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The Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

On July 27th, 2021, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region held a press conference in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Seven representatives of ethnic minorities working and doing business in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar were invited to tell their stories of daring to innovate, being honest, seizing business opportunities and living a happy life through hard work.

Hostess: Dear media reporters, good morning! Welcome to the press conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. I am Mubarak Mugetti, the hostess of this press conference.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows the Hostess Mubarak Mugetti speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

The people's well-being is the greatest human right. To make the people live a good life is the starting point and foothold of all the work of the Communist Party of China. The Party Central Committee has always attached great importance to the work of Xinjiang, paid great attention to the economic and social development of Xinjiang, cared about the lives of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and formulated a series of special policies to support the economic and social development of Xinjiang. Today, Xinjiang has won social stability, high-quality economic development. People of all ethnic groups live and work in peace and contentment, enjoying unprecedented rights and dignity.

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, located in Tianshan District, Urumqi, is a microcosm of Xinjiang's economic and social development, which attracts thousands of businessmen and shoppers. It’s also known as the "window of Xinjiang". Today, we moved the site of the press conference here to show you the real situation in Xinjiang.

Now, let’s watch a short video and get to know Xinjiang International Bazaar together.

Hostess: There are 13 ethnic minorities working and doing business in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. They dare to innovate, with good honesty. They are also good at seizing business opportunities. They live a happy life through hard work. Today, seven of them, with their own personal experience, want to refute and expose the unwarranted attacks and deliberate slander against Xinjiang by the United States and other Western countries. They are: Suraiman Memettimin, the owner of a bronze-ware shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Nurguli Musrehong, the owner of a dried fruit shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar . Abdullimu Abdulrehman , the owner of a grilled fish restaurant in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Nihamatijan Rehemudura, the owner of a hand drum painting shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Yibrayimu Yismayili, the boss of Yanshan cold drink shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Rena Aini, the ambassador for cultural tourism promotion of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, and Yusanjiang Yusufu, the director of the Management Committee of Grand Bazaar area, Tianshan District, Urumqi.

First of all, let's invite Suraiman Memettimin, the owner of the bronze-ware shop, to tell his story.

Suraiman Memettimin: Hello everyone! My name is Suraiman Memettimin, and I’m now running three bronze-ware shops in the 6th pedestrian street of the Grand Bazaar. In the daily life of Uygur, we prefer to use bronze wares such as the pot used for holding water, the pot used for frying foods, and the plate used for holding rice. All of the bronze wares are hand-made crafts.

What makes me happy is that Kashgar Uygur bronze ware making technology has been identified as a representative project of national intangible cultural heritage and has been effectively protected and inherited. My uncle is a craftsman of bronze ware. He has been making bronze ware with his back bowing in front of his door ever since the day that I started to remember things. I often sat on a small bench and watched it all day. I also have learned some skills from my uncle for several years because of my interest in it, and I know a good many styles and methods of making many bronze wares.

In 1996, I came to Urumqi from Kashgar to sell handicrafts in Erdaoqiao Market. Since I had learned how to make bronze wares, I later started the business of making bronze crafts. My business in Urumqi was getting better and better and I was also lucky to get to know my brother Zhang Xingjian and his family.

When I first came to Urumqi, my stall was next to brother Zhang's dried fruit stall. Seeing that I didn't speak Mandarin well, he took the initiative to teach me and help me translate. He saw that I didn't have any business experience and taught me how to greet guests. The market was cold in winter and we needed to set up our own stove. When learning that brother Zhang could not make a fire, I would help him set up the stove first. As time flew by, our tie got closer. In 2017, brother Zhang opened a shop in the Grand Bazaar. Once, when we had a dinner, brother Zhang told me that there are more and more tourists in the Grand Bazaar. You might consider opening a shop here, then your business would be better.

I soon chose a shop with a good location in the Grand Bazaar, but I was in short of 50,000 yuan when I was about to pay the rent. Brother Zhang lent me the money without hesitation. We were neighbors, but more like relatives. In the Spring Festival, Roza Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Corban Festival, our families would get together for dinner, and our children had grown up together like brothers. We have our family photos in our shops. When some tourists asked me who it is, I would tell them the story about brother Zhang and I from neighbors to relatives.

