7. Fresh watermelon, crusty pancake called Nang, fine lamb, hot temperature, and safety concerns. I thought I could associate Urumqi with anything but traffic jams, but unfortunately the city is repeatedly hit by congestion on many roads. Local media reported Urumqi, which has a population of 3.11 million, now has 400,000 vehicles, a 15 percent increase from the previous year.

Photo by Uking Sun

Photo by Wang Yushan of CRI online

8. I have a special interest in studying slogans wherever I travel in China, as I believe they summarize core values and ideas that government and business organizations advocate. I bet you can find slogans everywhere in China, some painted on walls or flags, some carved on the mountain slope, printed in newspapers, or displayed at the entrance to government buildings. On a red banner at a police checkpoint in Ili written in white Chinese characters: “Rational, peaceful, civilized, and standardized.” I am happy that being rational became a part of the government’s ideology. There are other slogans quite striking, such as one encouraging locals to raise donkeys – “A donkey is a small bank.”