China Western
Carlos Spottorno

“China Western” is a reflection on the current political situation of mixing and ambivalence in the province of Xinjiang in the far west of China. Xinjiang is rich in oil and gas, and since it is on the route taken by Chinese oil tanks to Kazakhstan, it is strategically important. The indigenous Uighurs, a Muslim people of Turkic origin who are in danger of losing their culture, demand independence for what they are calling eastern Turkestan. They live alongside workers of the Han Chinese majority, who have come to work and to bring progress and education.

Year of production: 2006-2008