After opening the shop, the community often invited professionals to carry out free training for us, which helped me improve the overall image of the shop, exercise my communication skills, thus I could win many regular customers. Now, with the help of the community, I have opened two other shops, one of which is more than 90 square meters along the street. In order to meet the needs of more tourists, our purchase channels have also expanded from Kashgar to Zhejiang, even Pakistan and Iran.

Now, I’ll show you the goods in my shops

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Suraiman Memettimin shows goods at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

There are palm sized bronze mirrors and exquisite bronze bottles that are big enough to be taller than people. There are also Kashgar craftsmen's traditional bronze ware and painted bronze ware with pure plant pigment. The variety of goods in my shop is becoming more and more rich, and the business is becoming more and more prosperous. I earn thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan a day. My pocket is bulging, and I am more confident.

The good situation of social stability, economic prosperity and people living and working in peace and contentment in my hometown is obvious to all. Each of us in Xinjiang has felt it in person. We cherish the beautiful life now. We also hope that friends from all over the world will come to my beautiful hometown to see what Xinjiang is really like. Now please watch a short video that I have brought.

Hostess: Thanks Suraiman Memettimin for sharing. Uygur traditional handicrafts have a long history in Xinjiang and there have been countless skilled craftsmen making them. They handed down their exquisite handicrafts from generation to generation in the long river of history. Today, with the support of government, favorable policies and outstanding craftsmen, these old crafts have brought new benefits, and they have created great wealth and become a big lever to enable merchants and craftsmen to get rich. Now, let's invite Ms. Nurguli Musrehong, the owner of a dried fruit shop, to tell her story.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Nurguli Musrehong speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Nurguli Musrehong: Hello everyone! My name is Nurguli Musrehong and I have been running the business in the Grand Bazaar for 15 years!

At the beginning, we sold dried fruits in the Grand Bazaar. There are many stores selling dried fruits here. So, in order to attract more tourists to my shop, we carefully selected the dried fruits that I thought were the most tasty every time we purchased them. With the increase of the population of tourists, there is more demand from the customers. The sales of shawls, medicinal materials and jewelry has been continuously increasing. With more varieties of business, the income naturally increases. In the peak tourist season, the average daily income is about 3,000 yuan.

Through doing business, I also made friends all over the country. Among them, the most unforgettable is a friend from Shanghai. His name is Zong Zhipeng. About 9 years ago, he came to Xinjiang for a trip and he bought a lot of dried fruits in my shop. I gave him a bracelet, and my husband took him to the taxi with those dried fruits he bought. A few months later, he came to Xinjiang on business trip and brought me Shanghai's specialties. When I learned that he worked in Shanghai, I was very happy because I was ready to take my daughter to Shanghai for an exam. When he learned that I was going to Shanghai, he said, "Don't worry, I'll arrange everything for you to take the plane and the hotel". Sure enough, when I got off the plane, he came to the airport to pick me up, He arranged a hotel near the school for us, and he also took us to play around and tried on all kinds of snacks. The arrangement was very considerate. Now we often contact each other and send gifts to each other.

Another customer in Jiangxi sent me black tea when he learned that we like drinking black tea. I will also send him dried fruits during the new year and festival. There are many such friends... Thanks to the government for providing us with such a good platform to make friends all over the country, and our business is getting better and better.

Now I not only sell things in the shop, but also do business on WeChat which is going quite well. The living standard of our family has also improved a lot. I not only moved to a big house, but also bought a car. Recently, our family has had a lot of happy events. The first happy event is that my son has graduated as a post-graduate student and he also successfully passed the civil service examination; The second happy event is: my daughter, who’s now studying in Beijing Dance Academy, was lucky to participate in the large-scale literary and artistic performance for the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China. My daughter is very happy and we are also proud; The third happy event is that the community informed my husband that flexible employees can enjoy social security subsidies, with a subsidy of 20,000 yuan in three years. The happy events are just coming one after another.

How lucky it is to be born and raised in China! I love my great homeland and my beautiful hometown!

