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Ancient city of Kashgar still a shopping haven

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Turgunjan makes his living in a centuries-old tradition of his people, the Uygur ethnic group, by selling razor-sharp knives with decorative handles in the main bazaar in Kashgar city.

'In the cities some people carry knives, some people don't. In the countryside everyone carries knives, especially in the summer - for watermelon, for meat. But not for people,' he said with a laugh.

At his stand, two Uygur youths spent several minutes looking over several knives before choosing a matching pair with handles made of animal horn. Tucking the sheaths into their belts, they sauntered away.

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Traditionally, the best knives come from Yengisar, just south of Kashgar, and the stall displays several examples - with prices of more than 1,000 yuan (HK$1,133) for one as long as a machete.

In a nod to modernity, some of the knives have features such as a small pen light.

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Turgunjan also has a website to sell goods over the internet. Many customers are foreign tourists who descend on the market to bargain furiously with masters of the game before getting back onto their air-conditioned buses for the next attraction. 'They usually don't have time to talk,' said Turgunjan, who learned English at night school to communicate with tourists.

The bazaar, or 'Sunday Market' as it is called, has grown considerably in the past 10 years, but five years ago the operators assigned merchants for certain types of goods to designated areas, making it much more organised.

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