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Abstract

Xinjiang (XUAR) is the biggest province in China and is an important strategic region in terms of its borders with Central Asian states, Russia, India as well as Pakistan. It occupies an important role in the Belt and Road Initiative, an infrastructure program that aims to connect China with the rest of the world.

Multiple studies have focused on clear deformations in cultural and ethnic policies in Xinjiang. Some scholarship has also been oriented to studying the changes in residential lifestyles and everyday habits. Surprisingly, very little has been done in studying the relationship of the growing role of Xinjiang as a tourist destination and specifically the urban transformations in Xinjiang due to this touristification. Tourism studies of Xinjiang offer one such arena to explore the changes in the region, and can provide useful insights and contribute to our understanding of changing relationships between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, changing urban/rural lifestyles and perceptions of urban change.

The objective of this talk is to deconstruct the unfolding tourist culture in Xinjiang through the perspective of theme park or Disneyification, a process where consumption culture and experience economy merge and different types of heritage (natural and cultural) are packaged in a consumable way (such as in a theme park).

This deconstruction is based on visual ethnographic analysis of Uyghur cities as self-contained theme parks and is informed by the fieldwork conducted in various parts of Xinjiang in 2022-2025. While it largely focuses on urban tourist clusters of Kashgar and Turpan the study also contributes to decoding ritual interaction chains (to use the term proposed by R. Collins) of tourists in places, which are often featured in “the grand tour” of most tourists in China.

The talk will discuss diverse ways how Uyghurness or otherness is packaged and presented to Chinese tourists within the narrative of single national idea. Different mechanisms are visible within the sphere of tourism, such as creation of new Han-based narratives and omission of Uyghur-based narratives. Uyghur cultural landscape as a specific landscape is also presented as a typical Chinese landscape, but part of the diverse ethnic tapestry in China. At the same time, refabrication of urban heritage for tourist consumption is not particularly unique, as it follows the same trend as in other parts of China (or urban centres in general) and is dictated by development goals, safety standards and commercial interests.