Window of Xinjiang: A visit to the Grand Bazaar

(Photo/CCTV)

The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in the Tianshan district of Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is the largest of its kind in the world. Characterized by clusters of stores and crowds of tourists, the Grand Bazaar is not only a showcase for local tourist products, but also the epitome of Xinjiang’s social and economic development. That explains why it is hailed as the “window of Xinjiang”.

Covering an area of 100,000 square meters, the Grand Bazaar has six main buildings and one 80-meter-high viewing tower. It has a dazzling variety of products on offer, ranging from local specialties, dried fruit, ethnic costumes, jade wares to artefacts. Besides, around 70 percent of the 1,480 store owners here are Uygurs.