Xinjiang is a good place for everyone to live and work in peace and contentment. Our people of all ethnic groups are united as a family, respecting and loving each other. We are good at singing and dancing and hospitable. We sincerely welcome friends from all over the world to visit Xinjiang and see the real Xinjiang! Now please watch a short video about me.

Hostess: Thanks Nurguli Musrehong for sharing. By opening a shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, they have become good friends with customers from all over the world, and earth-shaking changes have taken place in the life of Nurguli Musrehong’s family. There are many merchants like her in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Next, let's invite Abdullimu Abdulrehman, the owner of a grilled fish restaurant, to tell his story.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Abdullimu Abdulrehman speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Abdullimu Abdulrehman: Hello everyone! My name is Abdullimu Abdulrehman, the owner of a grilled fish restaurant.

Today, I want to tell you the story of how I moved my grilled fish restaurant from Moyu County, Hotan Prefecture to Urumqi. Since my master is from Bachu County, my restaurant is called as "Bachu Grilled Fish Restaurant". My wife and I have a daughter and a son. We used to live in Moyu county. My wife and I sold roast fish in the night market of Moyu county. Our daily income was meager. In August 2016, my wife and I came to Urumqi because my brother said that there were many people in Urumqi and it was an ideal place to run business.

At the beginning, we set up a snack stand in Erdaoqiao, Urumqi. At that time, Erdaoqiao was not like today. It was still an old market. There were not so many people. The people who came to eat fish were the people living nearby. So, the business was not very good. We sold about 10 fish every day and didn't make much money. I was a little discouraged and wanted to go back to Moyu county. My wife encouraged me not to give up.

Later, the condition in the Grand Bazaar became better and better. There were more tourists, and my business began to get better. I still remember that on August 15th, 2018, I ordered 50 fish, but they were all sold out in less than 2 hours. I quickly ordered another 50 fish. On national day in 2018 , I earned 45, 000 yuan a day. It was the best day for our business since we came to Urumqi. It was so great!

My grilled fish are delicious. They are the freshest cold water fish transported from Altay. They are roasted with fruit trees. The seasoning is a folk secret recipe handed down 100 years ago. The fish do not need to be pickled in advance. Tourists could taste the most authentic flavor in Xinjiang. Many people who come here to eat fish are regular customers, including people from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places, as well as foreign friends. Some tourists even pack the fish and bring them back to their families after they finished eating. They think it is very interesting to see me grilling those fish. They take pictures and make a video of me, and then they send those things on TikTok. I also became the "cyber celebrity" from the Grand Bazaar.

Some tourists are particularly desirous of learning my fish grilling skills. There is a tourist Lao Liu from Beijing. He saw my video grilling fish on the Internet and came to my restaurant to have a taste. After eating, he decided to stay and learn the fish grilling skill from me. He said that he wished open such a fish grilling restaurant back in Beijing. He learned to grill fish from me every day for more than half a month. At the beginning, he learned very slowly and the grilled fish didn't taste very good, but every time I grilled the fish, he would observe carefully. Slowly, he grilled better and better. We got along very happily. When he left, we also took photos with each other. I was very happy that he could bring my grilled fish skill to Beijing.

Now, we have earned money. We also have houses and car. My two children are also studying in Urumqi, and my daughter has graduated from college this year. I feel very happy. Many of my friends in Hotan saw that I’ve made my fortunes here, and they have all come here running businesses like I do. Everyone is very satisfied with their own life! I hope everyone can come and taste my grilled fish! Now please watch a short video of my grilled fish restaurant.

Hostess: Thanks Abdullimu Abdulrehman for his telling. Now, let’s invite Nihamatijan Rehemudura, the boss of a drum painting shop, to tell his story.

Nihamatijan Rehemudura: Hello, everyone, my name's Nihamatijan Rehemudura, I set up a national musical instrument store in the Grand Bazaar, and this is my tambourine. I have loved painting since I was a child. In 2005, I was a junior student in the Fine Arts Department of Xinjiang Normal University. Once I drew a picture and saw the tambourine next to me, it suddenly occurred to me that if I paint on the tambourine, the tambourine is not only a musical instrument, but also an ornament.

