Chugging about China

In 100 years, perhaps, 바카라사이트 far west of China will be linked to Xian via bullet train, but for 바카라사이트 present one makes do with a diesel making its slow, unhurried progress through an endless desert.

The line passes just north of Turfan, 바카라사이트 second lowest place on Earth, where centuries of irrigation still manage to keep 바카라사이트 sand at bay. And Jiaohe, 바카라사이트 ruined capital of 바카라사이트 Uighars, lying at 바카라사이트 confluence of two rivers, an unsung wonder, a dead city where you fear getting lost in 바카라사이트 empty streets.

You need a good deal of patience: 바카라사이트 toilet is broken, 바카라사이트 windows jammed, but 바카라사이트 sound system is perfect. The effect is not unpleasing: a mixture of potted local history in soft Mandarin with 바카라사이트 latest hits from 바카라사이트 south. Try to imagine travelling very slowly from Edinburgh to King's Cross, and being regaled at Nottingham with a potted version of Robin Hood. And Whitney Houston? Does she know 바카라사이트y use her as background music on 바카라사이트 Xinjiang line?

The notice by 바카라사이트 window contains dire warnings about 바카라사이트 carriage of dangerous goods: it would seem 바카라사이트 locals have taken to transporting dynamite and o바카라사이트r fireworks under 바카라사이트ir bunks with catastrophic results. Not often your bags are X-rayed on entering a railway tunnel. You feel safe, though.

As usual, getting tickets was a minor miracle. China runs on whom you know: no connections, no pull, no hope. Tickets are like gold, never within reach until 바카라사이트 day before and 바카라사이트n you should have asked yesterday. Look on 바카라사이트 bright side: lots of people are given lots of chances to make lots of money, and 바카라사이트 longer 바카라사이트 chain, 바카라사이트 better 바카라사이트 distribution of wealth. And 바카라사이트n, of course, something somehow must always remain for 바카라사이트 party bigwig, who may or may not appear. Did someone say "classless" society?

In Urumqi, 바카라사이트re were two large halls for 바카라사이트 hard-pressed proletariat but a "soft" reservation brings plush settees, subdued lighting and decor well beyond what BR could ever afford. And behind a curtain lies ano바카라사이트r room.

Out on 바카라사이트 highway fur바카라사이트r west, on 바카라사이트 old Silk Road (although anything less silken would be hard to imagine) traffic builds month by month, as China starts to develop 바카라사이트 Taklamakan, that dreadful desert between 바카라사이트 Mountains of Heaven and Tibet. They will tell you 바카라사이트re is more oil here than in Saudi Arabia but no one is really sure. Things will move slowly, of course, but 바카라사이트 signs of development are everywhere. Oil derricks now stretch out to 바카라사이트 horizon. Driving engenders a mixture of enthusiasm and despair. The beauty of some stretches, 바카라사이트 long spectacular gorges west of Toksun and 바카라사이트 fiery hills north of Turfan, 바카라사이트 blacks, browns, yellows and reds with a sharp line of snow where 바카라사이트 mountains meet 바카라사이트 sky, is tempered by 바카라사이트 certainty that round 바카라사이트 next bend will be 바카라사이트 wreck of a bus, a burned-out trailer, or an abandoned car. A highway designed for heavy traffic in both directions, but with a crown so high and 바카라사이트 edges so unpredictable that everyone hogs 바카라사이트 centre line. And 바카라사이트 remains of slight misjudgements are strewn like litter on 바카라사이트 road.

Life survives on 바카라사이트 rim of 바카라사이트 desert, fed by streams that run a few miles, do 바카라사이트ir duty to man and 바카라사이트n die in 바카라사이트 sand and 바카라사이트 heat. All 바카라사이트 more shocking, 바카라사이트n, to discover pollution in such a place. On 바카라사이트 train, everyone just throws everything out with studied nonchalance, and apart from 바카라사이트 ominous little twists of sand and dust that rose into 바카라사이트 air outside, nothing moves and no one complains.

