US-China Today takes a visual trip through Tibet and Xinjiang.
《美中今日》带你通过照片感受中国西藏和新疆的人文和自然风情。
- Lake Kanas near the Altai Mountains, Xinjiang. Photo by Xing Guoli
- Wucai Tan, Burqin County, Xinjiang. Photo by Xing Guoli
- Young schoolgirls in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- Uighur ethnic dancers. Photo by Xing Guoli
- A Tibetan boy lights a candle in one of the mountainside monasteries in Drak Yerpa, Tibet. Photo by Zachary Franklin
- Two young boys return from school in New Tingri, Tibet. Photo by Peter Winter
- On the road to Qomolangma, or Mt. Everest, or Zhumulangma Feng, or 珠穆朗玛峰. Photo by Peter Winter
- At the market in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- A rolling pin shop in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- The view from Jokhang Temple. Photo by Paul Rockower
- A young Tibetan boy in Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Paul Rockower
- Tibetan monks heading up the Potala Palace. Photo by Paul Rockower
- In the market, Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Paul Rockower
- A Tibetan man grins for the camera at Kambala Lake. Photo by Paul Rockower
- In front of Jokhang Temple. Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Paul Rockower
- Photo by Paul Rockower
- The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Paul Rockower
- A Tibetan woman spins prayer wheels in Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Paul Rockower
- The flight to Lhasa. Photo by Paul Rockower
- The road to Everest. Photo by Paul Rockower
- Outside of the Tomb of Abakh Hoja in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- A woman gathers water in the early morning at Karakul Lake, west of Kasghar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- Kamba-La Pass in Tibet, one of the highest lakes in the region. Note the small town across the water. Photo by Zachary Franklin
- Two women make their way home to Karakul Lake near the base of Muztagh Ata (7546m). The Karakoram Highway heads west from Kashgar through the Tashkurgan Pass on its way to Pakistan. Photo by Peter Winter
- Everest Base Camp, Tibet. Photo by Peter Winter
- Two men bide their time in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- On top of Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet. Photo by Peter Winter
- The morning begins at Drak Yerpa, a monastery in Tibet. The mountainside monastery sits in the right, foreground with the snowcapped hills in the background. Photo by Zachary Franklin
- A building marked for demolition in Urumqi, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
- Working hard on the job in Kashgar, Xinjiang. Photo by Peter Winter
From the high peaks of Mt. Qomolangma to the low deserts of the Tarim Basin, the western provinces of Tibet and Xinjiang are home to an incredible array of cultures, people, and places. While Tibet has long held a special place in the Western imagination, the trading routes of the Silk Road have been an historical connection between distant societies for centuries. With Tibetan Buddhism an increasingly international religion, Xinjiang society is equally punctuated by an incredible mix of Uighur and Central Asian cultures, many of which are connected through a shared Islamic faith. While the political status of both regions remains a highly divisive issue, the sights, societies, and people of Tibet and Xinjiang will continue to captivate global attention.