After graduating from university, I have worked as an art teacher and have also done art design, but I still thought about hand-painted tambourines. In 2012, I quit my job and went to Kashgar to learn how to make tambourines. At the end of the year, I started to make and sell them, and I painted Xinjiang ethnic patterns, landscapes, people and animals on the tambourines, so that my tambourines are not the same as other tambourines. The smaller tambourine can be painted 10 times a day, and the larger one can only be painted once in two days. So far, I have painted two or three thousand hand-painted tambourines, and customers like them very much. Later, the speed of making tambourines couldn't keep up with the speed of selling them. As a result, I opened a tambourine manufacturing plant in Yining City. Now there are 10 employees in the factory, and the production, processing, and sales can be done all at once. The manufacturers I used to buy are now looking for me to get the goods.

Now I have two stores, including retail and wholesale tambourines. Every day I play tambourine at the entrance of the store to attract tourists. They take pictures and videos in my place, some people take pictures of musical instruments, and some take pictures of my performance. I also opened a Taobao store and did livestreaming on my Tiktok account. I did online sales, and sales were pretty good. Now my daily turnover is 3,000 yuan, and I can earn 6,000 or 7,000 in peak seasons. I sell more than 20,000 tambourines every year.

I now have more than 3,000 WeChat friends, they are my customers basically, and many of them are from other provinces and cities. I sent them recorded performance videos to facilitate their learning. I will sign on the inside of every tambourine I sell, this is my quality assurance to customers. Recently, I also received some private orders. One of the customers was a student, he asked to draw a photo of him and his classmates on the tambourine. I think this is a good business opportunity.

My wife is a postgraduate student, and my business is so good now, which is inseparable from the strong support of my wife. We also opened a health club, run by my wife. My wife takes care of the family and two children, and the children learn very well.

Now, my tambourine has been registered as a trademark. Next, I want to make it into a brand, realize processing and packaging, and make it the most distinctive tourist souvenir in Xinjiang. Today, I also brought my tambourine. Let me show it to you and play it on the spot. I also hope that everyone can come to the Grand Bazaar for a stroll and cheer me up.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Nihamatijan Rehemudura shows and plays tambourine at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Next, please watch a short video about me.

Hostess: Thanks Nihamatijan Rehemudura for his sharing and wonderful performance. Every ordinary tambourine has been transformed into exquisite ornaments through his paintings, which is cost-effective and brings business opportunities to Nihamatijan Rehemudura. This is not only a collision between painting and music, but also a combination of Nihamatijan Rehemudura's ingenuity and economic acumen. This fully proves that as long as you are willing to use your brain and work diligently, business opportunities are everywhere, and a happy life is created by our hands. Next, I would like to ask Yibrayimu Yismayili, the owner of Yanshan Cold Drink Shop, to tell his story.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Yibrayimu Yismayili speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Yibrayimu Yismayili: Hello, everyone. My name is Yibrayimu Yismayili, I'm 42 this year, the owner of Yanshan Cold Drink Shop in the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.

In 1999, I left my hometown Wushi County, Aksu and worked in restaurants in Urumqi and Shanghai successively, I worked as a waiter and a chef. Especially when I was working in Shanghai, the prosperity of Shanghai broadened my horizon, my cooking skills have been greatly improved there, but also I learned advanced restaurant management experience. Later, I returned to Urumqi and worked in the restaurant for a while. After hard work, I became the chef of the restaurant. However, I was not satisfied. I wanted to be self-employed, and I wanted my family to live a better life.

In 2014, I opened my first small shop in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, selling cold drinks mainly, named Yanshan Cold Drinks, which fulfilled my dream of being a boss. There are many things to worry about when doing business, but in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, I only need to worry about purchasing, production and selling. I don't need to worry about the business environment and business policies at all, the staff of bazaar have thought of that. The business environment and conditions are getting better and better, there are more and more tourists, and the business is becoming more and more prosperous. In particular, Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar was upgraded in 2018. The newly renovated pedestrian zone is spacious and tidy. Once it comes to traditional festivals, the scenic spot will also organize cultural tourism activities to attract more tourists, providing us merchants with opportunities to increase our income. At present, my cold drink shop has opened eight in Urumqi and registered the trademark of "Iceberg Gift" with the help of the community.

