Cattle Market Kashgar

Sat 07/08/04

Where to start when you're asked to write something about the local cattle market? Kashgar's fabled Sunday Market used to have one of the largest cattle sections in Central Asia. Two years ago, the authorities moved it outside of the city, to get of rid of herds of cattle in the centre of town. I thought to myself: Which place is better to find out about people's lives, their perceptions, dreams, etc.? openDemocracy has asked me to interview local traders, to see whether one can build an interesting story around it. Well, I have to admit that I don't bloody know a thing about cattle. Hopefully, this will change tomorrow. If you have any idea on what I could ask them, please don't hesitate to comment.

Sun 08/08/04

OK, that was it - after all, we're in China. It was difficult to get into contact with people. Somehow, Westerners with notepads and cameras seem to cause utter suspicion. Few people agreed to answer my questions, no one dared to give his or her name. Understandable maybe when taking into account what has happened some months ago. An American journalist (or rather idiot?) published an article where he gave real names of Uyghurs being critical of Beijing - and promptly, these poor souls got arrested and detained for long sentences. Luckily, I was able to talk to some people anyway - not focusing on politics, but rather on daily life. I hope that these few insights into normal life together with some pictures I took suffice for a nice little story?