The China Story-
The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region always sparks interest among the media people from around the world as the region is always portrayed in a bad light in the Western media. But the reality of Muslim population and young generation including the local celebrities there seems totally different in the first hand observation.
During the “Seeing the real Xinjiang online,” on May 28, which was one of the events celebrating 20 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the local artists from the region shared their experiences with media persons from around the world.
The presentation of three internet celebrities during the video interaction was mainly based on tourism, cultural heritage preservation and rituals of ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
Salamat Kari, the owner of a very famous local inn named “House of Guli”, In Kashi, shared her experiences how she has become an internet hit recently for its ethnic-style decorations and tea from her house.
Salamat told the story of how she developed her inn by expanding its services, from having dancing shows to selling souvenirs as well as accommodation.
“There are 15 locals working in my inn and most of them are women. Aside from earning money, we can also help tourists to learn more about our culture, which is the part I am proud of the most,” Salamat said.
Next internet celebrity in the region, Ayituna Ablikim from Hotan talked about how she has used short videos to record her daily life and share them with netizens.
“The life of a village girl in Xinjiang has drawn netizens’ attention and I am also happy,” Ayituna said. “But in August 2020, I found that one video I took about my mother sewing a dress had been used by the Western media, which said she had been ‘forced to work.’”
“I am very sad and shocked to see my video being distorted like this. I have released more than 300 videos online and every of them show we live a happy life. I don’t know why the foreign media wants to label us as ‘victims,’” Ayituna said.
Zaituna Karimova, a 56-year-old woman from the Tatar ethnic group in Tacheng showed her yard and items her family has kept from the old days.
The people of Xinjiang, who are of many ethnic groups, seem happy and living their life with full sense of celebration. The western media portrayal sounds too untrue while seeing the real life Xinjiang.
Saroj Gautam
