Kashgar is about 280 km from Tashkurgan. It is a city out of another world. The city's relative inaccessibility has had a great influence on its character. This place feels, looks dramatically different from the rest of China, even from the rest of Xinjiang.
Kashgar is China's Muslim center. It used to be an important stop on the centuries-old Silk Road, and trade remains timeless still in this vibrant oasis, at least on Sundays, when the bustling markets are packed with uniquely dressed Uygurs, ambitious Central Asian traders and veiled Muslim women. Muslim features are visible throughout the city. Mosque towers high up above mud-thatched houses.
The lush green open valley of Kashgar with tall poplars is famous for cultivation of fruits, vegetables, grains, cotton and livestock, and rich in strong national characteristics of the Uygur people.
Kashgar was an important outfitting station on the Old Silk Road
Kashgar has a long history of over 2,000 years. It was first controlled by Han people in the Han Dynasty when the Han government built an administration office here to rule over the Western Region. The Tang rulers once built the Sule town, which was one of the four most vital fortresses in the area.
Kashgar was an important outfitting station on the Old Silk Road. The flourishing trade route was major factor of Kashgar's rise. The tired trade caravans plodding west on the northern and southern routes met up at Kashgar. Merchants from Central Asia thawed out after descending to Kashgar and exchanged their stolid yaks and exhaused packhorses for camles to convey their merchandese into Inner provinces of China.
Kashgar's importance in the history of Silk Road and its unique culture mean that the city has many sights of special interest to offer visitors. In and around Kashgar, travelers can find the Abakh Khoja Tomb, Idgar Mosque, Kashgar Old Town, Sunday Bazzar, Ancient Art Street and the Stone City.
After designated by PRC the Special Economic Zone in May 2010,Kashgar claims to learn from the first SEZ Shenzhen
In May 2010, the PRC designated the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang a SEZ(Special Economic Zone). Kashgar's annual growth rate was 17.4 percent from 2009, and Kashgar's designation has since increased tourism and real estate prices in the city. Kashgar is close to China's border with the independent states of former Soviet Central Asia and the SEZ seeks to capitalize on international trade links between China and those state.
