Kashgar, an old trading post in China and a major settlement in the days of the camel trains, is undergoing a renovation program that aims to preserve history while reaching out to the present, as Liu Jing reports.

Editor's note: This is the first in a series of special reports to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Over the coming weeks, China Daily will brings its readers in-depth stories about the lives of the people who live in China's "wild west", outlining their aspirations and concerns, and the changes in the region over the past six decades.

The old city of Kashgar is a living testament to the ancient Silk Road - Uygur craftsmen and artisans hammer and file away at copper vessels of different shapes and sizes, traders haggle over deals in the world's biggest Sunday bazaar, and donkeys and camels with tinkling bells tied around their necks thread their way through the narrow lanes that wind between the cramped buildings.