|
In strict terms, his role was superfluous,
but the consistency of his cheeriness was hospitality itself. Even after
staying at the Grand Hotel in Beijing, the Xi'an Hyatt (the choice of
US presidents) and the glitzy Central Hotel in Shanghai, the Oasis was
regarded among our group as the favourite of the trip, simply by virtue
of its immense charm. Quite an accomplishment.
The appeal of Turpan and its features
make a visit to this desert community an entirely worthwhile experience.
If you are travelling west from Xi'an, Turpan is likely to be the first
time you encounter the Uygur people - a Turkic race with a history in
China spanning thousands of years. They are an agricultural people and
Turpan is surrounded by the fruit of their labor - grapes and Hami melons.
On the fringes of Turpan you will see their drying houses, intriguing
structures built of mud-brick laid to a perforated course to allow in
the right mix of light and wind to shrivel the grapes.
At Grape Valley, where the local industry
exhibits itself, you will be able to wander the market area, try the local
dried grapes, refresh yourself with slabs of fresh fruit, and taste the
local wines - many of which are of good quality. There is an Uygur dance
presentation nightly on a vine covered street adjacent to the Oasis Hotel.
This is a lively affair and a pleasure to watch. Better still, the dancing
is not just an isolated showcase.
As you walk around Turpan, you may well
hear the sound of Uygurs playing their tamburs (a stringed instrument)
and the sounds of male and female dancers and their audience having a
good time, and not for the tourists but for their own entertainment. You
don't see a lot of television aerials in Turpan.
If by now you are wondering how a desert
city manages to sustain a substantial viticulture industry the answer
lies with a technology which Australia should well envy - karez wells.
You will likely visit a karez well to learn about the technology as part
of a Turpan tour. The wells exploit the melted snow from the nearby Tianshan
Mountain Range which filters into a massive underground water table. The
karez wells are formed through a mining-like technique to tap the water
resource with underground channels and, despite being partnered by one
of the most inhospitable deserts on the planet, Turpan supports a thriving
agricultural industry and a bustling community of more than 300,000 in
a region where evaporation considerably exceeds rainfall.
Because of the karez wells, Turpan has
always been an essential stop on the Silk Road and a welcome one for travellers
(especially caravan traders) who had to contend with an arduous journey
from the west over or along the fringe of the Taklimakan desert, one of
our planet's most inhospitable environments.
The ruins of two ancient cities, Jiaohe
and Gauchong are located around Turpan. Our group visited only Jiaohe,
having decided there was not time for both, and enjoyed a donkey cart
ride through the ruins to a point where a temple once stood, there to
learn the history of the old city, which by 200BC was the seat of the
imperial court of the Front State of Cheshi, but abandoned 1400 years
later. Waiting for the guide to sort out the donkey teamsters, one of
our group commented that the commercial nature of the operation was "sad",
in reference to the piecemeal living being made by the Uygur people plying
their wares and services there.
Joseph Heller's WWII parody, Catch
22, immediately sprang to mind with the chapter in which the main
character Yossarian argues with an Italian man about the nature of victory.
The old Italian argues that despite losing the battle they would win the
war, on the basis that while many armies have marched through Italy, the
Italians would be victorious, simply because they would still be there.
The Uygyrs began migrating west into
China before Christ was born and despite a long succession of Chinese
dynasties and the arrival of communist rule, they are still there, selling
whatever is of worth. Their longevity as a race should surely be regarded
a triumph. Uygur children learn about business from an early age and while
visiting Jiaohe, you will see many youngsters trying to sell trinkets.
They have a keen sense of trading and seem to understand when they have
a latent spender in their midst. If you do not want to buy, a few firm
denials will send them away. If you do want to buy, be sure to haggle
over the price.
Jiaohe itself is an eerie collection
of building ruins sufficiently intact that, with some interpretation and
a little imagination, it is not a difficult task to comprehend its former
glory. There are other features of Turpan, such as the ancient tombs of
Astana and the Emin Minaret, which are typically part of the Turpan experience.
It is hard to imagine that any Turpan tour itinerary would fail to let
you absorb the culture and ancient feel of this isolated city of the Silk
Road.
You could make Turpan a travel objective
of itself but, as unlikely as this might sound, the difficulty of the
journey there might overshadow the destination. It is most likely you
would see Turpan as part of an extended Silk Road Tour. And should anyone
be carrying Hopkirk's account of the Silk Road, tell them to read it when
they get home.
Return
to the Library
|
