Reporter's notebook: A tour of Urumqi and Ili in Xinjiang

3. Under massive construction

You find construction almost everywhere in Xinjiang. Roads are repaired, high-rises are going up, cranes and trucks roaring in mountains. These photos show an immense coal-to-SNG project under construction in Ili, Xinjiang, and the gas can reach families in East China via the west-east natural gas transmission project.

4. Cyclists pose for photos under a pavilion near the Eight Diagrams village in Tekes county, Ili, Xinjiang, Aug 7, 2011. The cyclists traveled 200 kilometers in two days. Near the pavilion named He He, which means “peace and unity” in Chinese, stands a huge poster, and the red Chinese characters on it read, “To create the best tourism environment and build a safe and harmonious Tekes.” The cyclists told me that they are worried that the beautiful environment in Ili may be polluted as local government emphasizes economic development.