Business leads to friendship in Xinjiang bazaar

Shopkeepers at the International Grand Bazaar in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, shared their experiences in running businesses during a news conference on Tuesday at the popular tourist site.

Nurgul Musrehun, owner of a shop that sells nuts, herbal medicines, Uygur-styled accessories and silk scarfs, said she has been able to earn 3,000 yuan ($461) per day during peak tourist season.

Because her shop is located at a must-visit tourist destination in Urumqi, she is able to meet customers from across the country, she said. And some of them have become her friends.

Nine years ago, a Shanghai native named Zong Zhipeng came to her shop during a tour of Xinjiang to buy nuts as souvenirs. Nurgul gave him a bracelet as a gift.

Several months later when Zong return to Urumqi during a business trip, he brought Nurgul's family some specialties from Shanghai.

Not long afterward, when he got to know that Nurgul's daughter would be taking an exam in Shanghai, he proposed that he could help arrange to accommodate her in Shanghai.

"As my daughter and I arrived at the airport in Shanghai, he came to pick us up and took us to sample local delicacies. We still keep in touch and often send gifts to each other," Nurgul said. She added that the tourism boom in Xinjiang has fueled her business and enabled her to make friends from other places.

Abdurim Abdureheman, who opened a restaurant selling grilled fish at the International Grand Bazaar, used to sell the food at a night market in Moyu county, Hotan prefecture. He said his business became more prosperous after he moved the restaurant from Moyu to Urumqi.

"The large number of visitors here ensures us a stable income," he said.

The International Grand Bazaar, a landmark in Urumqi, has received more than 50,000 visitors per day, on average, since it opened to the public in 2018, according to Husanjan Yusup, director of the management committee of the tourist site.