have truely reflected Uighur ppl and their lives in east turkistan...just one thing, apart from the background music, i think it would be much more appreciated if the songs r from Uighur artists...;)

[blueflagfree]

freedom turkistan

[bconquer]

Amazing video!

[wanderlust222]

16 days more to backpacking in China and all the way up to karakul lake etc!!!!!!cant wait!!!!

[michaelewald1980]

yeah dude, great stuff! karakul really is one of the most beautiful places in china.

[Shantiwallah]

This is a corner of the world I've always wanted to visit:-)Looks like you had a great time!

[heheLOL1]

Very cool... are u a pro photographer; those pictures are very good

[michaelewald1980]

yeah its wang fei, song is called 'chan ke' - passenger.

[IxNeverxFeelxLonely]

Beautiful, untouched beauty of land and people.

May it never be contaminated by over whelming tourists as in the Philipines or Thailand.

[Hanat1129]

great photographs!!! great music!!! this video make me homesick....gotta go back next year summer...

[mfang999]

Nice picture.

[Fromeu]

Freedom for Uyghurs, Democracy for China, Uyghurs will reestablish Eastern Turkstan again. Stop the Chinese oppression against Uyghurs, Tibets and others.

[mfang999]

Who can confront China?Can you?You dreaming?

[wikct2]

Why confront? China has opened up. Anything that's done lawfully would be acceptable.

[superbenbenhahaha]

lol, you have quite a wild dream

[tkoind]

Beautiful. I`d love to hear more about your trip. We are learning to play Uyghur instruments soon but living in Tokyo`s urban expance. Would love to visit Kashgar and NW China next year. See the region and study a bit of music. Any tips for planning from your experience?

[jacdaly1]

Wonderful photos brilliantly put together.

[chillipanda]

i really love the wang fei song can you tell me the title of the song?

[uzbekuygur]

welcome 2 our urmuqi (xinjiang) dudes from all over the world

[liqianli]

Awesome landscapes ,awesome music,,,obvious the author has a very good taste of life.I have been there last June ,seeing the video makes me feel wanting go back so badly!!!! Thank you sharing such wonderful video!!!

[lolnl]

Awesome video - I am Chinese Dutch (Chinese living in Holland) and this video really impressed me and made me realize that I come from a great country, a country with great constrasts (Xinjiang is so very different from where I'm from). This video really gave me the wanderlust feeling. Holland is such a boring, ugly place compared to the great landscape and fascinating culture of Xinjiang.

[Fromeu]

Uyghurs never regard themselves as a part of China, forget the Chinese, so far from our culture but Chinese gov is forcing their lang to us and to others. We hate to be called part of China. though, Holland is supposed to be a democratic country, did not you have a chance to learn about freedom of speech and democracy there?

[wikct2]

This is totally BS! You are one of the ethnic minorities in China. NO one force you to speak or use other languages beside your own. As a country, the official language is tought in school. Your faulty statement has nothing to do with freedom of speech or democracy. May be your real intention is to separate from China.

[wanderyears]

I've just hung up my boots and was doing fine - now you guys have ruined it! I want to go away again! Awesome images, well put together!

[Joachimmand]

Xinjiang is a beautiful province. I'm living in the city of Yining right now, it's great.

[thunderboy23]

Nice video. I love it so much. I have many friends living there, they told me that they love xinjiang because it's their dear homeland. So it doesn't mattr if u a Han, Uygur, Kazak, Huihui, Mongul, Krygy, Tajik, ... you are all representing xinjiang people.

[nshevy]

Great video - I (and 3 genrations of my family) lived in Yinning (Kuldja  - non Chinese name) as Russian/Ukranian refugees from Stalin's famine purges.

[rupjunk]

This is possibly the best Xinjiang video on utube. Does anyone know whats the name/singer of the Chinese song at the beginning?

[michaelewald1980]

It's Wang Fei.

[rupjunk]

Micha, you introduced me into the world of Faye Wong's music. That was 2 years ago, and now I have a whole collection of her music. Thank you!!!

[gfyutdck]

Xinjiang has a long history. The area was called Xiyu in ancient China which means "West Region".

[Rl831]

Hey im a Chinese American and this video was awsome. It brought tears to my eyes.

[michellewj]

wow, what i'm gonna say is, I like this so much, I like Xinjiang so much~~~~

[tilivay]

geratwall dont say s**t about other people when you barely know THEM and their situation!

go and read a bit of history first before making any comments ye!

P.S. you could do with a bit of english gramma lessons

[geratwall]

WTF?

I want ask Fromeu ? you and your uygur people in the history,do even set up a country named by uygur?

like kashkar lek?hoten lek? a su lek?

and I want tell the ture all!XINGJIANG?not only uygurs'place but also like kazak(

1381600 ) huimin (876300)kergez(171200) nongul(169600){let's not talk han chinese first}

south of TIAN SHAN is their place and shut up!

uighur.

[turanian07]

u shut up. kazak etc they have their own country, they r minority of East Turkistan, and han Chinese are never belong there..

[havocrein]

Actully you shut up, Chinese presence i Xinjiang is recorded aldy at 400-500 BC., large settlements there but was later destroyd an pillaged by the Huns(the uigier is just part of the Huns that remained at east while main tribes of the HUNS were compleely defeated or drven to the west by the Han Empire)

[Rl831]

Way to ruin a beautiful video. Why don't you take your negative attitude ass some where else.

[Fromeu]

According to Amnesty International, hundreds if not thousands of people were killed or seriously injured in the Gulja crackdown after police moved to break up a peaceful demonstration by Uighurs in the city.

