Urumqi Shopping

Urumqi is a great place to pick up interesting crafts like ethnic clothing, embroidery, jewelry, jade carvings, Kashgar carpets, exotic knives, woodcrafts and ethnic musical instruments. They are all handmade and many can be found at very cheap prices, making Urumqi a fun place to shop for something special. Xinjiang is also famous for its fruit, including grapes, Hami melons, almonds, pomegranates, figs, peaches, apples and much more.

Hetian Jade
Hetian Jade is produced mainly in the Hetian region in Xinjiang, over 5,000 meters above sea level. The jade can be classified into white (the most precious), green, blue, yellow and black.

Musical Instruments
There are numerous types of Uighur musical instruments. The most popular and common ones are:

Danbur: This uniquely resonant instrument is both used alone or to provide accompaniment for folk dancing together with the rewapu and hand drums at celebrations.

Dutar: This is the only hand-strummed stringed instrument commonly used by the Uighur people. It is both played alone or with hand drums as accompaniment for dancing.

Rewapu: This stringed instrument is a favorite instrument of the Uighur, Tagik and Uzbek ethnic groups. The rewapu is played with a pick much like a guitar, except the pick is chip of cow horn or bamboo.

Dapu: This is the typical hand drum used by the Uighur people for both solo performances and for accompanying other instruments. It generally provides rhythm for dancing.

Nagela: This large drum, played with wooden drumsticks, is mainly used during great festivals and wedding ceremonies and is typically accompanied by the suona (a Chinese wind instrument).

Wool-dyed Cloth
Wood-dyed cloth is a traditional handicraft of the Uighur people and is mainly used for tapestries, tablecloths, cushions and curtains. It is both beautiful and practical for a very reasonable price. This kind of cloth is dyed with a carved wood printing plate upon which pigments are applied. Colors include red, pink, green, yellow, etc. The designs typically involve flowers, fruits, plants and everyday household items.

Silk
Silk is famous throughout Xinjiang and China for its contrasting bright colors, mainly green, blue, yellow, purple, gold, black and white. The patterns largely take abstract forms. While traditionally silk is used in clothing, many tourists buy a few pieces to decorate their homes.

Hats
The Muslim Uighur people are famous in China for their caps and hats (known in Chinese as huamao and in Uighur as duoba). The caps are made with great attention to design and detail. Their special characteristics include intricate embroidery, silver edging and detailing, all done by hand. They are not only practical, but also good presents. These Uighur hats can be found throughout Xinjiang especially in the markets.

The Erdaoqiao Market, the largest Uighur bazaar in Urumqi is located along Jiefang Nan Lu. Here, you'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and more. This is a heavily populated Uighur area and many of the city's major mosques are in the Jiefang Nan Lu district.