Nowadays, I have not only fulfilled my dream of making my family live a good life, but also witnessed that the lives of three employees from southern Xinjiang are getting better and better. For 7 years, they have followed me to start a business, and I pay them dividends every year, each person can be paid 50,000 yuan in dividends per year at most. Some of them built new houses in their hometowns, and some sent their children to study in Shanghai. Among them, the eldest Yusuf Kadir is 63 years old this year and is an old employee of my scenic area store in the Grand Bazaar. Yusuf Kadir often said to his family: "Happiness comes from hard work. As long as you work hard, your life will get better and better."

I have three children with my wife, the eldest daughter is 11 years old and is in the fifth grade, the second daughter is 10 years old and the fourth grade, and the younger son just started elementary school at the age of 6. They all enjoy a good education. At the same time, the government also provides milk freely to children. Children from 0 to 6 years old have nutritious milk while children in compulsory education have school milk, one bag a day, to accompany the children's growth. Whether in business or in life, I can feel the care and concern of the Party and government for our ethnic minorities every day. I want to use my own story to tell everyone that a happy life is the result of struggling, and the people of Xinjiang are hardworking, kind and diligent. I am here to make the best cold drinks waiting for you. Next please watch a short video of our cold drinks shop.

Hostess: Thanks Yibrayimu Yismayili for his telling. Then let Rena Aini, the Cultural Tourism Promotion Ambassador of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, tell her story.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Rena Aini speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Rena Aini: Hello, everyone. I am Rena Aini, I graduated from the Music School of Xinjiang Normal University in 2009. In April 2019, I'm honored to be the Cultural Tourism Promotion Ambassador of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, to promote the Grand Bazaar and to receive domestic and foreign tourists. In the recent three years, I have seen the number of tourists rise continuously, and the good business environment and policy support have allowed the merchants in the Grand Bazaar to make a lot of money.

The day I became the Cultural Tourism Promotion Ambassador of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar was also the day when the Grand Bazaar reopened after being transformed. Up to now, I still remember there were so many tourists that day, and the food prepared by many gourmet shops was sold out in two or three hours.

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar as a national 4A-level scenic spot, can reflect both the international style and the characteristics of our Xinjiang, whether its overall design, business categories or products sold. The daily reception volume is up to 300,000 people. It is worthy of the name of the largest castle-like bazaar complex in the world. When I introduce these to tourists, I am very proud.

If you come to visit Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, I recommend you to take a look at the pedestrian zone of "cultural and creative, culture and tourism, and intangible cultural heritage projects", especially the emerging display of Xinjiang fur paintings. Xinjiang fur painting is an art form innovated by Azguli Wufur, who graduated from the Law Department of China University of Political Science and Law, in order to inherit and carry forward the art of Xinjiang folk fur painting. Azguli Wufur painted on the fur of cattle or sheep as the bottom with the paint she created, and created the fur painting art based on horse culture, she is known as the first person of Xinjiang fur painting. Today, Azguli Wufur's fur paintings are not only an important display content of the intangible cultural heritage of the Grand Bazaar, but the fur painting tourism products made by her team are also one of the best-selling tourism products of the Grand Bazaar. Today, I brought a fur painting by Azguli Wufur. Look, the fairies on the grassland are lifelike in the fur painting. It looks like that they grow out of fur. It's really great!

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows a Xinjiang fur painting at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Xinjiang's singing and dancing are very famous. There usually are two performances every day at the Grand Bazaar. I will show everyone Xinjiang dance on stage. Every time during the performance, tourists, merchants and nearby residents will dance together. My friends often send me videos on the Internet, they are scenes which I take people to dance. Many netizens commented that the dancing is so beautiful and it shows the happy life of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang.

Countless tourists told me that they like Xinjiang more and more and like this beautiful Grand Bazaar. I love my hometown, I love this place where raise me! Welcome everyone to the International Grand Bazaar. I want to show you the enthusiasm of Xinjiang people!

