Fresh appeal

Four years of renovations turn old lane in Xinjiang into tourist attraction

URUMQI — Gezixiang, meaning “Dove Lane”, located in the old town of Tuancheng in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was once a place where people traded birds.

After four years of renovations, the lane has been turned into a tourist attraction lined with family inns and stores selling signature products.

With an investment of 317 million yuan ($44.8 million), the renovation project is still in progress with the aim of building it into a precinct that attracts tourists with its distinctive characteristics and culture.

PHOTOS BY SADAT / XINHUA From left: A shop owner (left) tidies up goods in his store in Gezixiang, or “Dove Lane”, in the old town of Tuancheng in Hotan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, on May 27. Women stroll along Dove Lane on May 26. A store owner in Dove Lane displays an antique in his shop on May 27.

A waitress at a restaurant in the lane.

From left: Two locals play chess in the lane. Two residents talk to each other across the lane from the windows of their houses.

A senior walks along the lane.

Above: Children play in Dove Lane. Left: Doves are easily seen in the lane.