After seeing Western media report about cultural suppression of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, the above article gives a different side of the story. Personally, not having been to Xinjiang in the recent past, I cannot say I know what is true and what is false, so I leave it to readers to form your own opinions about how much in the article linked above is true.
What I do know is that, 25 years ago, I have traveled to Xinjiang, and visited Urumqi. The vast area of Xinjiang was mostly quiet, but even then, cities like Turpan and Urumqi were bustling with life already. Well, not like Shanghai today, of course, but there was electricity, piped water, and enough vehicles on the roads. I was a tourist back then; I think it was when China was trying to open up the Silk Road for tourism. We just happened to be quick in jumping onto this tourist trend (before things got expensive). Looking back, this served as an example to me that the Chinese government was serious about bringing economic development to Xinjiang, and one of the fastest ways back then to bring money to Xinjiang was through tourist spending. So it is not hard for me to believe that the Chinese government is actually trying to help better the lives of the people in Xinjiang (which includes the Uighurs).
During this trip, we also visited nomads living in the area. This was part of the "tourist attraction" back then, and helped to bring some cash to these people who otherwise would have to give up their ways of life to work in cities. So today, it is a bit hard for me to believe that the Chinese government would be carrying out cultural suppression, since it was the one that tried to use that culture to help the nomads etch a living while preserving as much as possible their ways of life.
But these are minor examples. I think the bigger issue is that, in every report we read, every article, it is difficult for us to discern what is true and what is not. We rarely have the means to collect all that information by ourselves, and thus we rely on the reports by others. Yet, everyone has his or her own agenda, and that agenda is reflected in their reports. We all express things filtered through our own experiences, knowledge, and desires. What we get from others is no exception.
It is therefore extremely important to read everything with the right frame. Beyond the explicit contents in a report, we need to understand what is the motivation behind the report, the agenda of the person who created the report, and any bias that may arise from background/affiliation. Critical thinking starts with critical reading/viewing/listening. It is only when we are able to understand the implicit together with the explicit will we be able to properly digest the information presented in a report. That, or flying off to Urumqi to see those supposed concentration camps for ourselves.
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