T. Kumar, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific advocacy director, said many of those arrested were beaten and tortured, and dozens remain unaccounted for.

[daffordile]

Fromeu is paid to spread the uyghur seperation propaganda at utbue. She will leave a note at every vidoe related to xinjiang.

[diffraction07]

BTW, when you try to make a point don't lie. Toppling Sadam could have been a good cause but the lies about MDW has made it an evil war. All the video clips show you people can freely speak your language; you have even more mosques than schools; and the notorious one-child policy only applies to han-Chinese. So please dig some dirt other than what we know.

[Fromeu]

Wow wow wow wow! No offence, Hold on diffraction07.

According to Amnesty International, hundreds if not thousands of people were killed or seriously injured in the Gulja crackdown after police moved to break up a peaceful demonstration by Uighurs in the city.

T. Kumar, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific advocacy director, said many of those arrested were beaten and tortured, and dozens remain unaccounted for.

[diffraction07]

and you can't even find a political leader sane enough to communicate with the Chinese and work out a reasonable solution, like Sinn Fein with the British. Don't you understand China like Britain and France is a world power? Do you think you people could just cut a country out from a deep mess like Yogoslavia or Iraq? Dalai Lama has long given up any pursuit for independence--he is sobre enough to see the reality. That's why the Tibetans are never a political pariah while you Turkis still are.

[Fromeu]

Seems like are living in a civilised country and you used to deal with a decent country. But here we are dealing with CHINA. Barbaric, dictor regime.Obviously you are getting into this discussion withought knowing much Uyghurs, Eastern Turkisan and the Communist China.

[diffraction07]

Can't you see what the deep problem you people have? you've tried too hard to boost the hatred but show little tolerance to other people; you've cried loads of "stabbing, killing, occupation, holyland..." but yielded no realist plan...open your eyes! even the Palestinians are calling for peace with Iserilis. You have no wisdom or insight to see what is for the best interest of your people;

[diffraction07]

yeah? read your posts again, dude, see how much sense comes from your sensibility. your perspective of history is based on nothing but hatred. yes history is a romance of hatred...the same here between the Scotish and English, between the Irish and British...but no sensbile people are interested in hatred-instigation. Should the Scots cleanse every English in Scotland in the rage of historical vendetta? Should the IRA keep bombing civilians in England? Could it possibly solve the problem?

[Kurwanjan]

Great job,great shots!!!

[Newmap9]

The leader of PRC (People Republic of China) Mao Zedong

East Turkistan was invaded by Manchuria who conquer China more then 280 years that period call (Qing Dynasty) later they overthrowing by ROC (Republic of China) and much later time ROC overthrowing by Communist PRC (People Republic of China) today.

[Newmap9]

The leader of ROC (Republic of China) Cheng kai shek

After Chinese Nationalists overthrew the Manchu Empire in 1911, East Turkistan fell under the rule of warlords of Chinese ethnicity who came to dominate provincial administration in the later years of Manchu Empire. The Chinese central government had little control over East Turkistan at this period.

[Newmap9]

Manchus invaded the East Turkistan again in 1876. After eight years of bloody war, the Manchu empire formally annexed East Turkistan into its territories and renamed it "Xinjiang" (meaning "New Territory") on November 18, 1884.

[Newmap9]

East Turkistan was invaded by Manchurian rulers of China in 1759 and the East Turkistan was annexed to the Manchu Empire. The Manchurian ruled East Turkistan as a military colony from 1759 to 1862. During this period, the Uyghurs and other people in East Turkistan valiantly opposed the foreign rule in their land.

[Fromeu]

Its not Xijiang,Its Eastern Turkistan which is occupied by China in 1955.Both of my grandfathers were killed by the Chinese during that time just like the other grandfathers and grandmothers.Since then Chinese government has been sending a lot of Han chinese (mostly criminals,prostitutes and farmers from the mainland)to that region to make everything hanlize and destroy the Uighur culture.That is why Uighurs see the Hanchinese as invaders

[diffraction07]

wait a minute; some people said it's part of Uzebekstan, some said Khazakstan...Turkistan?

BTW, apart from the prisoners, the Chinese government also sent people who built up roads, bridges, hospitals, power plants and all stuff so that you guys can get off the donkeys...

[Fromeu]

When Uyghur had donkeys, Chinese did not even have donkeys. That is why in 1930s , in front of the park in Beijing there was a warning: NO CHINESE AND NO DOGS are allowed. Since the Chinese occupation, Yes, a lot of law quality buildings and hospitals and bridges are built in Eastern Turkistan. They are built for the 13 million Chinese migrants. How many Uyghurs do you see working in those buildings and living in those buildings in their own homeland?

[Fromeu]

Since the Chinese occupation in land of Uyghurs, so many Uygurs are being killed by the Chinese just like the Tibets.The Chinese regime did not keep their word when they occupied that Uyghurs would have their Autonomous rights.

[Fromeu]

You have registered as you are from UK. If China occupies your country and kill hundres of thousands of British scholars and then use your wealth, buid up buildings, bridges and hospitals then migrate in the same amount of Chinese people in the amount of British, Force you to speak Chinese, do not let you practice your religion, if your mom gets pragnant for the second or third baby,

[Fromeu]

give your mom a forceful abortion and then your mom dies or she gets sick permanantly, you can not get a job in your own country just becaseu you are a british, would you thank the Chinese governmet because they build buildings where only Chinese people are living in?

[thanks88]

great vid, thx for posting