When it comes to Xinjiang, what will first come into your mind? Grapes? Hami melons? Or snow-capped mountains and deserts? Is it the Xinjiang people good at singing and dancing? Or the so-called "obligatory labor" and "genocide" by Western media?

From October 13th to 18th, I was in Kashgar, Xinjiang for interviews. In six days, I traveled thousands of kilometers and met different people here, witnessing the three kinds of people showing the most authentic Xinjiang.

The first kind of people are the locals in Kashgar, Xinjiang. At the First People's Hospital of Kashgar, local doctors are treating patients with complicated diseases in the Uighur language with the assistance of Xinjiang-supporting doctors from Guangdong; at Mingde Elementary School in Shufu County, local children are learning how to make Guangdong's Hakka paper-cutting according to their local landmark building - Kunlun Tower; at the basketball park in Xiaoyalang site in eastern Kashgar, teams from various towns participate in the local "Village Basketball Association" competition every night, and one little girl player wearing a Uighur headscarf caught my attention. In Xinjiang, these scenes do not feel out of place at all. Located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe for thousands of years, Xinjiang embraces the cultures of various ethnic groups blending and thriving here. As a result, it is common to hear different ethnic languages in Xinjiang.

The second group are the workers in Xinjiang. At the Dongguan Industrial Investment Holding Group's Xinjiang-supporting project in Tumushuke City, 28-year-old Azeguli, 31-year-old Yimingjiang, and 33-year-old Ayiguli are all veteran employees who have grown with the company. Their skills and income levels have gradually improved over the years, and they have all purchased private cars as a symbol of improved livelihood. What's more, among those who have bought cars is 26-year-old Maimiti Aili, who works at Kashgar Jiangguoguo Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. Not only does he earn a monthly income of over 20,000 yuan, but he also became a shareholder of the company in March 2021. In recent years, the development of local industries in Xinjiang has been rapid, and more local people have found employment opportunities and improved their working skills locally. Young people like Maimiti Aili have gained more opportunities for local employment.

The last group of people are tourists from all over the country who come to Xinjiang. In the first eight months of this year, Kashgar in Xinjiang received a total of 26.2264 million tourists, achieving a domestic tourism revenue of 21.7222 billion yuan, with year-on-year growth rates of 83.86% and 97.09%, respectively. When I entered the Ancient City of Kashgar, I saw tourists from all over the country. They were waiting to taste the local food of southern Xinjiang at stalls selling pomegranates, mutton skewers, and Uygur flatbread. After nightfall, people gathered on the open-air seats of the street for a feast at night, and some even danced impromptu to the singing of the resident singers. And at the Caibeile supermarket, just a few hundred meters away from the Ancient City of Kashgar, many tourists who came here were buying local specialities. They queued up to have their purchases packaged and mailed. Boxes of local specialities flew from Xinjiang to all parts of the country. In Xinjiang, one of the most remote regions in China, people can also enjoy the convenience of online shopping.

Among these three kinds of people, what I found the most frequently is the smile of happiness on their faces.

Why not visit Xinjiang in person to know this place instead of just hearing the news reported by some Western media? I look forward to seeing more people coming to Xinjiang, personally knowing and experiencing this place.

提到新疆，你首先想到的是什么？是葡萄？哈密瓜？还是雪山和沙漠？是能歌善舞的新疆人？还是西方媒体所谓的“强制劳动”“种族灭绝”？

10月13日-18日，我在新疆喀什采访，6天时间里我行走上千公里，见到了形形色色的人，看到三张最真实的新疆面孔。

第一张面孔是新疆喀什的当地人。在喀什地区第一人民医院，当地医生在广东援疆医生帮教下，用维吾尔语为患者治疗疑难杂症；在疏附县明德小学，当地孩子学习来自广东的客家剪纸的技巧，剪出的作品是当地的地标建筑——昆仑塔；在喀什市东城小亚郎的篮球公园，来自各乡镇的队伍每晚参与本土“村BA”赛事，其中一个带着维吾尔族头巾的小女孩引起我的注意。在新疆，这些场景丝毫没有“违和感”。新疆处在亚欧大陆的十字路口，几千年来，各民族的文化在这里交融共生，繁荣发展，各民族语言兼用在新疆是一件非常普遍的事情。

第二张面孔是新疆的“打工人”。在位于图木舒克市的东实集团援疆项目，28岁的阿则古丽、31岁的依明江和33岁的阿依古丽都是随企业一同成长的“老员工”，他们的技能与收入水平在几年间逐步提升，他们都购置了私家车。同样购入了私家车的，还有就职于喀什疆果果农业科技有限公司的26岁小伙麦麦提艾力。他不仅月收入达2万以上，还在2021年3月成为了公司股东。近年来，新疆本土产业发展迅速，更多当地人就地就近就业并实现技能提升。像麦麦提艾力这样年轻人得到更多在当地就业的机会。

第三张面孔是全国各地到新疆的游人。今年前8个月，新疆喀什地区共接待游客2622.64万人次，实现国内旅游收入217.22亿元，同比分别增长83.86%和97.09%。走进喀什古城，我看到来自全国各地的游客。他们在红石榴、羊肉串、新疆馕等摊位前，等着尝鲜南疆风味；入夜后，人们相聚在宵夜街的露天座椅，伴着驻唱歌手的歌声即兴起舞。而在距离古城几百米的彩贝乐超市，多的是慕名而来选购特产的游客，正排队打包邮寄，一箱箱特产从新疆出发飞往全国各地。在新疆，中国最边缘的地区之一，也能享受到网购的便利。

在这三张面孔上，我看到的最多的都是幸福的笑容。

百闻不如一见，我期待更多人来到新疆，亲自走一走，看一看，认识一个真实的新疆。

统筹丨蒋铮
策划丨赵鹏
文案丨古司祺 赵鹏
配音丨古司祺
摄影丨钟振彬
剪辑丨黎杰文
责编 | 王楠
校对 | 张家梁