Nicole

2025年7月26日

A few additional points following on from the previous article:

1. Xinjiang is a very safe place for travelers. You can see many police officers and even armed police at scenic areas, and there are numerous security checkpoints along the roads. Airport security checks are also very strict, with everyone undergoing a body search. Power banks in carry-on luggage must have clearly marked capacity ratings (no more than 160 Wh or 30,000 mAh). Security staff check them carefully, and bottled liquids cannot exceed 100 ml. I really saw so many people’s lotions and toners being thrown away.
2. You don’t need to bring too much cash. It’s best to have WeChat Pay, which can now be linked to Taiwanese credit cards. Relying on cash alone in Xinjiang (and perhaps throughout mainland China) isn’t very convenient. Cash is mainly useful in supermarkets. Carrying some as a backup can save you when there’s no mobile signal or your phone happens to run out of battery. As for Taiwanese credit cards, just put them away once you arrive in Xinjiang—they’re practically useless there.
3. If you want to access Facebook, Instagram, LINE, and other services that are blocked in mainland China, I recommend using international roaming with your original SIM card or buying a Hong Kong–mainland China–Macau SIM card. This time, I used Far EasTone’s 30-day data package with roaming on my original number for just NT$1,688, and the signal was almost always fine. Other tour members also had no problems using SIM cards with their iPhones.
4. There are quite a few rest stops along the way to scenic areas. Generally, the toilets at rest stops, attractions, and restaurants are fairly clean and free, but most are squat toilets, with seated toilets being rare. As for the dreaded dry toilets, I only encountered the kind with no doors, separate cubicles, and a shared trench along the Wakhan Corridor and Panlong Ancient Road in southern Xinjiang. Fortunately, they didn’t smell, and once I finished quickly, it wasn’t so bad. Public toilets don’t provide toilet paper at all, so remember to bring some. If you run out, you can also buy it at supermarkets.
5. Is Xinjiang hot in July? I didn’t visit Turpan this time, but in summer, it’s so hot there that eggs can cook when buried in the sand, so it’s definitely scorching. However, apart from Kashgar, where the midday sun felt painfully hot on my skin, the weather was manageable elsewhere. Many places were actually quite cool, such as Kanas, Hemu, Bayanbulak, Nalati, Jiangbulake, and Tashkurgan in southern Xinjiang, where temperatures were around 10–20-something°C. Xinjiang is also a popular summer escape for people from other parts of mainland China, so feel free to visit in summer! June and July are also when the grasslands are at their greenest and lushest. The grass starts turning yellow in early August. In June, watch out for the “little biting midges” at Five-Color Beach and Burqin. They’re similar to Taiwan’s tiny biting midges but larger, and there are so many that you’ll need to buy a mosquito face net. Fortunately, they were already gone by the time we visited.
6. Xinjiang follows Beijing Time. When we visited in midsummer, it didn’t get completely dark until after 11 p.m. This took us Taiwanese visitors some time to get used to. For locals, 10 p.m. is when nightlife begins, so daily schedules in Xinjiang tend to run later. Breakfast is usually after 8 or 9 a.m., lunch around 1 p.m., and dinner between 7 and 9 p.m.
7. Compare prices at several shops before buying, and don’t be afraid to bargain. The jade market is complicated, so don’t buy any if you don’t know what you’re doing. Be careful when buying qiegao (a traditional nut and dried-fruit confection), too, or you could be seriously overcharged. Prices are lowest in Kashgar.
8. You generally won’t experience altitude sickness in northern Xinjiang. In Tashkurgan, however, the altitude is over 3,000 meters, so some people may experience mild symptoms, although it didn’t seem too bad. The Muztagh Ata Glacier Park sits at an altitude of over 4,500 meters. At the visitor center, I was already using oxygen because of altitude sickness symptoms such as headaches and shortness of breath. It was probably related to the cold I had, so I decided not to go inside.
9. Older Xinjiang residents may not speak Mandarin. They might smile at you or say the only few words they know, such as “I don’t understand.” Younger people generally have no problem communicating in Mandarin. If you see someone who looks European, don’t automatically launch into a long conversation in English—you might be speaking to an ethnic Tajik, which could get a little awkward. Singing and dancing seem to be in Xinjiang people’s genes. People of all ages and genders love to sing and dance, and they may even invite travelers to join them. Feel free to join in and experience their heartfelt joy—it’s a wonderful travel experience.
10. Xinjiang is incredibly beautiful and truly therapeutic, yet it offers great value for money. Unfortunately, my lousy phone couldn’t capture its beauty, and cloudy weather often made my photos less impressive. In two or three years, I’ll definitely return to this vast and beautiful land of diverse landscapes, known as “Beautiful Xinjiang,” with a better phone and a camera to capture its stunning scenery properly.