During a dinner with Chinese friends, I asked the table, “Do you guys have friends in Xinjiang? I’m planning a trip there.” The lively vibe we had enjoyed turned into silence.
“Xinjiang? Don’t go there. It’s too dangerous. There’s all those Uyghurs with knives. Go to Hainan or something, it’s nicer there,” a Chinese friend cautioned.
“No, no, it used to be dangerous, but now it’s super safe. I have family there, they tell me there’s police everywhere now, nothing to worry about. It’s the safest place in China right now,” another friend said. She was trying to encourage me, in her way, but it made me rather uneasy.
I then asked a third friend, who was playing with his phone and not paying that much attention. His lack of investment in the conversation struck me as a sign of impartiality.
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WNU Editor: I have been to almost every province in China but never Xinjiang. Hmmmm .... after reading this story I now have the urge to go.
