New Homes, New Communities!

Our next stop was to the Frog Alley in the Grape Valley. No prizes for guessing why the two places were so named. Grape Valley is China's Grape Central, and its raisins fetch prices around the world.

Frog alley is a leafy, clean village that used to be known for its croaking frogs. While the organisers were ushering us into one of the village homes, others pounced on a mulberry tree outside like marauding locusts. The sharp eyes of my Chinese friends have spotted the rich, black mulberries, which were indeed very good! Those who wore light coloured clothes found out rather quickly that Mulberries may be nice, but the sweet juices that burst from the mouth, also stain clothes very easily.

The farmer's home we visited was one of many that we would see during our stay in Xinjiang. The Chinese government is obviously very proud of its efforts to improve the lot of the Uighurs.

Many of the residents were farmers, or residents resettled from the area. Their new homes were sturdy, modern, well-built, and rather importantly, quake-resistant beyond Richter scale 7. Many were bought through a combination of personal savings, government subsidies, and interest-free loans.

In other cities, authorities are also slowly moving their local residents to better, modern housing. While some may lament this as an erosion of the "traditional charm", I would argue that the people are also entitled to safe, modern housing, with access to safe and reliable water, power and sanitation.

In Aksu prefecture, farmers' homes must be equipped to receive satellite TV signals. While critics will point to this as another tool for propaganda, I see it serving many practical needs like opening access to weather reports, as well as TV entertainment programmes. I enjoy pop music and I've watched music videos from Asia to Africa. In Xinjiang, Uighur entertainment programmes are well and alive.

Speaking of entertainment, Public Square Dances or 廣場(chǎng)舞，is alive and well even in Xinjiang. With sunset as late as 10.30pm, there is ample time for residents to take to the Public Squares for some good fun. It was a sight to see different ethnic groups enjoying themselves. With much egging from our hosts and my fellow journalists, I was "coerced" into joining my friendly Uighur friends. It may not look cool to young people, but I must admit it's good fun. And my pretty Uighur partner is a WeChat friend now. Not Bad!