Notes about cycling across Xinjiang/China, coming from Kyrgyzstan:

– entry was smooth, friendly border officials who even spoke English
– great road surface & cell phone reception everywhere
– signs in Chinese & Uyghur (Arabic script)
– cameras & fences almost everywhere
– modern police stations even in tiny villages
– Western Xinjiang has a beautiful reddish mountain landscape
– frequent passport checks, sometimes 3 minutes, sometimes 30.
– great food again! also cheap, less than $3 per meal
– first time being invited by a Kyrgyz family was in a Chinese village, had to eat sheep intestines, not as good
– WeChat & Alipay apps to pay for everything
– wild camping is not an issue like it was in the past
– was only followed by the undercover police once
– Kashgar, ancient Silk Road city, beautiful and authentic apart from the less authentic city center which was rebuilt for tourists
– Eldery Uyghurs wear traditional hats & dresses, everyone communicates in Uyghur (Turkic language) not Mandarin
– cities are surprisingly silent because of eScooters & EVs, but buzzing bazaars
– foreigners get lots of stares, some selfie requests
– wasn’t allowed to board 11h train to Ürümqi with bike (more security and stricter rules than in airports), had to take a 30h sleeper bus with a bed that was too small for me
– Ürümqi was less interesting, the ride through the countryside towards Mongolia was nicer
– Years ago Kashgar was called an “open-air prison” and travelling through Xinjiang was a nightmare, the situation has improved for travellers a lot
– if it has improved for the locals is another story