As I walked through the winding alleys in the Old City of Kashgar today, I thought a lot about what it means to be "aspirational". In the industry that I work in, we talk about "aspirational" television channels and frankly, I have always been doubtful about what that stands for, and am more than a little suspicious about its underlying themes of upward mobility and material wealth.
Kashgar, like many other cities in Xinjiang, is divided into the old city (originally built by the Uighurs, a warren of clay and brick houses, dotted with small mosques, steep alleys and artisans' workshops) and the new city (built by the Han Chinese with the usual ugliness and anonymity of mid-tier Chinese cities). Today, I looked around at the mud houses with charming wooden carved terraces in the Old City and I see the Chinese government putting in electricity, water, sewage and heating. Indeed, much of this is at the expense of pulling down traditional Uighur homes and building new low-rises houses in its place. At the same time, I think are people's lives not made healthier and more comfortable - and perhaps therefore happier - by these communal improvements? But almost immediately, I also think about the loss of tradition, community and (to some extent) culture and I find it hard to weigh up the scales. Perhaps the Uighurs themselves are trying to figure it out - along with the whispered criticisms of the heavy hand of Beijing are the whispered praises of the Beijing-imposed healthcare system and the introduction of speedy motorcycles and trucks.
I sat at dinner tonight with ten fellow-travellers from England and Australia. I listen to them talk about the insidious encroachment by the Han Chinese on Uighur traditions. I deplore China's ceaseless march forward in the name of "self-sustenance" and "national security" and the Chinese people's attraction to the new, the efficient, the shiny and the branded. Perhaps that has come about because of the deprivations during the Cultural Revolution or he longstanding divide between rich and poor even during dynastic times. But whatever the reason, I am also acutely conscious that it is sometimes all too easy for someone who lives with all of the modern comforts and security to find more sympathy with arguments for the preservation of tradition and culture even where that conflicts with other social goals like health, employment etc.
For those who live in the "West", intangible heritage and tradition means a lot. I don't think China undervalues its history and culture - not at all. But China values its history and culture for the purpose of demonstrating its economuc strength and new-found confidence: "look, not only are we the world's strongest economy but we also invented paper, silk and is one of the world's oldest cultures". Whereas, the "West" values history and tradition from a different perspective - as being intrinsically "good" in its own right.
Whatever one's views, the Kashgar Old City, with its half-delapidated houses, artisanal workshops, and winding steep paths is the most interesting part of Kashgar.
PS. Other sights worth a visit: Abak Hoja Mausoleum 香妃墓 and the Id Gar Mosque.
