Wary Of Unrest Among Uighur Minority, China Locks Down Xinjiang Province
Following riots and attacks in past years, residents of Urumqi, the capital of the western region, now live and work under intense surveillance, and are subject to detention after traveling abroad.
At the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in the heart of Urumqi, everything is bought and sold from tiny stalls blasting local music, in a square filled with Islamic architecture. It's a place that feels more like Central Asia than China.
That's might be because this western Chinese city, the capital of China's Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, is closer to Kabul than Beijing. And recently it received something else in common with Kabul: A hefty security presence.
"It makes me feel safer," says one shoe vendor. "They've built police stations every few blocks or so. The police check us every day, no matter if you're a doctor, teacher, anyone. It's all for our safety."
Increasingly draconian security measures make this vendor
