Memories of Kashgar

Kashgar has always been a mystical place in my imagination, filled with longing! The Pamir Plateau, the Karakoram Mountains, the convergence of the ancient Silk Road from the Western Regions, these terms that appear in literary works and geography books have long been etched in my heart. But that was just a concept. The desire to touch and feel it was something I never dared to dream of experiencing firsthand. That legend has continued. Upon arriving in Kashgar, I found the streets neat and clean, comparable to any city in central China. The Old City of Kashgar, a symbol of history, is also the main destination for visitors to the city. The Old City is full of life, with people carrying their baskets, walking out of the alleys to the bazaar, to the butcher's shop, to the daily repetitive, seemingly fixed appointment check-in spots, and casually turning into a small shop to buy a piece of clothing they like and putting it in their basket. I went to Shache, also known as the Kingdom of Yutian during Xuanzang's return from the West. I wanted to see the Amanishahan Memorial Mausoleum. Amanishahan was the queen of the Yutian Khanate and the organizer and promoter of the Twelve Muqam. She personally traveled to various places in the ancient Yutian Khanate to record and collect Muqam, allowing this ancient art of the Western Regions to be preserved and passed down. This ancient legend has been brought to the silver screen; the film 'Amanishahan' tells the story of her life. The mausoleum is part of the royal cemetery of the Yutian Khanate. It's not very large, but it has a distinct Western Regions style. With a dome like the sky, corridors formed by columns reminiscent of Roman architecture, and a central pillar structure. The central pillar houses a stone sarcophagus covered with blue ceramic tiles, and each wall is marked with the names of three Muqams, twelve in total. Both the shape and the interior decoration are different from those of the Han ethnicity. This difference in form is history, culture, and a prominent ethnic characteristic. It is often said that one hasn't truly been to Xinjiang without visiting Kashgar. I thought this referred to its cultural uniqueness. But upon reaching the Pamirs, I realized that the scenery here is just as impressive, if not more so, than the tourist hotspots within Xinjiang. Your body is in hell, but your eyes are in heaven. The beauty of the Pamirs makes one temporarily forget the fatigue of the body, but upon returning to Kashgar, the feeling of exhaustion sweeps over. After resting for half a day, the most important thing is to seek out delicious food. Noodle lungs, spicy lamb trotters, roasted whole lamb, and various other delicacies dazzle the senses. Falling in love with Kashgar happens in an instant. Wandering through Kashgar starts with spontaneity and ends with nature. The freedom, the ease, the indescribable joy of this place can only be truly understood by those who experience it firsthand!!