Computer screens at hundreds of internet cafes around Urumqi flickered with life but the seats in front of them were empty. With the city's connection cut in the wake of the riots, business at some establishments is down as much as 90 per cent.
Zhang Jun, who owns an internet bar on Zhongshan Road in central Urumqi, says he has been hit hard. 'Although the incident may have had an adverse impact on tourism and ... restaurants, cinemas and shopping malls, my industry felt the heat immediately. We've done almost no business since the connections were cut off.'
Mr Zhang said his cafe used to be open around the clock, earning a profit of about 50,000 yuan (HK$56,800) a month. He estimates he will suffer nearly 20,000 yuan monthly losses.
'Only about a 10th of the 160 computers are occupied,' Mr Zhang said, pointing at the parlour. 'This is 5pm on Saturday. I daresay that you would never have found a single vacant seat before.
'The revenue on Friday, the first day business resumed since closure [on July 5], was something more than 300 yuan - roughly 10 per cent of [the amount] before the clashes.'
Chen Yun, the boss of another internet cafe, said he had never witnessed such bad times.
'You know why I insist on keeping my shop open when it is losing money?' he said. 'I simply want to keep my intangible assets - regular customers - instead of giving rise to any speculation that my shop has been shut down.'