2024-01-27 16:36:26
The livestock market is only open on Sundays and the new market was moved to western suburbs of Kashgar.
In the morning, the market was crowded with Uyghur sellers and buyers as well as thousands of animals
including cattle, sheep, donkeys and horses,camels,goats,and yaks.
Animals are tied in lines, their owners stand by them and look for buyers. Buyers closely examine the animals,
touching them, and carefully checking their teeth, tails, hooves and hair. After the buyers feel satisfied, they
begin to dicker with the sellers. Most sellers and buyers look very serious before they make a deal. They bargain
repeatedly and some of them even reach agreements using body language. After they reach a deal it is sealed
with a strong handshake and hug.
The lively market often attracts tourists from throughout the world, many who photograph and take videos of the
lively scene.
The livestock market is now divided into different areas according to the animal species. Sheep are one of the
most popular animals here because most Uyghurs like to eat mutton.people collect sheep from neighboring
counties and cuts their wool before entering the market."The sheep feel cooler in hot summer if we cut their wool,
and it's easy to keep lice off a sheared sheep. Moreover, buyers can more easily check whether the sheep is
healthy or not."
The Uyghur people often buy sheep in the market to eat and to breed with other sheep. In addition. some buy
younger sheep in the market, breed them and sell them several months later for a higher price. The market price
of a sheep is at least 1,500 yuan (about US$236), and a sheep that weighs less than 50kilograms doesn't have to
be weighed. So it's important to have sharp skills to able to tell a good sheep.
"A good sheep has a high nose bridge, longer ears, pure wool and a big tail. Moreover, its body should be long
and wide."
Donkeys have played important roles in transportation and plowing fields in Kashgar's mountain areas. Because
of the donkeys' bad tempers, the donkey area is more capacious and set up at the rear of the market.
The local donkeys are famous for their short but strong bodies. Sellers usually like to debate with others, boasting
that their donkeys are the best.
Most buyers purchase animals here for personal use, but some of the buyers transport them to inland China to be
sold as food.
"Inland Chinese people like delicious beef and mutton from Kashgar. We purchase animals such as cattle and
sheep in the market and transport them into inland China like Beijing, east China's Shandong Province, north
China's Hebei Province and west China's Qinghai Province.
After the buyers and sellers finish their deals, some go to restaurants inside the market, eating food such as
Uyghur-style pulled noodles and nan. The market is busy the whole day until it is closed at about six in the
afternoon.