Wondrous Xinjiang: Rural bazaars take on new look

URUMQI, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Every Saturday is bazaar day in Tashmirik Township in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Nearby villagers swarm into the bazaar to purchase everything from daily necessities and farming tools to local delicacies and fruits.

At noon, trucks, cars, and electric motorcycles fill the parking area outside the bustling bazaar, instead of horse- and donkey-drawn carriages, which used to be key transportation means for locals.

Before entering the bazaar, villagers would scan their health code and receive free face masks to follow anti-epidemic requirements.

"Almost every villager, except the elderly and children, has a smartphone, which makes code scanning very easy," said Aynur Aikmu, managing director of the bazaar.

Delicious food is always the greatest appeal to the bazaar's visitors. Stewed mutton, roast fish, baked samosas... as soon as people walk into the market, the aroma of cuisine takes over their senses.

Abliz Wulayin has been running a restaurant at the bazaar for more than a decade. Payment codes are posted on restaurant doors, windows, and tables. "I earn over 10,000 yuan (around 1,490 U.S. dollars) during a bazaar day. Customers often choose cashless payment, which is really convenient," he said.

The perfect match for hot food is homemade yogurt with shaved ice. With a tricycle, Atonguri Khader has been selling the local cool drink at bazaars for six years.

"I go to four bazaars a week and sell over 300 cups of yogurt a day," she said while ladling yogurt into a cup for customers.

In the past, it was hard to have yogurt with shaved ice in summer as ice-making required great efforts, said Atonguri, recalling that ice was often taken from rivers in winter and preserved in cellars until summer.

"What was worse, ice made of unpurified river water often caused stomach problems," said Atonguri. "Thanks to the convenient transportation in rural areas nowadays, I can get ice blocks that meet hygiene standards from the city of Kashgar within one hour. Now I have more customers."

At the fruit stalls, apart from local seasonal fruits such as apricots, cherries, cantaloupes and watermelons, mangoes, lychees, pineapples and bananas that were shipped from south China can also be seen at the bazaar.

These fruits are no longer rarities in remote villages, thanks to the development of cold-chain logistics, said Aynur Aikmu. "Mangoes are very popular among villagers. We serve guests mangoes to show hospitality."

"The growing variety of goods, the new ways of payment... rural bazaars are taking on a new look," said Mirza Abdullah, a farmer at the bazaar. "But the food taste doesn't change and the price of commodities is still favorable."