Perhaps the Chinese government wants to recreate its role as the modern commercial center for the whole large region.

But as yet it is still the important commercial center for the poor and backwards ethnic people of western Xinjiang. It is within about 200 kilometers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan with fabulous mineral wealth, and Pakistan and India with their big markets.

There is a large market every day of the week, it is the Sunday livestock market that stands out as one of the most unique market experiences you can ever experience.

Every Sunday, buyers and sellers come from all over the region to trade animals, such as horses, sheep, goats, chickens. The sight of people unloading trucks of live animals and the buyers selecting which ones to take home is truly amazing.

The animals arrive on foot, in the back seats of taxis, in trucks, on the backs of motorcycles, on the backs of other animals – every way imaginable. And they depart in the same manner.

There is also a place where people can ride horses to test them. People crowd the narrow streets on their way to the two main market areas for animals and products. They herd animals or carry them in cages, and people trudge in with bundles and sacks.

Sheep cover the center of the market and most of them are roped together in long rows such as this:

According to marketexperiences.com; thevelvetrocket.com