Stanley Toops

Xinjiang's handicraft industry

Abstract This study examines the role of handicrafts in the development of tourism in Xinjiang, China. One year of fieldwork in Xinjiang involved surveys of handicraft factories. The proposition investigated is that international tourism causes an evolution of crafts into two types: touristic and ethnic crafts. The duality in form and function is matched by a duality in markets and resources. Within Xinjiang, Urumqi is found to be a modernized producer of touristic crafts while the significance of craft production in Turpan has been reduced. In contrast, tourism has encouraged certain types of craft production in Kashgar and Kucha, while less of an impact is present in Gulja.

Tourism in Xinjiang, China

This study explores the sociocultural impact of international tourism upon the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. Xinjiang, with a glorious historical landscape of the Silk Roads and a cultural landscape built by the Uighur and Kazakh ethnic groups, possesses a significant number of potential tourist sites that are distinctive from the rest of China. Theoretical and comparative perspectives on tourism indicate several propositions: tourism is a marketing of culture; tourism causes a reawakening of culture; and tourism allows the preservation of historical sites. The sociocultural impact of international tourism in the XUAR is shown by the destinations of tourists and the tourist activities found in different zones. The central zone of Urumqi and Turpan sees the most tourists. Recent growth is evident in the southern zone of Kashgar, Kucha, and Korla. Gulja, in the north, shows minimal tourist activity. Tourism in both open and closed areas...

Reflections on China's Belt and Road Initiative

ABSTRACT Since 2013, China’s leadership have been proposing a New Silk Road also called One Belt One Road to refer to the Silk Road Economic Belt (by land) and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road (by sea). This article focuses on the overland routes connecting Xinjiang in China to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Pakistan, its historical antecedents, and the role of Xinjiang as a gateway to China’s contemporary Silk Road connections.

The Population Landscape of Xinjiang/East Turkestan

The demographic structure of East Turkestan (Xinjiang) has undergone enormous change since the 1980s. This article profiles several factors affecting demographic change including migration, social and economic issues as well as policy implementation. The regional distinctiveness of East Turkestan (North, South, and Central) is examined through the use of maps from 1991 and 1995 that tabulate data for each county in the region. The resultant population landscape of East Turkestan is the local response to Urumqi’s regional implementation of China’s national policies in the face of international forces.