The most beautiful scenery in a journey is not the mountains and waters, but that familiar and warm smile.

Text and photos by Huang Shiyuan

Travel is sometimes not about visiting famous landmarks, but about stepping away from the busyness of life; travel is sometimes not about beautiful scenery, but about experiencing different cultures; and sometimes you’ll find that the most beautiful sight isn’t mountains or rivers, but a stranger’s face returning your familiar and heartwarming smile.

The Uyghurs of southern Xinjiang have striking facial features—not only are the men handsome and the women beautiful, even the children are incredibly cute. This girl’s sunny smile made me unable to resist taking her photo.


“Bazaar” means market in the Uyghur language. At the traditional grand bazaar in Kuqa County, Xinjiang, you can find everything from food and clothes to daily necessities—even getting a shave before heading home.


This item, shaped like a steamed cake and resembling bread, is actually not edible. It’s a traditional Uyghur earth soap, handmade using sheep tail fat. It’s not only highly effective at removing dirt but also gentle on the skin.

In Xinjiang, you’ll see various round flatbreads that look like pizzas but have no toppings. These are everyday foods for the Uyghur people, called “? bread.” They are baked by sticking the dough onto the walls of a “? pit,” somewhat similar to Taiwan’s pepper buns—but without filling, and much larger in size. As shown in the photo, they can be bigger than a washbasin.

This elderly Uyghur man was herding over ten sheep to graze by the roadside. Time has left beautiful marks on his face. Though we didn’t speak the same language, he was like a kind grandfather, standing still while we took his picture. When he saw his photo on the LCD screen, he broke into a big, hearty laugh.

In recent years, Xinjiang has been actively developing industry and building cities, and the urban scenery now resembles that of Taipei’s streets, with cars bustling along the roads. However, in the old towns and smaller villages, you can still spot donkey carts. In a town at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, the poplar trees remain lush green even in winter. An elderly Uyghur man rode past on a donkey cart from afar, and the scene felt like a painting.