Kashgar Sunday Market - Sept. 9, 2007

September 9, 2007

We left at 8:30AM heading to the famous Sunday Kashgar market which has been existence for 2500 years and now draws about 100,000 people weekly, coming from rural areas as much as 100 kilometers away. In ancient times, Kashgar was the hub for at least four branches of the Silk Road, and it still remains the hub of western China.

The bus first dropped us off at the livestock bazaar. It was sheer pandemonium and a total assault on the senses – motorcycles buzzing back and forth; trucks with cattle; trucks with sheep jammed in; a bull in a truck with its eyes shielded; vegetable carts; carts drawn by donkeys or tractors hauling animals and materials, and the fine odor of these activities. The vehicles vied for space on the narrow dirt road which was sandwiched between women working under large fabric umbrellas selling produce, and vendors on the opposite side cooking food.

This was not the place to be wearing sandals. There were droppings of all sorts, wheels and people’s feet everywhere. Warned, not to approach the animals from the rear, we stayed clear so as not to get kicked.

As we entered we saw a small table with officers collecting taxes from those bringing in animals to sell. Our guide called this “legalized robbery”. Shortly after that, we encountered a group of men apparently negotiating quite forcefully to sell their livestock. One tall man topped with a white cap screamed at another man, charged at him, backed off, then the other man screamed back and the whole process repeated itself. It’s very difficult to describe. The tall man walked away, then returned and the screaming started again, which then escalated into pushing and shoving. We left when it appeared it might come to blows and a tourist yelled at me while I was taking photos that it wasn’t right to photograph the episode. Our guide told us later, it was no problem. With the cameras rolling, they may have put on an even better show since people were watching. He also said that possibly the one man had undercut the other’s prices and took a customer away.

Strolling farther back on the dirt field, we viewed sheep being grabbed by their coat, lifted up and thrown into the back of a truck. One unfortunate sheep escaped, but was quickly retrieved and actually, thrown back into the middle of the flock. We saw a large group of shorn sheep that were tied on lines, held tightly against one another and arranged by color; black sheep followed by the grays, then beige. A long row of cows were tied to a feeding trough, munching on hay, uncertain of their fate. A renegade cow belonging to another owner came over and attempted to eat at the trough, but a young boy quickly pushed it away.

Interestingly, over where the horse deals were taking place there was one woman in a sea of men. That was the only place we saw a woman involved in the livestock negotiations. Another spectacle occurred while men were unloading cattle from the rear of a truck. They would pull a rope tied around the cow’s neck forcing it to jump off of the truck. The last cow was particularly large and it jumped off just as a horse walked by. The horse spooked and the owner really had his hands full holding onto the reins, trying to control the frightened horse that was rearing up and bucking wildly. We got out of the way quickly.

Our transportation to the main Kashgar Market, located several blocks away, was by means of a two-wheeled cart pulled by a donkey. We climbed aboard and bounced down the street until the police stopped the carts; no donkeys were allowed past a certain point. As we walked the remainder of the way, we stopped to inspect some handmade brooms. Claudio, our guide, inquired about the price and Garry asked me whether I needed one (referring to using it for sweeping the floor), Rich told me that I could use it to fly home, and I told them both that I wanted it to play in a Quidditch match (of Harry Potter fame).

Finally, we arrived in the Market, and it was HUGE. While the livestock market was dominated by men, at this market women were the prominent shoppers. There is nothing in the world that can compare to this market in terms of magnitude and frenetic activity. There are acres of flea-market type booths under cover with countless aisles of shoes, electronics, fabric, spices, men’s, woman’s and children’s clothing… you name it. The most unusual items at one booth were dried snake skins, desiccated frogs and lizards, various pieces of horns and antlers, all supposedly used in home remedies for whatever ails you. It seemed that everything under the sun was available for purchase here, and that was happening with the requisite haggling over price. Shrill-voiced hawkers with megaphones announced their specials, and we saw a couple of ingenious vendors that had recorded their announcement to blast through their megaphone.

Then there was the outside market which was about as large and even more crowded with vendors and shoppers. The aisles were congested with people walking along, glancing at the products, and the circus-like atmosphere grew crazier as we proceeded. Eventually we had had enough, so we headed towards the bus, but purchased some spices and other items along the way.

THE strangest attraction at the famous Kashgar market was the medicine healers, positioned conveniently near our bus. One hawker, in particular, had a snake and several lizards crawling all over his body as he spoke, while in a metal container at his feet, hundreds of scorpions crawled over one another. In a beat up old car parked behind the hawker sat a “doctor” who was the so-called healer. A young lady stepped out of the car while we stood and gawked. Would anyone like to schedule an appointment for a treatment there?

After a quick stop to buy some sodas, we headed to the old city and had lunch in a private home. Lunch consisted of mutton on skewers, a noodle dish, a rice dish, melons, nuts, raisins, naan and green tea, all prepared by the woman of the home. The living room where we ate was ornately decorated with complex designs covering the walls and ceilings made of a material similar to plaster of paris. It was quite elegant. Thank goodness, we had to take our shoes off before entering the house; the markets weren’t kind.

Following lunch, several of us headed to the painted T-shirt shop where absolutely no one was standing. By the time, the ladies finished explaining what they wanted, a large group of men had gathered to find out what was happening. It was Sunday and we suppose there was little else to do. The T-shirt painter loved all the attention.

As mentioned in the last blog, we will most likely not have Internet access for the next five days. Stay tuned and be prepared for a barrage of blog entries when we will hopefully connect in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Goodbye from China,

Rich, Garry, and Tamara

Captions: 1) Men arguing at the Kashgar livestock market 2) rows of spices
3) Healer with snakes and lizards 4) Mao welcoming us or telling us to "go forward"
5) Trhowing sheep onto a truck 6) Horse acution at Kashgar livestock market
7)Donkey cart ride to Kashgar market