Olympic Flame Ghosts Through Xinjiang

The Olympic torch is continuing it’s path to back to Beijing via every province in China, and the most recent legs have been passing through the country’s largest province, Xinjiang. However the atmosphere of the relay appears to have been unusually quiet, as many local people have been told to stay away. There has been little coverage of this section of the torch’s journey, but James Reynolds has blogged about it’s passage in Urumqi and Kashgar.

Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region is a hugely interesting but little known part of China. You can compare the position of the local Uighur’s to their southern neighbours, the Tibetans. An ethnic minority with strong religious ties and some history of separatist sentiment, both have been at the receiving end of strong handed treatment from the Chinese government. The Muslim Uighur people and the Xinjiang deserts have not caught the international attention that the Tibetan cause has, but for good coverage of the situation there try Simon Elegant’s writing for TIME’s China blog:

The Other ‘Tibet’ – 16th April

In China’s Wild West – 17th April

The High Cost of Control – 3rd April

In order to prevent any more embarrassing protests the government has strictly controlled movement within the cities of Xinjiang that the torch has visited. As James Reynolds explains:

“The authorities here didn’t want reporters wandering away off on their own during the relay [in Kashgar]. So, just after dawn, we were all driven to the square outside the Idkah mosque for the start of the relay (to help identify us, local officials gave each of us two red stickers and politely told us to put one on our chests and one on our backs).”

Foreign journalists were not the only ones with access to see the torch limited:

“most – if not all – shops and businesses were shuttered. There were no cars on the road. Local people had been told to stay indoors.”

The Chinese authorities have managed their PR related to Xinjiang well – they have avoided much coverage of Uighur protests, and have been able to portray the Uighurs as Islamic terrorists rather than a supressed minority. Events like this torch relay do seem to undermine the positive impact that the Olympics are meant to bring, it’s certainly not evident that the 2008 Games will help the case of the Uighurs.

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London Olympic torch relay – In pictures

What a busy day it has been in London; the Olympic torch ran the gauntlet of the city streets as has the Beijing Olympics Blog.

For full coverage of the protests the BBC has been the most up-to-date and comprehensive news source today. The photos below show some of the stories of the day from the streets.

Torch Relay – Celebrations

Although in most parts of London anti-Beijing protesters managed to overshadow the torch relay, in Chinatown the atmosphere was much more one of celebration. The local Chinese community were certainly happy to welcome the Olympic flame, and the entertainment was also excellent! See these celebrations in full video too.

Torch Relay – Chinatown flags

A solitary woman with a Tibetan flag was the only sign of protest against the Olympics in Chinatown. Her presence was understandably treated somewhat hostilely, and flag bearers from London Chinatown Chinese Association attempted to hide her flag with their own; an interesting metaphor, perhaps?

Torch Relay – Local support

The atmosphere in Chinatown was good, as the cold weather failed to suppress high spirits. Local businesses, including the Everwell Chinese medicine shop, were out to show their support for Beijing.

Torch Relay – High security

The heavy security surrounding the torch relay did impair the experience for spectators, as the passing torch could barely be seen behind the ranks of police. The Chinese ambassador was apparently bearing the torch for the Chinatown leg, but you would never have known.

Torch Relay – Face-off

As ‘pro-Tibet’ protesters and ‘pro-China’ protesters converged in Whitehall, from the directions of Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square respectively, there was a face off between the groups on opposite sides of the road. From one side came the Chinese national anthem and chants of ‘China, China’ while the other side chanted ‘Free Tibet’ and ‘Shame on China’.

Torch Relay – Debate

As ‘pro-Tibet’ and ‘pro-China’ protesters mingled in Whitehall some engaged in debate, arguing their respective causes. This is the kind of exchange that should be happening much more, and that unfortunately seems so difficult within China. Bob would like to congratulate both men pictured for engaging in dialogue.

Torch Relay – Chinese supporters

The media coverage has been dominated by the presence of pro-Tibetan protesters and others with grievances with the Chinese authorities, but the presence of large numbers of supporters of the Beijing Olympics was also striking.

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Historic Olympic Torch Relay Beings

Tiananmen Square has seen many historically important events in it’s time, and will no doubt see many more. Today as Tiananmen was the site of Beijing’s official welcome to the Olympic torch and the beginning of the torch’s relay around the world, another colourful panel to this rich tapestry was woven. How important this will be in the long run, the following months will tell.

Watch it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/video/2008/mar/31/olympics

Such is the anticipation of the Olympics, both in China and abroad, that when China’s Vice President Xi Jinping stated that a century of expectations were being met, it didn’t feel like an exaggeration.

Never one to do things on a small scale (think Great Wall, Shanghai World Financial Centre, Three Gorges Dam, Maglev) the Beijing Olympic torch relay will be the longest ever. Vital statistics: 130 days, 19 countries, 21 cities, 5 continents, and 85,000 miles (the official estimate for the number of protests expected en-route has not been publish). Not only this, but there will in fact be a second Olympic flame, one which will clime the heights of Mount Everest – a typically pragmatic solution from the Chinese authorities (if only we could all be in two places at once, one of us could complete official duties while the other scaled the peaks of the Himalayas).

The torch will be in London on Sunday (6th April) and BOB intends to be there to oversee proceedings.

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