As the Chinese New Year celebrations and the Beijing Winter Olympics get underway, Carlisle Library is hosting a new exhibition focussing on a lesser-known region of China and the people who live there.
Xinjiang is a region of deserts and mountains in the far west of China. Bordered by six countries including Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, it is the central section of the ancient Silk Road trading route. Not only beautiful, but Xinjiang is also important to China’s economy, producing oil, fruit and a fifth of the world’s cotton.
A vast region of mountains and deserts, Xinjiang is the homeland of the Uyghurs, one of the 56 ethnic minorities who live in China. Unusually for China, the Uyghurs are Muslim and their traditional language is related to Turkish.
China has been accused of committing crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uygur population and other mostly-Muslim ethnic groups in the north-western region of Xinjiang.
The Faces of Xinjiang exhibition provides a rare glimpse into this part of the world which photographer Steve Wharton travelled through in 2011.
Further images to accompany the exhibition will be released on Instagram by @wanderingwharties throughout February.
Exhibition details
February 1 – February 22, Carlisle Library, First Floor, 11 Globe Ln, Carlisle, CA3 8NX
Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 9am-5.30pm, Tue 10am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-noon
Free admission
