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The China-US Solidarity Network organized a two-week fact-finding trip to visit Urumqi, Kashi (Kashgar), and Hotan, historic cities on China's Silk Road in far-west Xinjiang. This is our fourth activist delegation to visit Xinjiang since 2019.
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LEE SIU HIN September 3-11, 2025 China-US Solidarity Network U.S. Activist Historical Facts Finding Mission to Xinjiang, China
September 19, 2025
Lee Siu Hin 李小轩
China-US Solidarity Network
中美民间交流协会
Photo: 9/7: In front of Chairman Mao’s statue at People’s Square, Kashi(Kashgar), Xinjiang, China
The China-US Solidarity Network organized a two-week fact-finding trip to visit Urumqi, Kashi (Kashgar), and Hotan, historic cities on China's Silk Road in far-west Xinjiang. This is our fourth activist delegation to visit Xinjiang since 2019.
We’re visiting the region on the eve of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japanese Aggression and Fascism in China, as well as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Photo: 2025 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Why? Our Goals
1) Our goal is to directly observe China's achievements, prosperity, and commitment to peaceful development as it celebrates the September 3rd 80th anniversary of the victory over Japanese Aggression and Fascism, showing that China is not an 'enemy' of any nation.
Amid ongoing global imperialism and regional conflicts, in the current global context of imperialism's desire for war, hegemony, and conquest of other countries, particularly amidst the complex and jungle-like environment characterized by Israel's invasion of Gaza, West’s continue escalating the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the US military threats against China, China has valid reasons to defend itself while maintaining a philosophy of peaceful development unless attacked.
2) As Europe and the United States struggle socially and economically while exploiting developing countries, China's development stands out. Supporters worldwide look to learn from China's successful experience on rural revitalization efforts, poverty alleviation initiatives, urban progress, and ethnic economic development. Through rural visits, business meetings, academic exchanges, and interactions with locals, we aim to demonstrate why only the Communist Party of China (CPC) can revitalize China and why the approaches of Europe and the United States have failed.
Photos： 8/30 Beijing: Meeting at the former site of Peking University No.2 Building, a historical revolutionary landmark for CPC
Photo: 9/12: The site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai
3) Xinjiang is central to our visit, and this is fully self-funded trip. Through field visits, exchanges, and local business meetings, we collect firsthand accounts to demonstrate Xinjiang's ethnic and religious policies, harmony, and economic growth in a positive light. We aim to systematically address claims from separatist groups and explain the Chinese government's efforts to maintain stability and unity, as well as combat terrorism, the so-called "Xinjiang genocide" and "concentration camps” claims.
We also plan cultural and creative collaborations to promote understanding and cooperation between Xinjiang and progressive communities in the United States.
4) Like American journalist Edgar Snow's 1936 visit to Yanan, which introduced the Communist Party of China to the world, we are visiting China to present the realities of China and Xinjiang to the American public.
Photo: 9/1: We stayed at the same hotel in Beijing where American Journalist Edgar Snow traveled to Yan'an to meet with Chairman Mao in 1936, and completed his famous book Red Star Over China.
U$ widespread racism, anti-communist propaganda, Sinophobia, and suppression of Chinese voices in the West have given people in Europe and the United States a negative and one-sided view of China, fostering baseless anti-China sentiment. This created the West’s false public opposition to the China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), supporting US-backed “independence” movements in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang, and economic sanctions against China, especially Xinjiang.
The delegation includes members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Although DSA is progressive, most members misunderstand China, except for a China working group promoting dialogue. After the trip, members will organize various report-backs, including articles, books, documentaries, and teach-ins about their experience in Xinjiang and rest of the China.
5) Our central goal is to demonstrate why China's approach to city management, public security, prosperity, and social stability has been more effective than that of the United States. We advocate for global justice by connecting China's story with America’s and analyzing how their different approaches result in distinct outcomes. We ask: Why are Chinese cities and subways often safe and clean, while their American counterparts are frequently dirty, messy, and dangerous? Why is Xinjiang prosperous and stable, while persistent racial discrimination remains a challenge in the United States? Our comparisons aim to foster critical reflection and unity for change.
Photo: Beijing Central Business District
Photo: 9/12: Night view of LuJiaZui Financial District, Shanghai
Photo: 9/2: Shanghai HongQiao High-Speed Railroad Station, China has the most advanced high-speed railroad system in the World; approx. 48,000 kilometers (29,800 miles) in total. The fastest train between Beijing and Shanghai runs 350 km/h (217.5 MPH) for the distance of 1318 kilometers (819 miles) within 4 hours 29 minutes.
6) To match our words with action, we're arranging humanitarian donations from the delegation, as part of their costs, to Gaza through Panda Aid—our humanitarian network, organized by Chinese activists. The donation is representing people from China, Xinjiang, and the U.S. who support justice and peace.
Related Link:
Insan Sebil Slam (ISS)-Panda Aid Gaza Joint-Project Promotional Video (English Caption)
With this charitable act, we hope to set a precedent, encouraging future delegations to raise more funds for global and domestic humanitarian causes.