Hostess: Thanks Rena Aini for sharing. Rena Aini used her growing experience to tell the development and changes of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, and refuted the lies and fallacy which are so-called "cultural genocide" with what she saw and heard in her work. Rena Aini is a window for tourists to know Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, and Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is a window for the world to know Xinjiang. Next, please Yusanjiang Yusufu, Director of the Management Committee of the Grand Bazaar Area, Tianshan District, Urumqi, to tell the story of him with Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows Yusanjiang Yusufu speaks at the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Yusanjiang Yusufu: Hello everyone, my name is Yusanjiang Yusufu, Director of the Management Committee of the Grand Bazaar Area, Tianshan District, Urumqi, I'm a Uygur. When it comes to Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, my work and life are around the Grand Bazaar, I have witnessed the changes here, here is the microcosm of Xinjiang's prosperous development and social stability.

Relying on my own efforts and the key training of the Party and the government, I achieved my own life's ambition before the age of 36, and I'm surrounded by many young cadres of ethnic minorities like me. This fully proves that we Xinjiang Uygur people self-employ and choose jobs freely, promotion and advancement are normal, and all rights and interests are protected by law. As the Director of the Management Committee of the Grand Bazaar Scenic Spot, I would like to give you a detailed description of the Grand Bazaar Scenic Spot.

Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is the largest castle-like bazaar in the world, Xinjiang tourism products collection and display center, the landmark in Urumqi and even Xinjiang, known as the "Window of Xinjiang" "Windows of Central Asia". Total floor area of it is 100,000 square meters, and practical area is 48,000 square meters, there are 6 main buildings totally and a 80-meter-high sightseeing tower, mainly sells local characteristic products of Xinjiang, dried fruit, ethnic costumes, jade and handicrafts with ethnic characteristics and so on. There are 1480 merchants, of which Uygur merchants account for about 70%.

In 2018, the Grand Bazaar pedestrian zone officially opened, became a "golden business card" for Xinjiang tourism, as a featured tourism window in Xinjiang, the Grand Bazaar shows the culture of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, the intangible cultural heritage display area of it includes both Uygur musical instruments production, Kazakh embroidery, as well as the emerging Xinjiang fur painting.

While standardizing and scientifically managing merchants in the Grand Bazaar, we also specially care for, help and support merchants. In recent years, we have carried out training on cooperate marketing management, business trend, sales etiquette and marketing skills for merchants in the Grand Bazaar, so as to continuously improve the service quality of merchants, change marketing strategies and increase their income. After participating in e-commerce training, merchants selling products such as osman, Ili lavender, essential oil, Xinjiang horse oil and camel oil have opened up their markets through online e-commerce, increased their popularity and their income! Since its opening, the average daily passenger flow of the Grand Bazaar scenic spot has reached 50,000 person-time, and the maximum daily passenger flow has reached 300,000 person-time. At the same time, the incidence of public security and criminal cases has always been zero. Tourists from all over the world are welcome to visit our bazaar. Finally, through two short videos, I would like to invite you to see the happy life of Avanti Bazaar Nang Store and merchant Asmu Muhammad.

Hostess: Thanks Yusanjiang Yusufu's telling, he not only refute the lie so-called "forced labor" by his self experience, but also introduce the operation and management of Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar in detail, to make us have further understanding about Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

For a long time, the United States and other western countries have made unwarranted accusations against China's Xinjiang based on lies and rumors. Xinjiang's so-called "human rights violations", "genocide", "cultural extinction" and "forced labor" are outright lies and naked slander. The United States and other western countries attempt to use them as a tool to put pressure on China and endanger the prosperity and stability of Xinjiang, undermine China's national unity and curb China's development and growth. This is completely impossible. With the rapid economic and social development in Xinjiang, people's livelihood construction and investment continue to increase. People of all ethnic groups have equal opportunities for development, constructing jointly and sharing a happy life. Here, we would like to urge those who spread rumors to discredit Xinjiang, please open your eyes and stop being "blind".

Photo taken on July 27, 2021 shows the Special Press Conference of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar. Photo by Xinjiang Daily/ Zou Rui

Hostess: Today's press conference is over, thanks the speakers for sharing their true feelings with us. Thank you all media reporters.