Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily(Reporter Abiba)news: At 5 a.m. on November 17, 2025, wisps of smoke were already rising from the food area of the football park of Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In front of a two-meter-high roasting pit, stall owner Abdusalam Adili was deftly handling the first camel of the day. “You need to slice through the thicker parts of the meat and trim the areas with too much fat,” he explained to his apprentice while cutting, sharing his secrets for roasting camel.

Photo taken on November 17, 2025 shows Abdusalam Adili tidies up his stall at the food area of the 2025 Xinjiang "Artux Cup" Xinjiang football invitational tournament held in Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Abiba)

“It takes five hours to roast a whole camel. Originally, I planned to prepare four today, but given the crowd, it definitely won’t be enough. We need to add 10 whole roasted lambs and 50 roasted chickens,” Abdusalam said. Hailing from Yarkant County, Xinjiang’s Kashi Prefecture, he has been making a living roasting whole camels for 12 years, and this is his third year participating in the food market of the “Artux Cup” Football Invitational.

Photo taken on November 17, 2025 shows Abdusalam Adili chats with customers at his stall in the food area of the 2025 Xinjiang "Artux Cup" Xinjiang football invitational tournament held in Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Abiba)

His stall always stands out — red chef uniforms, a loud and rhythmic hawk and the farthest-traveling aroma of roasted meat. “Eighty percent of success in the food business depends on quality, and twenty percent on presentation and promotion,” he said. Once the roasted camel is out of the pit, it sells out in less than 20 minutes.

“I’d say my business acumen is even sharper than my cooking skills!” he laughed. Initially, he ran a barbecue restaurant in the Narat Scenic Spot. “During the peak season, money poured in, but during the off-season, it flowed right out. By the end of the year, there wasn’t much left.” Abdusalam began to ponder: since most of his income came from tourists, why not bring his roasted goods to wherever the tourists were? That would open up the market.

Photo taken on November 17, 2025 shows Abdusalam Adili’s stall in the food area of the 2025 Xinjiang "Artux Cup" Xinjiang football invitational tournament held in Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Abiba)

He noticed that various cultural, tourism, and sports events were frequently held across Xinjiang, creating perfect opportunities to attract crowds. “I’m confident in the quality of my roasted products. As long as there are people, I can make money,” he said. With this idea, he took his team beyond Yarkant. The Mutetaer Desert Cultural Tourism Season in Jinghe County? He went! The Taklimakan Rally? He was there! The Apricot Blossom Festival? Off he went! Following the schedules of cultural, tourism, and sports events announced in advance, he expanded his business.

After three years of continuous effort and experience, he is now well-known among event organizers across the region, who frequently invite him to participate. For this “Artux Cup” football event, he used the roasting pit reserved for him by the organizers from the previous edition and prepared 30 camels and 100 sheep. “After we’re done here, I’ll leave the Artux stall to my team and head to Kashi. There’s another football event there soon, and I need to prepare the stall, set up the roasting pit, and get everything ready in advance,” Abdusalam said. He now earns an annual net income of over 500,000 yuan (about 70,300 U.S. dollars).

Photo taken on November 17, 2025 shows Abdusalam Adili roasts camels at his stall in the food area of the 2025 Xinjiang "Artux Cup" Xinjiang football invitational tournament held in Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Abiba)

His reach has extended beyond Xinjiang to other parts of China. “Dunhuang, Lanzhou, Sanya, Yunnan… Now everyone envies me, saying I’m traveling while doing business, earning money and enjoying life,” he shared. As for the future, he has clear plans: train more apprentices, register a team brand, and form groups to operate flexibly in different locations. “According to the news, Xinjiang welcomed over 300 million tourists last year. I have great confidence in Xinjiang’s tourism. With this momentum, I believe life will only get better,” he said.

(A written permission shall be obtained for reprinting, excerpting, copying and mirroring of the contents published on this website. Unauthorized aforementioned act shall be deemed an infringement, of which the actor shall be held accountable under the law.)