What did we see?
This visit was truly historic and inspiring. In addition to exploring the renowned former site of Peking University No. 2 Building, a revolutionary landmark for CPC, we visited Kashi and Hotan in southern Xinjiang—vibrant regions predominantly inhabited by ethnic Uyghurs—and Shuixigou Town in northern Xinjiang, known for its welcoming ethnic-Kazakh culture.
In lively Urumqi, we visited the impressive Petroleum Equipment Expo—massive infrastructure projects to build modern Xinjiang, the bustling Grand Bazaar, vibrant urban development, informative museums, and the exceptionally advanced, clean, and safe subway system.
Photo: 9/4: Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
Photo: 9/4: Urumqi, China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, part of the Belt and Road Initiative to connect international trade between Xinjiang to Central Asia, Russia and Europe.
In Shuixigou township outside of Urumqi, we visited the local Cultural and Creative Park and the breathtaking beauty of the Nanshan Mountains.
Photos: 9/5: ShuiXiGou, located outside Urumqi, is an ethnic Kazakh township renowned for its mountain scenery and winter skiing. We visited their local Cultural and Creative Park.
In Kashi, we experienced the ancient city, bazaar, Akto County, mosques, local cuisine.
Photos: 9/6: Historical Kashi Old Town, a famous tourist attraction with millions of visitors every year, debunks the West’s Xinjiang “cultural genocide” myth.
In Hotan, we explored the bustling city, visited markets, rural areas, the Night Market, Unity Square, museums, and mosques.
Photo: 9/10 Downtown Hotan is prosperous and peaceful. The area in the past was the center of the Turkish-West-supported violent separatist movement. Over the past 30 years, with massive investment from the Chinese government and the Sister Cities Project, the city has quickly modernized, enjoying a peaceful life and ethnic harmony.
We all saw a prosperous, stable, and beautiful Xinjiang, where people live and work in peace and joyful, showing great friendliness to us as American tourists. This contrasts sharply with the negative portrayals by overseas anti-China forces.
There are many stories we could share, but let's briefly touch on three: economy, ethnicity, and religion.
Economy: Xinjiang's economic transformation is clear evidence of modernization and improved well-being, dispelling western lies of underdevelopment. Beside major Chinese international metropolis like: Beijing and Shanghai, western Chinese cities like Urumqi, Kashi, and Hotan in Xinjiang are thriving, marked by advanced infrastructure, including high-speed railroads and the Urumqi subway system. Most notably, public safety is high; unlike many American cities crimes and police harassments are usual, Xinjiang felt safe to explore at any hour, reinforcing the region's progress.
Photos: 9/4: Modern, clean, and safe Urumqi Metro
Photos: 9/8: Taking a train on Kashi railroad station to Hotan. The Ruoqiang-Hetian Railway at southern Xinjiang is one of the massive Chinese government’s infrastructure project to support the region, start operated in June 16th, 2022. Crossing Taklamakan Desert, it’s the most technologically advanced desert railroad in the World.
Photo: 9/4: Petroleum Equipment Expo at Urumqi International Exhibition Center, the trade show for the Chinese industry that’s working on modernizing Xinjiang energy infrastructure, green energy technology and building an energy pipeline between Central Asia and Russia to China.
Ethnicity: Ethnic harmony is a hallmark of Chinese society; there are no so-called racially segregated communities. Contrary to what many foreigners imagine, Xinjiang is not a monoethnic region, but rather a multiethnic region that has been inhabited for thousands of years. These include over ten ethnic groups, including Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongolian, Hui, Han, Manchu, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Xibe, and Solon. Ethnic groups are divided by faith into Islam (such as Uyghurs and Kazakhs) and Tibetan Buddhism (such as Mongolians and Xibes), and they all live together in every corner of major cities and rural areas. Businesses are run by both Han Chinese as well as Uyghur and Hui owners. Most importantly, everyone seems happy and relaxed. Our random street interviews consistently support the Chinese government's ethnic policies, and there's no so-called "genocide" like the one in Gaza.
Photos: 9/10: In Hotan's Unity Square, a massive statue depicts Chairman Mao Zedong meeting and shaking hands with an elderly Uyghur farmer, Kurban Tulum, in 1958, a scene that is a well-known historical event. Xinjiang is emphasizing ethnic unity to combat separatist movements and terrorism. In our random interviews across the region, everyone clearly supported the government and ethnic unity.
Photo: 9/9: The historical TueanChang Old Town, located in central Hotan, is known as the “reception room” for Hotan. It was rebuilt in 2016 with the support of Beijing's sister city project.
Photo: 9/9: Hotan County No. 3 High School, located outside the city, like the rest of the country, is experiencing improvements in school facilities as China becomes more prosperous. For the past 30 years, the Chinese government's investment in education has helped the new Uyghur generation with better opportunities.
