Clockwatching in Western China
Travel Blog • Julia Ross • 04.01.09 | 12:44 PM ET
Photo by If you’re traveling in Kashgar, China, over the summer, don’t be surprised if the sun sets at 11 p.m. That’s because the old Silk Road city—like all of China—is required to follow the clock in Beijing, some 2,000 miles east. Aside from throwing circadian rhythms out of whack, the policy has exposed political fault lines in the region: the minority Muslim Uighurs, resentful of Chinese suppression of their culture, insist on setting their own clocks, two hours earlier.
The locals have adapted to the confusion, reports the Los Angeles Times, but tourists might find it strange that the city doesn’t get going until after 10 a.m., or that some buses run on Uighur time and some on Chinese time.
It’s all a part of Kashgar’s charm and one reason I’ve been obsessed with the city for years—well, that, along with the renowned Sunday market. I’m determined to visit on my next trip to China, and not a moment too soon; it may be my only chance to see parts of the old Uighur city, which is currently being bulldozed in the name of modernization.