Bazaars are commonplace in the urban and rural areas of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Townships will schedule their markets on different days, enticing residents from neighboring areas with the scent of roasted lamb, a rodeo of riding skills and a cacophony of cattle calls.

In Selibuya township in Bachu county of Kashgar prefecture, the most important township in south Xinjiang since the 1980s, the weekly Thursday bazaar is a big draw. The market drew more than 100,000 visitors during the slack farming season.

For rural residents, the bazaar is a place to sell livestock, purchase daily necessities, wander among the numerous handicraft vendors and indulge in a snack.

Located on a key route of the ancient Silk Road, Selibuya has a highly developed ethnic handicraft industry, and a prosperous tradition of trade and commerce. The township was once a renowned trading center in southern Xinjiang.

A bazaar provides an important regional marketplace for cattle and goats. Dealers and customers judge the health of the livestock by checking the structure and health of their heads and mouths. photos by Jiang Wenyao/Xinhua