Religion: When the West can't use the economic and ethnic cards to smear Xinjiang, they've resorted to so-called religious and cultural ones. This can be somewhat confusing for those who haven't been to Xinjiang. The truth is, among Xinjiang's 24 million people, over 10 million are Muslims, with 24,400 mosques and over 29,000 Islamic clergy. During our trip to Xinjiang, we visited several mosques, interacted with their clergy, and they’re open for prayers. Including many of these mosques have now been converted into museums or community centers dedicated to Islamic services.
Because Xinjiang is already a secular society. Over the past 70 years, since the establishment of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese government has invested heavily in infrastructure, industry, and education, bringing Xinjiang to a state of initial modernization. Xinjiang's younger generation chooses a lifestyle they desire, unconstrained by traditional religion or customs. They generally not go to mosques except during major holidays.
Photos: 9/6: Kashi's most famous and historic Id Kah Mosque, located in the center of the old town, was built in 1442 AD and is open for daily religious services. Tourists can pay to enter the mosque for a visit.
Photo: 9/9: The Hotan Gaman Mosque was built in 1867, the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty, under the supervision of local religious figure Niyazibek. It is one of Xinjiang's most important Islamic religious venues. The mosque is a brick and wood structure covering over 6,600 square meters (64,584 Sq. ft) and can accommodate up to 11,000 worshippers simultaneously. Staff members explain that worship services are open daily. Since the 1980s, the Chinese government has been systematically renovating the mosque.
A 23-year-old ethnic Kazakh driver, whom we randomly hired in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, is from Yining, in the northwestern tip of the region. After graduating from university last year, he and his 22-year-old ethnic Hui girlfriend, both Muslim decided to move to Urumqi to live together and work. She is an electrical engineer designing high-voltage transmission lines for a private company; they’re the contemporary generation of young people in Xinjiang.
Conclusion: There's still a long way to go:
On the other hand, as concerns about Xinjiang separatist activities supported by Europe, the United States, and Turkey persist, Xinjiang remains focused on counterterrorism. Media reports indicate that the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia in Syria currently includes approximately 6,000 Xinjiang separatist fighters and their families. With the US and Western recognition of the HTS government, local Xinjiang separatist fighters have reportedly been formalized as regular Syrian troops and incorporated into Syrian government departments.
The U$ and Western anti-Xinjiang China campaigns, along with their reported support for Xinjiang terrorists, are significant current realities and challenges for Xinjiang officials. As a result, local officials are easily concerned about the European and American tourists visiting Xinjiang. Our delegation acknowledges and understands that they want to make sure Xinjiang won’t become the next Syria.
Contrary to overseas smear campaigns against Xinjiang, the region is a major tourist destination in China. In 2024, it welcomed 302 million visitors, mainly from across China. About 5.15 million overseas visitors also came, mostly from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Thailand.
Few European and American tourists visiting China go to Xinjiang, mostly remain in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an. This is primarily due to the high cost of traveling to Xinjiang. This problem cannot be resolved quickly, and likely to result in a long-term lack of understanding of China’s Xinjiang among Westerners.
Photo: 9/7: One of the key strategies of the Chinese government is supporting the development of underdeveloped ethnic minority regions in western China through the Sister Cities program. Developed Chinese cities and regions (such as Shanghai and Beijing) provide targeted support to underdeveloped regions or cities for infrastructure, education, health, industry, agriculture, and commercial investment projects. For example, in Kashi, help from Shanghai, Guangdong, and Shandong provinces has enabled sister supporters to provide personnel, materials, and funds to the region for decades, facilitating its development. Billboards thanking them can be seen everywhere in Kashi, proclaiming, "Grateful for the kind care of the (CPC) Party Central Committee, and grateful for the selfless assistance of Shanghai, Shandong, and Guangdong." For years, the West has deliberately smeared these aid workers in Xinjiang as "Han Chinese invaders" in an effort to sow ethnic tension.
Our inspiring trip to Xinjiang was an eye-opener, offering a comprehensive and authentic view of the region. Yet our experience highlighted persistent differences in Chinese and Western thinking, values, politics, class ideology, and culture, which remain a barrier to mutual understanding. Because foreigners tend to view China through their own perspectives and values, even with good intentions, cognitive deviations and biases can occur.
Therefore, while telling China and Xinjiang's story is vital, bridging these divides is just as important and will require ongoing, sincere people-to-people dialogues.
Further Reading:
About Lee Siu Hin
Lee Siu Hin is a Chinese American immigrant rights activist born in Hong Kong, China, and from Los Angeles, California, USA. He is the founder of the China-US Solidarity Network (CUSN), the National Immigrant Solidarity Network (NISN), and Panda Aid. He is a long-term organizer in community, labor, anti-war, and immigrant rights activities, committed to grassroots struggles. He was also a long-term unpaid reporter, producer, and war correspondent for Pacifica Radio KPFK in Los Angeles, and has worked in war zones in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. He travels frequently between China and the U.S. to build the China-U.S. activist international solidarity movement. He’s also developing medical IT technology to support global south healthcare system
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