Southern Xinjiang

Between 2006 and 2010, China’s economy experienced rapid growth, leading to a boom in the export trade of cashmere, cotton, and agricultural products. Many people in southern Xinjiang became wealthy, especially since cotton was considered “soft gold.” Starting in 2012, this attracted Wenzhou businessmen to the region for a “land grab,” and people from other provinces also came to seek their fortune. After 2013, both the international and domestic economic environments declined, agricultural exports plummeted, and prices fluctuated wildly. Many people chose to leave and return to their hometowns in the interior. However, newly recruited college graduates and workers continued to pour in, creating a situation of constant turnover. How can one personally experience the diverse circumstances of grassroots party members, ordinary people, and young students in this last production and construction corps amidst a highly “red” cultural atmosphere, a highly unified planned economy, a highly tense stability maintenance situation, and highly centralized administrative management? How can one witness firsthand a closely connected yet loosely connected parallel world?