In winter, strolling through the alleys of Tuan Cheng in Hotan City, you are surrounded by uniquely distinctive buildings that seem to transport you back in time.
12Month12On this day, reporters at the entrance of Tuan Cheng saw a food and beverage store named Milang Cuisine just opening. Outside, the cheerful sounds of suona horns and vigorous drumbeats attracted visitors to stop and watch.Tuan Cheng is the old town area of Hotan City. In the 1970s and 1980s, it was known as Pigeon Alley, where people traded pigeons and other agricultural and sideline products, and market days were especially lively. Due to its age, some buildings had become dilapidated, and the narrow alleys were not conducive to passage. In recent years, Hotan City has carried out shantytown redevelopment on Tuan Cheng, transforming the once “dirty, messy, and poor” Pigeon Alley into a tourist attraction.
Gao Yuxia, a guide at the Tuan Cheng Command Office of Hotan City, said that Tuan Cheng covers a planned area of83.7hectares. Renovation began in2016, with the first phase upgrading2016households in97, and the second phase upgrading994households. The main construction work will be fully completed before the end of this year. Currently, many residents are carrying out interior and exterior renovations on their homes, and those progressing faster have already started operating restaurants, handicrafts, and ethnic musical instruments on the ground floor.
Subi·Maipahong’s family lives in Tuan Cheng. Their original home had deteriorated over time, and the government subsidized funds to renovate this
area. In10this year, Subi opened a restaurant. “After the renovation of the old house, we
invested some money in interior decoration. Business is quite good—we usually make three to four thousand yuan in daily revenue, and on weekends it can reach eight to nine thousand yuan,” said Subi.
Business is quite good—we usually make three to four thousand yuan in daily revenue, and on weekends it can reach eight to nine thousand yuan,” said Subi.
According to Gao Yuxia, Tuan Cheng began trial operations in2018year,6month, with about1.2million visitors each month. After the renovation, the original residents of Tuan Cheng now live on the second and third floors, while the first floor is used for shops. There are currently more than300operational shops. After10month,1day this year, light strips and spotlights were installed on the outer corridors of Tuan Cheng. Visitors can now come during the day and also enjoy the dazzling night view in the evening.
““Every time I visit a place, I go to see its ancient streets. An old street reflects the history, culture, and local customs of a city. The renovation of Tuan Cheng preserves the original style. I came here specially today and spent half a day exploring. I think it’s great—the architecture is very unique. I just bought an Atlas silk scarf from a shop,” said Gong Yumei, a tourist from Beijing, as she unfurled the newly purchased scarf to show the reporter.
Reporters learned from the Tuan Cheng Command Office of Hotan City that the Tuan Cheng renovation adopts a model of “unified management, self-construction and joint construction, and multi-party participation,” and actively explores the funding approach of “Xinjiang aid funds+local government investment+resident self-raised funds.”