新疆正成為香港遊客首選目的地 旅遊業擴推文化歷史景點

Beyond its breathtaking scenery, tourism industry leaders hope to draw more visitors by showcasing the region’s heritage and history A Xinjiang guide explains the region’s history of cotton production during a factory tour. Photo: Edith Lin Hong Kong student Angel Lau Yin-kwan, 16, has wanted to visit China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for some time, to learn more about the birthplace of her favourite mainland Chinese actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. Before embarking on a seven-day northern Xinjiang learning tour in early July under the Solar Project, organised by public broadcaster RTHK, Lau thought the region was mostly grassland and that locals rode horses as a means of transport. Lau was astonished by the well-developed infrastructure, such as the 700-metre-long (2,297 feet) Guozigou Bridge suspended 200 metres above a valley, while the view of Sayram Lake, Xinjiang’s highest and largest alpine lake, took her breath away. She also made a leather keychain during a showcase of the region’s leather carving heritage. “I wish to spend a month or longer learning more about the region. I have only gained a superficial understanding by visiting the natural scenery and experiencing some local customs. I do not have enough time to understand its history and architecture,” Lau said. “Joining these study tours can broaden my horizons and allow me to make new friends. It is always good to explore at a young age.” Hong Kong student Angel Lau at a cotton field in Xinjiang. Photo: Angel Lau Xinjiang has emerged as a new mainland destination for Hong Kong travellers, with city and mainland Chinese tourism sector leaders hoping to attract more visitors and students to enjoy the region’s natural scenery and learn about its history and culture. Freddy Yip Hing-ning, managing director of Goldjoy Travel, said Hongkongers travelling to Xinjiang were mainly aged between 45 and 65, and were attracted by its diverse natural scenery, such as deserts and snow-capped peaks. He said the launch of direct flights between Hong Kong and Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital city, in recent years had made the region more accessible, while mainland authorities had also improved transport and tourism infrastructure to increase the region’s appeal. Despite receiving an increasing number of younger Hong Kong travellers aged between 35 and 45, Xinjiang, which spans over 1.66 million sq km (641,000 square miles), remained largely off the radar for most Hongkongers and students, he said. “Xinjiang is a rare destination for learning tours, mainly because of expensive airfares and the long travel time between tourist spots,” he said, adding that students mainly travelled to nearby provinces such as Guangdong or major mainland cities such as Shanghai. A direct flight from the city to Urumqi takes about 5½ hours. “Hongkongers mainly join tours when visiting Xinjiang, as some tourist spots in the extensive region are several hundred kilometres apart and peak season travel arrangements can be unpredictable,” Yip said. Zhao Xin, president of a travel association in Shihezi, at a former cotton factory that has been turned into a “red tourism” attraction. Photo: Edith Lin He added that it usually took more than two weeks to visit the entire region, while his agency also offered separate tours of southern and northern Xinjiang. “In recent years, Xinjiang has gained popularity in the long-haul travel market among Hongkongers, mainly through word of mouth and social media platforms among specific demographics. As travellers often revisit Xinjiang, I believe it will become a popular tourist destination,” Yip said. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"} While Xinjiang’s natural scenery has been the major focus for Hongkongers, Zhao Xin, president of a travel association in Shihezi, a city in Xinjiang, said he hoped to draw tourists from outside mainland China to show them the region’s communist history, particularly the history of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). Shihezi was built in the Gobi Desert in the 1950s by the People’s Liberation Army, the XPCC and residents. Established in 1954, the XPCC promotes the region’s urbanisation, industrialisation and agricultural modernisation. In 2021, Zhao transformed a former cotton factory into a “red tourism” destination, with guided tours and performances recreating the lives of people and the region’s industrial development in the 1950s. The attraction mainly drew mainland Chinese visitors and a small number of travellers from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Malaysia. Over the past two and a half years, the facility has hosted around 168 ,000 visitors. “They are amazed not only by the natural beauty but also by the XPCC’s efforts to turn desert and barren land into an industrial, agricultural and urban development miracle,” he said. “We hope the tourist spot can reflect how the older generation contributed to the region’s development … We think Shihezi is the best place to learn about how the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps operates.” Lei Yiming, co-founder of Silk Road Date, a Xinjiang tour company, holds a bag of handcrafted leather decorations made by nomads and farmers. Photo: Edith Lin Lei Yiming, co-founder of Silk Road Date, a Xinjiang company that provides catering, accommodation and cultural experiences for tourists, said he hoped to promote the region’s culture and heritage. His company has refurbished houses in Kashgar’s old town, turning them into hostels, and collaborated with nomads and farmers to make handcrafted leather decorations, helping the families generate extra income. They sell products designed with Xinjiang motifs, such as scarves with badam patterns commonly found on the hats of ethnic minorities. “Xinjiang has 47 ethnic groups. People have limited knowledge of them and [consider them] exotic … We hope to build a Xinjiang brand,” he said. “We are recruiting staff who can speak English, Japanese and other languages … The depth of the history may be lost in translation, but such staff can facilitate the cultural experience, create resonance and allow tourists to explore further.”