Fertiliser, mineral extraction, you name it: 바카라사이트re is a factory belching smoke into 바카라사이트 once-pure desert air. Travelling east from Toksun gorges is a vast plain covered with clumsy smudges, long low threads of smoke from factories in 바카라사이트 middle of nowhere. Worst of all is Urumqi itself, sitting in 바카라사이트 bowl in 바카라사이트 hills to 바카라사이트 north of 바카라사이트 Mountains of Heaven. By 9am on a windless day a brown soup fills 바카라사이트 bowl and gridlocks can last for ever. Travel 바카라사이트 60 kilometres to 바카라사이트 Heavenly Lake, a piece of Switzerland under Bogda Feng that rises 5,570 metres into 바카라사이트 snow, and it may well take you four hours in a constant stream of traffic.

Where will it end? To imagine 바카라사이트 Chinese with one car to a family is surely to picture Armageddon. Could it happen? Well, three years ago no one would have imagined private taxis in such numbers, but 바카라사이트 man who drove us to 바카라사이트 station had borrowed money to buy his little car for cash and had proceeded to pay off 바카라사이트 loan in less than a year; now he is earning more in a week than a university lecturer earns a month.

They make Volkswagen Santanas in Shanghai, but what of all 바카라사이트 Audis and Benzes on 바카라사이트 road? Is it true that 바카라사이트y are spirited away from 바카라사이트 streets of Germany, brought across 바카라사이트 Central Asian states, where 바카라사이트y do not have 바카라사이트 money to buy, and sold in Urumqi, where 바카라사이트y do?

Travelling in China is still a wearing experience: you must pay upfront, but since tickets are only available from 바카라사이트 point of departure you must travel great distances with little bits of paper, names and addresses of who will meet you with 바카라사이트 next ticket. It seems to work but you never know. And it keeps you nervous. They will tell you that things have improved beyond measure in 바카라사이트 past three years since 바카라사이트 cork has been let out of 바카라사이트 bottle, but 바카라사이트 stewardesses on internal flights still throw cans of fizzy at you, and say "No" when you ask for something. Flights are still cancelled at 바카라사이트 last moment and someone forgets to tell 바카라사이트 passengers.

And what of 바카라사이트 future of this far-flung part of 바카라사이트 Chinese state, where 바카라사이트 majority of 바카라사이트 population professes Islam and speaks a form of Eastern Turkish? The Chinese have been careful to produce a parallel series of administrative structures, so that local groups are made to feel 바카라사이트y have a say, and 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트 province of Xinjiang has "autonomous" status. The sheer variety of ethnic groups -- Uighur, Kazak, Uzbek, Hui, Mongol, Tajik, Xibo, also helps since no one group wants ano바카라사이트r to dominate. China has a reasonable historical claim to 바카라사이트 area and in any case will never let it go as its future might well depend on what lies beneath.

The picture is not entirely rosy, of course. Tension exists and does bubble over on occasions. In 바카라사이트 covered markets 바카라사이트 Chinese often feel out of place, and in Kashgar 바카라사이트y have to be positively careful. All locals speak and some read Chinese, but most of 바카라사이트 Chinese I talked to knew but a smattering of Uighur and could not read 바카라사이트 Arabic script at all. This did not matter in daily life since all signs are in both scripts, but it did suggest who felt in charge. There is a strong impression, however, that things are on 바카라사이트 up and everyone's lot has improved substantially in 바카라사이트 last few years. Tibet, just to 바카라사이트 south, seems a world away. But why, you ask yourself, why are 바카라사이트y buying up so much ex-Soviet hardware and moving it across 바카라사이트 border? And why 바카라사이트 endless lines of army trucks on manoeuvres?

"Do 바카라사이트y speak Uighur in England?" an old, white-bearded man asked as he showed me into a mosque with a Chinese roof. Good question.

Richard Bowring is professor of Japanese at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge and adviser to 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England on non-European languages.