Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is the largest administrative body in China. It owns a staggering 1,600,000km2 of terrain, one sixth of China’s land area. It is home to some 26 million people of different ethnic background, mostly of Uygur, Han, Uzbek, Kirgiz, Kazak and Mongol origins. Its multi ethnic feature makes Xinjiang a melting pot of different cultures, faith and traditions. Historically, Xinjiang served as a vital link on the ancient Silk Road. Cities in Xinjiang are as diversified as its demographics. It has cities like Urumqi which is like any other Chinese cities that are well developed with modernized infrastructures; it also has cities like Kashgar which hold much of its Islamic styled architecture and way of life, a place where many Chinese feel foreign and exotic. Superlatives are often used when describing Xinjiang: the driest province; the hottest and the coldest places in China; the longest inland river; the lowest point in China; the largest inland lake and the largest desert in China. Its vastness offers a range of diversified landscapes from scorching desert to snow caped alpine mountain, from dry basin to wet oasis, from barren sand dunes to idyllic grassland.