Overlooking ruins photography

While traveling in Kashgar, Xinjiang, I wandered around the ancient city of Kashgar one day. After coming out of the east gate, I vaguely saw a shabby house standing on the huge square opposite the ancient city.

Take a closer look, it's all broken walls.

Between heaven and earth, it is like a huge abandoned building block, randomly "piled up" there.

Some "building blocks" have collapsed, revealing the wall of "clothes don't cover the body". Some houses have been patched, and after repeated mending, the original appearance has disappeared.

Weeds around the house have been neglected for a long time. They grow freely and savagely. From a distance, they look like ruins in an oasis.

At that time, I was a little puzzled: this is the city center, how can there be such a broken building complex?

There is only one reason: it must not be an ordinary ruin.

I asked the Uyghur uncle who sells glutinous rice balls on the roadside, and he said that this place is called Gao Tai Folk House, which is a "mini town" with a thousand years' history like the ancient city of Kashgar.

Although the houses in Gao Tai are dilapidated, they are very tasteful. The arched windows have a strong Uighur style and a sense of the times.

In the past thousands of years, this "forgotten corner" has flourished and experienced decline. People who love adventure, travel and photography come here, leaving images and footprints, but unable to change its fate.

At that time, I turned around the old site and found that every entrance and exit was guarded.

According to the "warm reminder" on the roadside sign, outsiders are not allowed to enter here during the reconstruction of dangerous houses.

Fortunately, it was not abandoned.

Tourism belongs to tourism, and people's regulations must be observed, so I gave up the plan to enter the interior of Gao Tai residential building.

I don't want to take some photos in a hurry.

I thought I would say goodbye, but I didn't expect there was no way out, and there was another village.

A few days later, I came to this place again to visit Uncle Tulson, the "non-legacy" inheritor of Kashgar earthenware skills.

I was surprised to find that there was a path leading to Gao Tai's residence at the back door of my uncle's workshop.

So, under the leadership of Uncle Tursun, we were lucky to enter the "city".

The interior of Gao Tai Mansion is even more shabby than I expected. The random pulling of wires and the chaotic street layout add a lot of psychedelic colors to this old city.

In order to prevent houses from collapsing, people support dangerous walls with boards and sticks.

Broken glass windows reflect the blue sky, and new brick walls struggle to tell people that the city is still alive.

The city is still alive and inhabited.

Although the door is simple, the wooden door left unlocked and the five-star red flag flying high firmly tell people that this is our home.

It was evening at that time, and the primary school students who had left school shuttled under the crumbling dangerous building.

Small shops on the roadside are lit with dim lights and sell some cheap snacks that children like.

Uyghur children who help their parents look after the store are surprised to see us foreigners.

Even in the decline, people continue to love life and try their best to make their homes beautiful.

The vibrant flowers and plants didn't stop growing just because they were born in a shipwreck.

Kashgar is divided into an old city and a new city, and East Lake Park is almost the junction of the old and new cities.

Next to the East Lake Park, the high-rise residential building is like a "shadow", reflecting the large commercial housing in the new city.

In Kashgar, various cultures of different nationalities are merging, colliding and influencing each other at any time and place.

There are two important points about Gao Tai folk houses.

First, the intangible cultural heritage here: Kashgar earthenware skills.

Today, there are still several pottery workshops in Gaotaimin, some of which have been passed down for four or five hundred years.

The pottery they fired is closely related to the life of the Uygur people in the past years, witnessing a historical evolution and recording the changes of life in Kashgar.

In addition, there is a river under Gao Tai's residence, and there are large reeds along the river.

The reeds in the city center have not seen such a scene for many years.

Reed flourishes in summer and turns golden in autumn.

There is an iron bridge above the reeds, and it is still very emotional for people to walk by and take pictures.

After taking these photos, I haven't been to Kashgar or Xinjiang for a year. I don't know the current situation of Gao Tai's folk houses. It is reported that this place has been protected and will become an important scenic spot in the future.

I also believe that Kashgar, as the most valuable ruins, will certainly "live" well.

I'm Sister Dahong, the anchor of the audio radio travel channel, a professional traveler, focusing on minority games and sharing unpopular destinations. Travel is not an attitude, but life itself.