Kashgar Live Stock Market, Xinjiang Uygur, China

5Lorah Z 5:00 PM Apr 11, 2018

A must visit authentic experience
Kashgar is transforming very quickly into the modern age and this is one of the only truly traditional, authentic experience remaining in this fascinating region. It should not be missed! You will see a thousand year old tradition carrying on like it once was - noisy, dusty, crowded & chaotic - farmer herders trading all sorts of life stock including sheep, goats, donkeys, horses, camels, yaks, cows etc etc (depending on the time of the year you arrive). I visited Kashgar in the spring so the weather was very mild. I suggest picking a cooler day to go as I can imagine the heat in summer. Wear clothes which you do not mind getting dirty in. You should aim to arrive just before 11am Beijing Time / 9am local time so you could see the farmers arriving via scooters & trucks and unloading their animals. There are food stalls along the side of the market with the best samosa (yum!) & mutton soup for when you need a feed or need to rest your feet. If you're thirsty there are also fruit stands and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. If you have young kids - be careful as the animals can be a bit on the wild side. If you're an animal lover like myself, you may find it difficult to stomach the treatment of the animals as they are often pushed and shoved. However, just remember the life these animals lead are far better than their counterparts in the west - they get to roam freely on the grasslands of Xinjiang for the majority of their life. We should not judge so quickly for we have not achieved even close to the level of harmony with nature the Uyghurs have with their animals. If you're travelling Kashgar city centre, the cab should cost around 30-40RMB. However, you might need to pay a little more as the livestock market is quite remote and out of the way. Expect cab drivers to load the entire taxi with people so they could maximise their trip. Enjoy & have fun!

5OVERLANDDIARIES 5:00 PM Jun 9, 2015

Sunday livestock ,the real deal
Kashgar (Kāshí) has been the epicenter of the regional trade and cultural exchange for more than two millennia. The roads, rail and planes that now connect the city to the rest of China have brought waves of migrant workers and huge swaths of the old city have been bulldozed in the name of economic “progress”. Yet, in the face of these changes, the spirit of Kashgar lives on. Uighur craftsmen and artisans still hammer and chisel away in side alleys, traders haggle over deals in the bazaars and donkey carts still trundle their way through the suburbs. Add to the above the Sunday livestock market that is the real deal, and you have a highlight to everyone’s visit there.