Ürümqi_

At the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, Ürümqi buzzes with Uyghur bazaars overflowing with lamb kebabs and silks, juxtaposed against Han Chinese skyscrapers in this Silk Road crossroads. Nomads appreciate the growing cafe scene with solid Wi-Fi and flights to Beijing, though the starkly cold winters demand indoor co-working havens. Endless street food and camel milk tea add flavor to long workdays.

Ürümqi is the capital and largest city of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in Northwestern China. Matsui notes that during the Tang dynasty, there was a garrison called Baishuizhen (白水鎮; 'White Water Garrison') along the route from Turpan toward the area of present-day Ürümqi. As further evidence supporting this hypothesis, Matsui points to Old Uyghur documents from the 14th century in which the toponym "Yürüng-chin" is attested. History Early period During prehistory, the site of the future Ürümqi was occupied by a nomadic people known in Chinese accounts as the Jushi, who lived mainly on the northern slopes of the surrounding Tianshan Mountains. The oldest known settlement, a town called Urabo, was located about 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the southern suburbs of the present-day Ürümqi.