Overlanding to India Episode 19: Kashgar 

It's a cultural thing. The Chinese standards of what is called a "renovation" are different to the standards applied almost everywhere else in the world. I have seen the very same thing also in the inside the city walls of the city of Datong on one of my earlier travels. And on other places in China. In case of the Kashgar between 2008 and 2012 most old buildings have been demolished and rebuilt with modern materials like concrete, so at first glance they appear similar to the old ones. The only thing "original" to make it look old are some wooden doors and small details from before the demolition. And obviously the general layout of the streets. In other countries the goal is to keep as much of the original materials as possible. That means the original stones, wooden construction, roofing, cobblestones on the streets etc. Agreed - maybe there are some higher safety hazards that come with these old materials. And it is normally more expensive compared to what I have seen in China. But it preserves what our ancestors have built. The difference is best seen on the city walls and the tourist gate of Kashgar. Originally these would have been built with mud and brick walls, similar to the walls in other Central Asian cities on the Silk Road like Khiva and Buchara. Now they are made of concrete, covered with a brown colored layer of cement. So yes, it has some elements of the original city, but is nowhere near to what I would call "original". When you visit the 17th century Afaq Khoja Mausoleum in Kashgar the difference is obvious. Now that is a wonderfull preserved historical site. Actually these buildings looks even more original then some of similar buildings along the Silk Road. The only thing there is that there is some kind of park built around it, which is very different to the historical surroundings. So to finish - being an engineer I understand what you are saying, but as an amateur Historian I don't agree with it.

@@rt159ts Well said, thank you!

@@rt159ts I work and live in Singapore, a tiny island city state, which has made great efforts to preserve historical buildings as old as a hundred years old. (1) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8Mek5dYrW_0.html (2) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d-ZlNezjTlE.html (3) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IBMjL8rJcNI.html (4) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7ywEb9lX3Fo.html

Maybe by mistake. See episode 20 for more Chinese vehicles.